Forevermore

Family description-Ashley

The Costner Family is apart of the 67% of Canadians that follow the nuclear family structure. (Portrait of Families and Living Arrangements in Canada, 2018). 

The family consists of 5 individuals:

Ashley: The oldest daughter

Anelise: The middle child

Alahna:  The youngest

Erik and Kimesha: The parents

Ashley is 3 years older than Anelise and 8 years older than Alahna. 

Their father is a U.S. marine while their mother, up until recently, was a stay at home mom. This was because of her leaving the workforce to take care of their youngest. However, that did not mean she was valued any less. Just like the hunter-gatherer families before them, decisions were made in an egalitarian matter as well as the distribution of authority and importance of each parents' roles. Without one, the other struggles to function efficiently. Due to the father's job, the family constantly moved around, and were exposed to both the beauty and flaws of different societies. This led to the family unit being tightly knit. Everyone was expected to look after one another and care for their emotional well-being and have the best interest of everyone. Much like a collectivist society.

 In terms of norms, they regularly engaged in family activities such as cooking together, watching movies, playing sports and relaxing in one another's company. Friends are also treated like family and are valued which is why they often get together for cookouts and reunions.

The Costner Family also reflects a Functionalist Theory familial behavior. Everyone in the family has a certain role that must be fulfilled or there are consequences-much like authoritarian parenting style. As an older sibling, Ashley is required to look after her siblings. This would include staying home to watch them when their parents are out, making them food if a parent is not available and ensure that conflicts are solved when the younger ones quarrel.

 All of the siblings are required to partake in chores. Ashley usually does the heavy lifting like washing dishes, cleaning their bathroom, mopping floors, while the younger ones are responsible for organizing their spaces. As the middle and youngest child age, they also will take part in more chores.

The parents' roles are to ensure the health and safety of the children and look after one another in their marital roles.

Both the mother and father cook, but their mother is more likely to clean. Due to their fathers job they see more of their mother. So when they do see their father they try to spend as much time with him as possible. He does the "fun" activities and takes them out as much as possible or cooks with them. 

Their mother also takes care of their healthcare situations such as doctor or dentist appointments.

However, these roles are in no way rigid as the parents often switch tasks and do whatever they must to take care of their children. 

Though a change in the parents' relationship had a ripple effect on their children, much like in Systems Theory. Their father moved to California while the kids moved with their mother to Canada. This meant that more responsibility was placed on the oldest and middle child to make up for the lack of a parent. This resulted in strain upon the relationship between the siblings and their mother as the increased responsibility caused stress. However, this does not mean they value one another any less. 

Now, as teen in Canada, Ashley looks forward to what life has planned out for her.