CRITICAL COMMENTARY 5: Spaces

My Parents

My Dad

My father is calm. He exercises his power over me as a parent but respects my individual opinion as an adult. With my father, I am able to express my opinion and present my case in certain decision-making events in the family. As long as I remain respectful to his authority over me as my father, he will give me respect as well. He is the “rational” one in the family and he does his best to understand the context that I am coming from, using his own experiences in his youth to better understand me.

My Mom 

My mother is the go-getter. Her competitive spirit and Type A personality often reflects her being the “dominant” figure in the family. She will assert her point and opinion, until you prove her wrong--which is a rare case. She does not take things sitting down; her strong personality and feminist approach to life shows how she likes to take things into her own hands. It is difficult to win an argument with her, she will win 95% of the time

The Daughter

or as my dad calls it, the "doubter" 

Being the fist-born and eldest of 2 kids, much is expected from me.I have a lot of responsibilities at home, and I am able to exercise my power as an adult who is respected in the family. I am given a stake in the decision-making at home because of the responsibilities given to me, and how I earn their trust through my actions.

How my power relations with my parents affect my identity

I'd like to think that I got the best of both worlds. I hope I got part of the relational, understanding and rational aspect of my dad as much as I acquired my mom's assertiveness, competitiveness and strong "post-feminist" personality. At the end of the day, both parents have shaped my idea f "authority", respecting authority and what it really meant to question authority--in the most respectful manner, of course.