Kinship

My mom, Ginny, was born in Inglewood, California in 1943. Her parents, both of European decent, had both grown up on the East Coast, which is where they met and married. Ginny's mother had been raised in a religious home, having a preacher for a father. Ginny's dad, however, was not religiously affiliated, and would eventually come to work for Lawrence Berkeley Lab, which is what brought them to California where Ginny was born. They then moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico where Ginny was raised. Both her parents worked in for Los Alamos Lab until they retired, never discussing work with their children. Ginny's father was strict, which led to tension between her and her father. Ginny's mother was not as strict, but was strong minded, and both parents made decisions and raised their children jointly.

The interview method used was a skype interview, since Ginny lives in Colorado (I have no relatives in Southern California). The interview was short because the video quality was poor, despite several attempts to reconnect. Because the video quality was poor (sound and picture were a bit choppy), I felt distracted and would have rather spoken in person. However, I was quite comfortable with the subject matter. I feel that interviewing someone I didn't know wouldn't be too difficult if I had a strong interest in the subject matter. It could be awkward, though, due to cultural differences and potential language barriers (similar to choppy sound and picture on a computer).

There seems to be an equality in terms of emphasis on maternal and paternal lines in this particular case. Perhaps it's due to the fact that it focuses primarily on immediate and current family members, leaving out missing parents. Closeness also seems relative to immediate and current family members. There is some regret in terms of differences between father and daughter that were not resolved prior to death, but since both parents are deceased, it is difficult to say if closeness would be with both parents. However, there is closeness with siblings and direct children. Nieces and nephews seem to be a distant second, and news about nieces and nephews travels through Ginny's direct siblings with no common direct communication between Ginny and any nieces or nephews. Differences that cause strain on relationships within the family seem to be primarily divorce of those who are not directly related.

Unfortunately, I only know my mother's side of the family well. My father has been estranged from his remaining family members, the only one I'm even familiar with being my Uncle George, my father's brother (my father is not listed on the kinship chart). I haven't seen anyone from my father's side of the family since I was a little kid. Most of them have died.

In terms of my mother's side of the family, I believe my grandfather was the most influential decision maker when he was still alive, followed closely by my grandmother. The siblings, my mom, aunt and uncles, seem to hold almost equal say, my oldest uncle and aunt having the strongest voices. I think that the 4 of them grew up in a home where they were all given voices; what they chose to do with those voices seems to have carried out into their current lives. I think my aunt, who's younger than my mom, has a bit of a stronger voice in decisions than my mom because she got pregnant at a young age in an age when that was a taboo, and so had to grow up faster and became more independent than my mom. I also think my oldest uncle has a stronger voice in decisions just because he's the oldest.

I think that those who marry into the family are welcomed into the family, but aren't necessarily expected to stay. There has been divorce with every one of my mom's siblings, including my mom. So while new members who are married into the family are an exciting addition, there is some weariness.

I learned a lot more about my mom's relationships with her siblings and her nieces and nephews (my cousins). I feel I am a bit closer to my cousins than my mother is, despite the fact that I don't speak with them much, either. However, my mother seems to maintain closer relationships with her siblings than I do with mine. It has been difficult to maintain close ties to family members because they are spread out all over the United States. I know that this bothers my aunt, because no one comes to visit her in Boise, despite the fact that she will visit others in their states.