Introduction
The family is the basic unit in every society. The family is the foundation of each and every individual ranging from the most powerful people in the world ranging from the political arena, the business world, the world or art and music, the field of education, science and every other field. The significance of a family cannot be underscored in the wider society. The family unit is responsible for recreation and bringing up children who become significant pillars of the society. It is in the family unit that members are socialized and are taught basic and essential things and lessons in life such as how to eat, talk, dress and relate with other members of the society.
My wider family is known as the Mohammed’s family, which is the name of my great grandfather. My father is also known by the name, which makes the family businesses to be identified with the name. in the above family tree, I have included my great-grandfather at the top of the hierarchy to denote the start of the family line up to the fourth generation which includes my cousins and I. my grandfather Abdulhadi comes in second in the family tress to represent the first generation in the family tree. The third generation includes my father, alongside his brothers and sisters.
My father has six brothers and six sisters, and he the oldest of them all. His brothers are Waleed, Musaed, Adnan,Jasem,Jamal, and Misheal. His sisters are Mariam, Reem, Mushael, Wadha, Suad, Amal in that order. This paper seeks to examine the dynamics in our family encompassing the family structure, family values, family process and important family events.
Erik Erikson theory
As noted earlier, my family ancestry takes a patriarchal order whereby the family is headed by the oldest male.in that accord, my family is headed by my grandfather Abdulhadi who is still alive. He married two wives, from whom they bore 13 children. My father is the oldest of them all, and he has significant family influence and authority by the fact that he is the first born. In my family ancestry, age comes with respect and responsibility. Age comes with dignity and authority, and as such, my father is viewed as the second in authority from my grandfather, and he is viewed as the custodian of knowledge. He is consulted on many issues, especially on issues to do with family disputes that have to do with sibling rivalry and general family wrangles. Age is viewed with so much respect and dignity because it is thought that a person with many years has encountered many hurdles and has experienced a myriad of social, physical and emotional hurdles in his or her lifetime.
While age comes with respect and dignity associated with experiences, the grandmother also plays a pivotal role in the family, and especially concerning the education of children on family values and morals. The grandmother is a source of knowledge and the custodian of tradition in the family. She is responsible for imparting knowledge and values to the members of the family, especially to new brides and children in the family. I will elucidate the aspect of family values in the subsequent details.
My family is basically a polygamous family whereby a man is allowed to marry more than one wife, but not more than four. The family ancestry on marriage follows the guidelines stipulated by the Islam religion. My great-grandfather had three wives, while my grandfather had married two wives. My father is exceptional in that he is only married to one wife; my mother. I have two brothers; Yosef and Omar and I love them very much. My family is relatively small compared to my father’s brothers and sisters who have more children. i have more than 35 cousins, and together the family becomes huge and wonderful.
Family values
Every family has its set of values, characterized by the do’s and don’ts. Our family is no different from others in terms norms and values. In terms of values, the eldest members of the family are the custodians of knowledge who pass on important family information to the generation to be continued to posterity. The family has its dos and don’ts. In terms of the do’s the grandmother and the grandfather are responsible for giving guidance on what is needed to be done. For instance, one of the important values is maintaining family values and ethics like marrying within the Islam religion. Although this belief might be viewed as biased, it is a strict requirement that members of the Abdulhadi family must observe, failure to which one is viewed as somehow as an “outcast.”
My grandmother says that marrying someone from the same faith and religion as we are will help to keep away marriage issues because members will understand each other roles and responsibilities. For instance, some my grandfather says that one is free to marry as many as four wives, who are allowed by the Islam religion. My grandfather says that some religions like Christianity promote monogamy, which is unlike in our family tradition. To avoid such clash of values, the family makes it known that one can only marry someone whom we profess the same faith.
Children are also required to be protectors and be their brothers’ keepers. Whether they are at home or in school, a member of Abdulhadi family should look after his brother or sister. If other children from the school or community, it is the duty of the other members to protect the family member in danger. According to them, an attack to one of our family members is an attack to the entire family. Thus, other members should come and join hands to safeguard the welfare and the reputation of the family.
There are limitations and rules that family members have to observe. My great-grandfather loved peace and harmony and instilled the same values in his children. He made known to his children and said that the same should be passed on to generation that none of his family member should be a wife batterer. That means that anyone who beats his wife is considered an outcast and outsider. As long as one is under his lineage, one should treat the wife with respect. In case of disagreements, one should not rush to hit his wife as other people do. Am told that my great-grandfather lived among people from different tribes, ethnicities and races and witnessed such behaviors. The issue of wife battering bogged his mind and made it a strict rule that none of his family members should be characterized a victim of spousal abuse.
