Document Type
Cause and Effect Essay
Publication Date
1994
Excerpt
A warm, sunny, summer day, lots of home-baked pies, cake, cookies, delicious pan-fried chicken and the traditional case of bananas, faces that resemble one another and great aunts and uncles teasing, hugging, and playing games with us kids, a white elephant bingo game, guess-the-jelly-beans-in-the-jar contest, and the men playing poker...these are just a few of the rich memories I recall of my family reunions. Family reunions have been an American tradition that has created a binding force to hold families together. When families attend reunions, they spend time tracing their roots, the uniqueness of their heritage, and what has helped to shape them into what they are today. Reunions have been a time of coming home--relatives from near and far--and sharing in that warm feeling of security that only a mom and dad and family can give. But today, like many other family traditions, the family reunion has lost its place in our cultural heritage. Some families don't have them at all while others try desperately to keep them alive. What has caused us to no longer see the need for retaining a tradition that at one time was probably one of the highlights of the year?
Recommended Citation
McMahan, Gary L., "The Family Reunion: What Causes Its Demise (1994)" (1994). The Valpo Core Reader. 269.
http://scholar.valpo.edu/core_reader/269