The case study presents a family of seven, the number of which decreased after the death of one of them. The older generation consists of an elderly Polish widow Lorraine, the deceased’s mother. The next generation is represented by the currently deployed husband Stan and his brother Mike, married to teacher John. The youngest generation consists of Charlie, the son of Stan and Deirdre, and the twin sisters Presley and Aubrey, adopted by Mike and John. Family relationships can be described as friendly and mutually supportive. A family’s affluence may be called average or even below average since they do not have enough room to accommodate a large family and enough finances to meet additional needs.
It is safe to say that such a non-traditional family regularly faces difficulties unusual for conventionally ordinary ones. First of all, Michael and John may constantly confront covert and explicit homophobia. Heterosexual-cisgender parenting is considered the foundational nucleus of the family, where parenting is confused with fecundity, associating LGBTIQ+ people with sterility (Alday-Mondaca & Lay-Lisboa, 2021). Despite the rather progressive American views, a certain segment of the population can pressure a couple, including the sphere of raising children. Moreover, twin girls may force a couple to go through the difficulties of establishing guardianship and psychological intimacy. Lorraine, being Polish, can face the problems of the cultural gap between the Eastern European and American mentality. Also, her disability may be an additional financial burden on the family and force her to experience the unsuitability of the urban infrastructure constantly.
It is also worth noting that before Deirdre’s death, the family could also face the unique problem of a family member with drug addiction. This could increase stress levels and even endanger Charlie’s upbringing. Being surrounded by the love of his uncles and grandmother, Charlie hardly experienced the problem of lack of love. Nevertheless, the death of his mother occurred at his conscious age, which may leave an imprint on his further psychological state. If Charlie also witnessed his mother’s depressive episodes, this can also further develop a tendency to mental instability.
Lorraine was born and raised in Poland, whose culture greatly imprinted her mentality. In her case, adaptation to American culture is not just learning a new language but also learning to socialize with a complex array of social actors. In the countries of Eastern Europe and the culture of the Slavs in particular, in contrast to American rhetoric, great importance is given to older relatives. Lorraine grew up in a large family with close ties between generations, so the individualism of Americans can cause misunderstanding and lead to conflicts. Unlike the American and even Western Europe culture, her mindset also adheres to traditions of upbringing based on strictness and control. In Poland, more attention is paid to “instilling principles and values or the formation of personality”, rather than “providing care and attention” (Konopka, 2021). The permissiveness of children may be new to Lorraine, which will lead to more rigid limits compared to their peers.
Moreover, the commitment to introducing conventionally “male” and “female” roles in children, which even in modern times are not completely eradicated in Poland, may become a problem. The mixing of biological and cultural predispositions of men and women to parenting, based on a system of gender inequality, is widespread in Poland (Suwada, 2021). As a result, the pressure on the gender identity of children from Lorraine can be significantly felt by those who are just forming their personalities.
Similarities between Lorraine’s cultural background and the current family culture she is in include the active involvement of the male half of the family in the children’s upbringing. This policy is actively promoted in many civilized countries, even though the feminine word still has more weight in solving parenting-related problems in Poland. In general, the traditions of raising children both in America and in Poland nowadays mostly depend on the customs of an individual family.
Despite the many features of the described family, the main task for strengthening the resilience of children remains to improve the financial situation. The family’s lack of money for additional needs can turn against them at any time, pushing the family to the verge of poverty. It is no less important to take care of the psychological state of children, for example, to provide them with personal space. Due to the small housing and a comparatively big number of family members, the lack of room can negatively affect relationships and mental stability, especially after children reach puberty.
SAMHSA website provides many opportunities to solve the problems of this non-standard family. For example, Mike and John can be recommended to visit the LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Beauty Center of Excellence. This will help to overcome social harassment and pressure from homophobic acquaintances, as well as learn how to cope with difficulties for the closest family members. Thus, not only a couple can visit the center, but also Lorraine, who will have to behave in a country more open to the LGBTQ+ community than Poland. The Mental Health Awareness and Training Grant (MHAT) program may also be considered. This plan can help the family cope with the loss of Deirdre and prevent the development of decadent moods among the mother, son, and soon returning husband. The influence of mental illness could have a greater impact than family members think and contribute to the development of mental instability. Thus, SAMHSA resources will help to cope with the non-obvious difficulties of a non-standard family.
Reference
Alday-Mondaca, C., & Lay-Lisboa, S. (2021). The impact of internalized stigma on LGBT parenting and the importance of health care structures: A qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10), 5373.
Konopka, A. (2021). Between parenting and psychotherapy – in search of contiguity. Archives of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, 23(4), 56-63.
Suwada, K. (2021). Parenting and Work in Poland: A Gender Studies Perspective. Springer Nature.