Another value that is considered important in the family is making the family close-knit. This is the responsibility of my grandmother. Women have a special place in the family, and they are considered as the unifying factor in the family. The grandmother is responsible for imparting skills to the young mothers who get married to the family. She teaches them on important motherhood skills, how to bring up children and basic nursing and care responsibilities. Additionally, she teachers the new wives on the need for family unity, especially considering that my family is polygamous in nature. Conflicts are likely to arise from wives, but the women are taught on the need to ensure that the family remains united.
Apart from being a uniting symbol in the family, the grandmother is also responsible passing out information and knowledge to the younger members of the family through evening story times. Evenings are a precious time when children get to hear about stories of the clan, the history of the clan and the country in general.
Etiquette in the family interactions is an important family value that is taken seriously in the family. Members of the family are taught about food and clothing etiquette.in terms of meals, the family observes traditions that are patriarchal and might seem unfortunate to women. Men basically eat first, and they are served first, and women are allowed to eat after all male household members have eaten. In terms of clothing, women have a somehow strict dress code as they are expected to wear abaya. abaya is a black over-garment that covers most parts of the body. Women in the family are also discouraged from wearing clothes that attract unnecessary attention such as wearing low neckline clothes, short dresses and sleeveless tops. Men are also expected to wear decently such as the thwab. Thwab refers to an ankle-length white cotton shirt that is common with Muslim men.
Family process
In this section, I will discuss about the family processes, I will discuss about important family events that characterize the family. In the Islamic calendar, there are important events such as the holy month of Ramadan, and other religious days that are observed in Islam. The family considers the holy month of Ramadan as an important time for the family to come together to bond and know each other better. During this time, the family comes together to observe Ramadan whereby each member of the family invites the other family members in turns. For instance, during the first day of Ramadan, we normally eat and drink at my grandmother’s house. In the second day, meals are served at our home, and this order is observed until each member of the family has welcomes the members.in the culmination of Ramadan, the grandfather hosts the entire family members to eat at his place as family values are reinstated and emphasized again. As the presiding authority in the family, he states what he would like his family to live even in his absentia to ensure that members will live in harmony in accordance to his wishes even when he dies.
There are important ceremonies that are observed in the family such as during bridal exchanges and wedding ceremonies. Wedding ceremonies are considered an important event in the family and are characterized by joy and merry. Weddings are considered a blessing in the family because one of our own is going to increase and multiply. The family believes that when one weds and gets into marriage, it is a sign of blessings, and the couple is expected to bear as many children as they can. There is no limitation as to the number of children that one can bear as children are regarded as a blessing.
During bridal exchange ceremonies in the family, it is a time for the women in the family to show their prowess in cooking and preparing various delicacies. Women come together and take a considerable bit of time preparing meals for the family and the visitors. Women can take as long as seven days to purchase and prepare for the delicacies. An adequate bit of time is taken for preparing meals because they want to create an image that the bride or groom is coming from a “great” family. It is like literally showing off to the neighbors and the visitors what we are made of. It brings joy and pride to the family, especially to the family heads when the ceremony becomes a success.
Other family events that are considered important and that are considered as testing the extent of the family unity are times of bereavement. Death is bound to occur and is seen as a natural occurrence. Although it is not welcome, death is used to evaluate the level of family unity because of the many things that have to be done within a very short period of time. Burial ceremony follows the rules stipulated by the Islam religion whereby one is supposed to be buried in a period of 24 hours. Since 24 hours are barely adequate to get over the grieving process, the family members come in handy to provide solace and comfort to the family members experiencing loss. I remember the death of one of my closest cousin during 2020 following the outbreak of covid-19. It was quite an upsetting time for the family, especially since the cousin was a vibrant young man in his early twenties. It was a tremendous loss to the family, and especially to me because we were very close. His star was steadily rising, especially in the field of education. He was quite a determined person, and I found it hard to believe that I lost such a family member and a friend. It took the intervention of my father and other cousins to help me overcome the grief. Without their intervention, I do not know what would have become of me. I am grateful for my family for becoming an important pillar at a time when I needed them the most.
What the family is known for Family identity and family legacy is an important defining component for my family. Families are known for different things such as prowess and success in the field of education, science, music, art, business, and clergy. Our family is known for its prowess in business. My grandfather was and is still a renowned entrepreneur, although his energy is slowly dwindling due to his advancing years. He imparted the business skills and shrewdness to his children who have now taken over from him. Most family members are involved in the logistics businesses, as well as numerous investments in the petroleum industry. Other members are venturing into other businesses such as the clothing industry that is very promising and has huge potential. For the young generation like us who have little digital knowledge about ecommerce, my cousins and I are helping our parents to start venturing and sourcing for clients online.
