The family is the smallest unit of the society. It’s impact on an individual is indisputable, as it is more influential than teenager's peers as well as other people around them. Family structure is indispensable to the growth of every individual because it affects them as how family members behave and interact. It also facilitates the families in providing basic economic and resources, love, values and intimacy. In a typical Filipino family, the father is the foundation of the home, the protector, superior, and the one who works for the income to sustain daily necessities of the family. The mother, who is the light of the family takes care their child/children, teach them proper values and etiquettes and basic education at early age. She is also in charge in terms of emotional care, household chores and the one who motivates. But my family isn’t a typical one, we are an extended family which includes other relatives. Me and my sibling are raised by my grandparents. My grandparents had a son and two daughters one is single parent and one is single) who stay inside the household. My mother is an (Overseas Filipino Worker OFW) while my father left us when I was Grade three. Thus, I came from a broken family. This setup of family is okay for me. They provide social supports and promotes good values. But sometimes I think, what if we just separate for good? There are instances that it’s better but there are also circumstances that it’s not.
As far as I remembered, we moved in this house when I’m young doesn’t know what’s my age). Maybe when I’m two or three and I’m able to speak but not well. My grandparents are strict. Every afternoon you should sleep their reason is for us to grow quick). When you’re a naughty one, you will always get hurts. “Kapag pasaway ka may pa ka”. For them pagpalo is an act of disciplining a child. They embraced healthy foods and moral characters. It’s seldom for us t eat meat or processed foods, frequently it’s vegetables. They also acknowledged us to use “po” at “opo” and do the “pagmamano” as asign of respect to elders. My grandmother greatly believed in the existence of God. When their is a mass in our church in barangay, sisnasama niya kami. Every Flores de Mayo, kung saan may mga padasal sa iba’t-ibang bahay, pinapasama niya kami. They also taught us that no matter how poor you are, never ever think to do villanous things. When I was a youngster, my grandmother said to me ‘kaya nga namin kayo pinag-aaral dahil yan lang mapapamana namin sa inyo. Ayaw ko ko na mtulad kayo sa akin”. I still recall that and commemorate it in my lifetime. With the attitudes, behavior, beliefs or practices I have learned from my family, it helps me to swiftly socialize and interact with others. They serve as models for the social behavior that I later exhibited. My family and the home environment influence me in positive ways. Good parenting skills, their manners, social norms, and how they communicate have all helpful effects in my development and I applied it in terms of how I communicate with others like using “po” at “opo” when I’m interacting with elders and portraying my good behaviors when I'm talking with stranger, friends and teachers. All in all, no matter what family you identify with, each one has it’s own strengths and weaknesses . Parents continue to take a significant role in shaping the behavior of their children or teen/s’. As a family member, my experiences through mny family will affects who am I and who I become.
