Good ole family time!

When I looked back at the stories I marked from Red while reading, I noticed that they all were family related. My parents got divorced when I was about two, so having divorced parents is all I know. I don’t have any angry feeling about it like Emma Considine does in “Bloody Red Heart”. In “Country”, Alicia Davis wrote, “There is no wall of animosity between us, just a small cloud of irritation that comes and goes.” She is talking about her dad, and I now exactly how she feels. It has been a process to get to the relationship my father and I have now. My mother is very emotional and open, and my dad is definitely not emotional or chatty by any means. When I was a young girl I was often very frustrated with him, just like Alicia was with her dad. When he would pick me up for our time together he didn’t ask much about my life, and I felt like he didn’t really try to get to know who I was. Also my dad’s side of the family likes to tease the ones they love, and I was just too sensitive for it at times. When I brought it up I just got teased for being sensitive. I think a girl’s relationship with her father is very important. It’s pretty much her first glimpse of male behavior. I don’t want to say “relationship” because I don’t mean it in the freaky purity ball way. I am lucky that my dad is a very respectful man, and always treats women well. Now my relationship with my dad is great! We have dinner together once a month and bond over our love for sushi (just like Alicia did singing with her dad). He has learned to beef up his conversation skills and I have learned not to take his teasing to heart. Although, now I am not afraid to tell him when it hurts my feelings. Alicia wrote, “He does have a heart, although at time it becomes hidden.” This is exactly how I feel about my dad. I also think he is seeing how fast his little girl is growing up, and doesn’t want to lose anymore time due to lack of communication. Young girls get their first taste of communicating with men by interacting with their dads, and an open communication line is very important.

I am very close to my mother. I would say right now our relationship is at it’s best. “In Mascara Wands Are Instruments of War”, Jordyn Turney writes, “Mother-daughter relationships are famous for one thing, really: conflict.” This is not true for my entire relationship with my mother as a young girl. I would say that most of our conflict was from age 16 to 18. We had very emotional fights. We are not yellers, just criers. I think it was a combination of me fighting for my independence and my mother fighting letting me got. The year before I moved out was the worst. My outlook was that I would be moving away from home soon, so I should be able to do whatever I want because I would be doing it soon anyway. Lots of crying ensued. We have laughed over those years many times now. I openly recognize what a little brat I was, and she recognizes that she might have been holding on a little too tight. I think most young girls go through a time like this with their mothers. A girl’s relationship with her mother is very important. I believe your mother is your very first role model as a young girl. Both mother and daughter should work together to have a healthy, open relationship. It’s very crucial in a girl’s personal and emotional growth. Your mother is an ally that you will always have.