Lots of families at work these days, streaming through the airport. Mom, Dad, a varying number of kids, maybe Grandma and Grampa too, perhaps some In-Laws added in with their kids tagging along. Such sport for a sociologist like me.
Sorry, folks, but I just can't help noticing that junior there got Mom's nose and younger sis has Dad's eyes. I can spot those resemblances right away. But if strapping young buck Josh is six feet four and neither of his parents are, that's puzzling. However, most of the time the kids are pretty consistently sized and shaped, and look somewhat like Mom and Dad.
Far as how these family units operate Dad is usually the leader of the pack, charging forward, taking care of stuff, and walking point while the tribe follows behind. Mom usually acts as the herder and takes delight in her kid's many 'endearing' and utterly forgivable foibles (like only a mother can do).
If ever there was a primary influence in one's life it has to come from being in a family. The dynamics that play out in those little units are amazing to watch, painful at times too, but you gotta hand it to the players for trying.
See whadimean?
Pedro Henrique Santos- Unsplash.com
Newborns don't do much but from two years up to five years kids are precious little dears, all squeaky voiced, asking the dumbest questions in absolute wonder, and laughing a lot. I love those little guys.
Six and up is also a tender, formative time, there is a lot going on there, and here you can act like a role model for 'em, a strong, capable adult who knows what is going on (ha ha) and can 'splain things to 'em about how the world works. Most of these kids will absolutely believe you.
With the early teens I start to see some distancing and a whole lot of awkwardness. Parental skills are called upon to deal with these ones but the worst is yet to come because the late teenagers seem to be the ones least likely to be reigned in. Lots of them are sullen and bored with whatever is going on around them but I have seen some well adjusted and happy families at this point which seems utterly remarkable. Everybody is getting along. How do they do it?
So many influences have shaped these young people by the time they're twenty that it's incalculable. Genetics have played a role but their social environment has played an even bigger one and if you sat down and talked to them, just interviewed them one at a time asking a series of basic questions, what answers might they give! Snowflakes they are, and I'm not being derogatory here, they're snowflakes in the sense they are different from each other and are on totally unique trajectories. So I'd like to get to know them. Some of them.
But who has the time for that? Researchers, maybe, but not me. Still, I like spotting genetic similarites and studying families in the way they interact with each other and wonder how the kids in those families will take what they've learned and apply that to dealing with others in the outside world because I've seen it all, man. I've seen everything from hillbilly families that you just know are going to bumble their way through life up to the graduating class at Eton where the skies the limit and every family that lies in between.
Better than TV, this.
'Somebody' (screenplay idea) oughta make a movie!