Gender Roles in the Family

Gender roles make a huge difference in a relationship depending on who does what. If the man wants to stay home and take care of the kids, and the wife is fine with working, this makes for a very different type of role for each of them. We would say this is not typical for families. I think that gender roles are said in blanket statements- people want them to cover everything and everyone, whereas the reality is that there is no way to cover every situation with one statement and say it is true and right. I think that a lot of times we need to take a step back and realize that not everyone lives in a picturesque life and can have these roles in the home. The husband and wife need to pray about it and realize that sometimes things get a little switched up because of time available, energy available, and how their day happens to pan out.

This is my family camping in Yellowstone last year. It is very obvious to me who plays what role with just this picture. My dad is the adventurous one and wants to make sure the right pictures get taken so he always has the camera. My 2 younger brothers are there for throwing pine cones and small rocks at the rest of us because they love to have fun. My mom is in the middle trying to be involved with everyone, and wanting things to go right (shes a planner). My sister Jessica and her new husband Nate are still in their honeymoon phase so they are hard to place with roles. But the main one I see here is my oldest brother Brandon with the baby on his back. He was doing his best to be the silliest one and get the attention needed to fulfill his needs and wants from the family.

I think that even though we think that things should be a certain way, they don't always happen that way and we need to let people be themselves and fulfill the roles that they do best :)