In the readings this week the author discusses the family systems theory. Please reread that section. In your answers, please refer directly to the readings. Please respond to the following:

• What was your role in your family?
• What were the rules and the expectations for you as part of your family system?

Please respond to the posts of your classmates:

• Can you relate at all to their role in their family?

 A brief sample of my response (not a full response – just some examples to get you going):

One example of my role was that of the youngest child. I was seen as the one that everyone needed to care for and look out for.  For rules and expectations, these grew and changed as I did. The expectations were that I would do well in school, help clean in the house, participate in family events, hold in my emotions – never show strong anger or sadness. Some of the rules were that I was forbidden to be at a friend’s house if their parent weren’t home (I’m not sure why, but that rule was so strongly stated that it’s the biggest one I remember). As I grew into an adolescent, my parents and my siblings all supported me as I made the typical stumbles of a teenager. The rules grew stricter as I made poor choices and they loosened as I proved more trustworthy. 

An example of my role in the family is to be good role model as the eldest one in our household. I am expected to do my best in school and also help in organizing the house.