"The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have." - Ring Lardner
Everyday walking up to the third floor at school, I see a framed sign with this quote in it. And everyday, it bothers me. It just does not seem right. If anything, the family you come from should be
of equal importance to the family you are going to have - if you do get married and have another family.
The family that you come from is your past, which although it should not define you, it has a huge
impact on you. The bonds you create with your family allow you to learn to trust and love, and being part of a family allows you to be part of a unit. This not only gives a child security, but the opportunity to develop and see how family relationships work so when the time comes for you to start your own family,
you can create the same relationships. Obviously there are all different types of families, some in which the relationships and bonds are not so good, but you can't choose the family that you are born into.
I think this quote does not promote positive ideas - to me, it makes me think that I shouldn't focus on being a part of my family, working to create bonds with my siblings or establish good relationships with my parents because when I'm 25 or 30 or whatever and start a new family, it will be more important.
What's more, the family you have or the family you are going to have - I don't see them as two separate entities. They are connected. When I want to start my own family, I will be expanding my family, the one that has raised me, helped make me who I am, and allowed me to create long lasting relationships. My family started me off on the path I'm now. It is most definitely just as important as my future family.
I agree with you Katie. Honestly, I don't think this makes a whole lot of sense. According to this quote, the family you create is more important than the family you are born into. But if this is the case, when you have children, you won't be as important to them as the spouse and children they will have in the future. So your family is made up of people (your kids) who know that there is a more important family coming. This forces them to live in the future and not appreciate the family they have at the moment. I don't know if I worded that right, but this statement is ironic. When you create a family of your own, it's not important to your children-- just to you. Or at least that't what I get from this quote... But that shouldn't be the case because the family you come from influences the family you create, which means that it is equally if not more important.
ReplyDelete