The family is the basic unit in every society. The family is the foundation of each and every individual ranging from the most powerful people in the world ranging from the political arena, the business world, the world or art and music, the field of education, science and every other field. The significance of a family cannot be underscored in the wider society. The family unit is responsible for recreation and bringing up children who become significant pillars of the society. It is in the family unit that members are socialized and are taught basic and essential things and lessons in life such as how to eat, talk, dress and relate with other members of the society.
My wider family is known as the Mohammed’s family, which is the name of my great grandfather. My father is also known by the name, which makes the family businesses to be identified with the name. in the above family tree, I have included my great-grandfather at the top of the hierarchy to denote the start of the family line up to the fourth generation which includes my cousins and I. my grandfather Abdulhadi comes in second in the family tress to represent the first generation in the family tree. The third generation includes my father, alongside his brothers and sisters.
My father has six brothers and six sisters, and he the oldest of them all. His brothers are Waleed, Musaed, Adnan,Jasem,Jamal, and Misheal. His sisters are Mariam, Reem, Mushael, Wadha, Suad, Amal in that order. This paper seeks to examine the dynamics in our family encompassing the family structure, family values, family process and important family events.
Erik Erikson theory
As noted earlier, my family ancestry takes a patriarchal order whereby the family is headed by the oldest male.in that accord, my family is headed by my grandfather Abdulhadi who is still alive. He married two wives, from whom they bore 13 children. My father is the oldest of them all, and he has significant family influence and authority by the fact that he is the first born. In my family ancestry, age comes with respect and responsibility. Age comes with dignity and authority, and as such, my father is viewed as the second in authority from my grandfather, and he is viewed as the custodian of knowledge. He is consulted on many issues, especially on issues to do with family disputes that have to do with sibling rivalry and general family wrangles. Age is viewed with so much respect and dignity because it is thought that a person with many years has encountered many hurdles and has experienced a myriad of social, physical and emotional hurdles in his or her lifetime.
While age comes with respect and dignity associated with experiences, the grandmother also plays a pivotal role in the family, and especially concerning the education of children on family values and morals. The grandmother is a source of knowledge and the custodian of tradition in the family. She is responsible for imparting knowledge and values to the members of the family, especially to new brides and children in the family. I will elucidate the aspect of family values in the subsequent details.
My family is basically a polygamous family whereby a man is allowed to marry more than one wife, but not more than four. The family ancestry on marriage follows the guidelines stipulated by the Islam religion. My great-grandfather had three wives, while my grandfather had married two wives. My father is exceptional in that he is only married to one wife; my mother. I have two brothers; Yosef and Omar and I love them very much. My family is relatively small compared to my father’s brothers and sisters who have more children. i have more than 35 cousins, and together the family becomes huge and wonderful.
Family values
Every family has its set of values, characterized by the do’s and don’ts. Our family is no different from others in terms norms and values. In terms of values, the eldest members of the family are the custodians of knowledge who pass on important family information to the generation to be continued to posterity. The family has its dos and don’ts. In terms of the do’s the grandmother and the grandfather are responsible for giving guidance on what is needed to be done. For instance, one of the important values is maintaining family values and ethics like marrying within the Islam religion. Although this belief might be viewed as biased, it is a strict requirement that members of the Abdulhadi family must observe, failure to which one is viewed as somehow as an “outcast.”
My grandmother says that marrying someone from the same faith and religion as we are will help to keep away marriage issues because members will understand each other roles and responsibilities. For instance, some my grandfather says that one is free to marry as many as four wives, who are allowed by the Islam religion. My grandfather says that some religions like Christianity promote monogamy, which is unlike in our family tradition. To avoid such clash of values, the family makes it known that one can only marry someone whom we profess the same faith.
Children are also required to be protectors and be their brothers’ keepers. Whether they are at home or in school, a member of Abdulhadi family should look after his brother or sister. If other children from the school or community, it is the duty of the other members to protect the family member in danger. According to them, an attack to one of our family members is an attack to the entire family. Thus, other members should come and join hands to safeguard the welfare and the reputation of the family.
There are limitations and rules that family members have to observe. My great-grandfather loved peace and harmony and instilled the same values in his children. He made known to his children and said that the same should be passed on to generation that none of his family member should be a wife batterer. That means that anyone who beats his wife is considered an outcast and outsider. As long as one is under his lineage, one should treat the wife with respect. In case of disagreements, one should not rush to hit his wife as other people do. Am told that my great-grandfather lived among people from different tribes, ethnicities and races and witnessed such behaviors. The issue of wife battering bogged his mind and made it a strict rule that none of his family members should be characterized a victim of spousal abuse.
