A Cultural Inventory

How many children are in the family in which you were born? What is your birth order?

Both my parents had children before they married each other so I have two brothers and two sisters, though I was only raised with one of my sisters. I am the baby of the family.

What were some of the roles of the sons in our family? The daughters?

My sister and I did typically feminine things like cook and sew, but there was not really a distinction between men’s work and woman’s work. I often helped my father with ‘manly’ jobs like mowing the lawn or maintaining the house. Both my parents worked outside the home so I didn’t see it as a man’s role to be the breadwinner. At the same time, because my mother worked, I saw my father cook dinner or vacuum the floor just as often as my mother because they shared the household responsibilities.

What is the education level of your parents? Your grandparents?

Both of my parents attended college part time while I was growing up and both earned associates degrees. I know that my mother’s mother did not finish high school. My mother’s father may have finished, but he didn’t go to college. I suspect that my father’s parents, being black and from the south during the early 20^th century, did not finish high school.

What language do your parents speak? Your grandparents?

My parents and all my grandparents were native English speakers. The most recent newcomer was my great grandfather from Italy, but he learned and spoke English (as well as other languages) without an accent.

What are the rules of your family regarding courtship and marriage?

The rules are: there are no rules because my parents broke them. My parents married outside of their races and had to deal with the nonsense that goes along with that. Their attitudes about who should marry whom are somewhat relaxed. I presume I could have come home with a person of any color, age, or sex, and my parents would be okay with it as long as the person wasn’t a jerk.

What special occasions do your family celebrate? What special foods are prepared?

Christmas and Thanksgiving were the things we celebrated. Christmas was about Santa Claus and spending time with our immediate family. Thanksgiving was about family and friends and strays with nowhere else to go. We prepared very American food (turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce), but we did include some southern sweet potato soufflé or maybe pecan pie. Any more ethnic foods we may have had, like tamales at Christmas, were due to where we lived rather than our own family’s heritage.

What is the birthplace of your parents? Your grandparents? To what culture do your parents belong? Your grandparents?

My parents and grandparents were all born in the United States. My great grandfather was Italian but did not bring any foods or traditions with him when he came to the United States. He was assimilated, and his children were raised as Americans. My father is from the south and his ancestors have been American for many generations (although some were not considered citizens, or even human). Overall, we are very American.