The Structure of Families has an impact to us all.

 Hey Everyone!

I hope you are all having a fantastic day today. Recently We had an amazing lecture on the types of different families, and roles of each family member. Brother Williams gave an interesting perspective that I wanted to talk about that seemed to catch my attention and that was the importance of roles of men and women in families.

Now as a Fijian, Many of us have lived with or are surrounded by most of our extended family. Having our families close to us is something normal to many of us. Indeed I am use to having my uncles and aunts around my house more frequently and evening having them over to live with us. The Fijian culture has always addressed this firmly, that as communities and families we have an obligation to take care one another family members. That we do not abandoned family, but work with them to help them get back on track or work with other resources to help them. (I really love this about our community)

And that is something I really admire from our community as a whole. Our ability as Men and Women to adapt based on family circumstances in both our immediate and extended families is amazing. For Instance, I've seen family members allow extended their uncles and aunts to live with them for extended periods of time in small cramped conditions. Despite low incomes, housing, or providing, Family always comes first in an Fijian household. They really admire and honor the roles of men and women in families and household. It is regraded as a very sacred and noble thing to achieve. Which is very admirable and humbling to man such as myself.

It goes to show that Family is really an essentially part of our heritage as a community.

 Brother Williams (my professor) also gave a very good insight on the importance of having a uniformed structure of both husband and wife having control in their families as equal partners. This really stood out to me as an individual and as a worker in the after school program for Harwood elementary school. Children always look to their parents for comfort, support and guidance. Their homes are their own universes. If they are robbed of that or see that the 'universe' is under threat of attack. They will panic in fear and for control. In my very lack of parental experience, I acknowledge that I do not know how to govern children or be a parent. All I can say on that fact is that parents have an obligation to raise, protect and nurture their  children to do good. As stated in the family proclamation to the world. As individuals however we have a responsibility to protect and safeguard children against those who would seek their harm, determent, and demise. Especially in the Fijian  community, many of us have traveled far and wide to come to the America for opportunity and work. 

Education and safety for our descendants. It is important that we do not lose sight of why we are here, and what we are trying to become as a community. 

And as a descendant to Fijian parents, I need to keep those good cultural family structures of taking care of both my extended and immediate family members. They are all just as important as the other.  Extended and immediate families are important family structures. There are so many blessings that have come, because of my uncles, aunts, fathers, mothers, cousins, and other influential figures outside of my immediate family that have been such a support.

As descendants of the Fijian community, we have an obligation to defend the roles of men, and women in our extended and immediate families