Immigration

Hello Everyone! I really enjoyed class last week. On Thursday we did a role play about the difficulty of immigration. We not only talked about how difficult the transition is on individuals, but we also talked about the way the family changes. The example we used in class was of a typical family in Mexico. I never realized how difficult it is for a family to move from Mexico to the United States. There are so many obstacles to overcome just for the just the father to cross the boarder. Then he has to find a job and try to save money so that eventually his family can come over. The separation of the father from the family tends to be about three years. In these three years the family dynamics change. The mother now has to play the role of mother and father. The children have to step in and start supporting the family now as well. Extended family also steps in from time to time. The children don't have a father figure to look up to any more so that can cause a lot of problems. After all of this sometimes the family in Mexico doesn't even want to go to America anymore and the father ends up going back. If the family does make it to America they now have to figure out how to survive in their new home. They have most likely dropped in class and they don't live as comfortable as they used to. There is often an awkwardness with the father as well. The family knows he is important, but they have lived without him for so long that there tends to be conflicts.

I found this to be very interesting. It's amazing how the family changes when life happens. We are able to fill hole that are gone. Such as a father heading to America to start a new life for his family. Everyone pitches in to make the situation better. It is also really sad how the family can start to fall apart after filling that hole. Because there isn't a father in the home for about three years the children have a hard time remembering him and what the family was like when there was a mom and a dad. It just shows me again how important it is to have a traditional family with a mother and a father.

I really commend those parents who are willing to make the sacrifice to come to America. It definitely wouldn't be easy and I know if I was in there shoes I couldn't do it.

I hope something I've said has impacted someone. Have a great week!

With love: Sydney