Another value that is considered important in the family is making the family close-knit. This is the responsibility of my grandmother. Women have a special place in the family, and they are considered as the unifying factor in the family. The grandmother is responsible for imparting skills to the young mothers who get married to the family. She teaches them on important motherhood skills, how to bring up children and basic nursing and care responsibilities. Additionally, she teachers the new wives on the need for family unity, especially considering that my family is polygamous in nature. Conflicts are likely to arise from wives, but the women are taught on the need to ensure that the family remains united.
Apart from being a uniting symbol in the family, the grandmother is also responsible passing out information and knowledge to the younger members of the family through evening story times. Evenings are a precious time when children get to hear about stories of the clan, the history of the clan and the country in general.
Etiquette in the family interactions is an important family value that is taken seriously in the family. Members of the family are taught about food and clothing etiquette.in terms of meals, the family observes traditions that are patriarchal and might seem unfortunate to women. Men basically eat first, and they are served first, and women are allowed to eat after all male household members have eaten. In terms of clothing, women have a somehow strict dress code as they are expected to wear abaya. abaya is a black over-garment that covers most parts of the body. Women in the family are also discouraged from wearing clothes that attract unnecessary attention such as wearing low neckline clothes, short dresses and sleeveless tops. Men are also expected to wear decently such as the thwab. Thwab refers to an ankle-length white cotton shirt that is common with Muslim men.
Family process
In this section, I will discuss about the family processes, I will discuss about important family events that characterize the family. In the Islamic calendar, there are important events such as the holy month of Ramadan, and other religious days that are observed in Islam. The family considers the holy month of Ramadan as an important time for the family to come together to bond and know each other better. During this time, the family comes together to observe Ramadan whereby each member of the family invites the other family members in turns. For instance, during the first day of Ramadan, we normally eat and drink at my grandmother’s house. In the second day, meals are served at our home, and this order is observed until each member of the family has welcomes the members.in the culmination of Ramadan, the grandfather hosts the entire family members to eat at his place as family values are reinstated and emphasized again. As the presiding authority in the family, he states what he would like his family to live even in his absentia to ensure that members will live in harmony in accordance to his wishes even when he dies.
There are important ceremonies that are observed in the family such as during bridal exchanges and wedding ceremonies. Wedding ceremonies are considered an important event in the family and are characterized by joy and merry. Weddings are considered a blessing in the family because one of our own is going to increase and multiply. The family believes that when one weds and gets into marriage, it is a sign of blessings, and the couple is expected to bear as many children as they can. There is no limitation as to the number of children that one can bear as children are regarded as a blessing.
During bridal exchange ceremonies in the family, it is a time for the women in the family to show their prowess in cooking and preparing various delicacies. Women come together and take a considerable bit of time preparing meals for the family and the visitors. Women can take as long as seven days to purchase and prepare for the delicacies. An adequate bit of time is taken for preparing meals because they want to create an image that the bride or groom is coming from a “great” family. It is like literally showing off to the neighbors and the visitors what we are made of. It brings joy and pride to the family, especially to the family heads when the ceremony becomes a success.
Other family events that are considered important and that are considered as testing the extent of the family unity are times of bereavement. Death is bound to occur and is seen as a natural occurrence. Although it is not welcome, death is used to evaluate the level of family unity because of the many things that have to be done within a very short period of time. Burial ceremony follows the rules stipulated by the Islam religion whereby one is supposed to be buried in a period of 24 hours. Since 24 hours are barely adequate to get over the grieving process, the family members come in handy to provide solace and comfort to the family members experiencing loss. I remember the death of one of my closest cousin during 2020 following the outbreak of covid-19. It was quite an upsetting time for the family, especially since the cousin was a vibrant young man in his early twenties. It was a tremendous loss to the family, and especially to me because we were very close. His star was steadily rising, especially in the field of education. He was quite a determined person, and I found it hard to believe that I lost such a family member and a friend. It took the intervention of my father and other cousins to help me overcome the grief. Without their intervention, I do not know what would have become of me. I am grateful for my family for becoming an important pillar at a time when I needed them the most.
What the family is known for Family identity and family legacy is an important defining component for my family. Families are known for different things such as prowess and success in the field of education, science, music, art, business, and clergy. Our family is known for its prowess in business. My grandfather was and is still a renowned entrepreneur, although his energy is slowly dwindling due to his advancing years. He imparted the business skills and shrewdness to his children who have now taken over from him. Most family members are involved in the logistics businesses, as well as numerous investments in the petroleum industry. Other members are venturing into other businesses such as the clothing industry that is very promising and has huge potential. For the young generation like us who have little digital knowledge about ecommerce, my cousins and I are helping our parents to start venturing and sourcing for clients online.
