Roles of Family Members

    The Jokester. The Good Child. The Scapegoat. The Linchpin. The Provider. The Troublemaker. The Peacemaker. The Hero. A few family roles that maybe some can relate to.

    There are a copious amount of roles in each family. Each member can even have multiple roles in their own family. I know I can relate to at least 4 of the roles I listed above. Some of these roles are extremely obvious to family members, but others may be somewhat hidden. While a certain sibling may be well-known for being the clown of the family for always finding a way to make everyone laugh hysterically, another sibling may be the one that maintains the peace in the family without others necessarily noticing how they calm down the wildfires. Although some roles may be unspoken, members of the family may feel obligated or responsible for upholding their valued role. On the other hand, other family members may abhor their unspoken assigned role and feel like they can't escape it or change. For instance, I'm almost absolutely certain that no one enjoys being the scapegoat of the family but they can either come to terms with it or find a way to put the blame on someone else for a little while. 

    Being the oldest sibling of three, with a decade of an age gap, I have taken on the role of the third parent. Ever since my younger siblings were born, I have helped watch over them and became a caretaker. The older we grew, the more responsibilities of parenthood were handed down to me. I wished I could put on my résumé: paid caretaker from the ages of 1-10, provide meals, tutor sessions, and fun activities. Although taking on the caretaker role felt daunting at times while juggling my other responsibilities, it was definitely rewarding being able to be there for my siblings and help give back to my parents by being a support that they needed. Spending so much time with my siblings watching over them honestly was so worth it because it really bonded us together. Even now that we are apart, it is so beautiful that we are still close and able to cherish the memories we made growing up. It has also taught me so many valuable lessons that I do not think I would have learned otherwise. I learned how to appreciate the sacrifices and hard work that my parents put into our family. I also learned how to control my reactions to certain situations and become better at problem solving. But I think my most valuable lesson was to gain more compassion and learn how to treat little ones.  

    Family roles are quite imperative for relationships to become stronger and closer. Each member of the family offers their own unique personality and contributes in valuable ways. However, it is important for each member to know that there is no pressure to uphold a certain role and be someone that they don't feel is apart of who they are. When roles come naturally and help build each other up, that can establish bonds that are crucial for maintaining a healthy family. There are so many roles that family members can take on and utilize to benefit the family and help each other grow. It's so interesting how each family member can help the family overcome so much by just staying true to who they are. As we take time to look around at our own families and figure out which roles are being played, we can learn to appreciate and love each member of our family individually.