Observing Extended Family

My post is a little late this week, because my grandmother passed away this past unexpectedly. I had to leave Friday for New Mexico for her funeral, thus rearranging my life this week to go. My extended family, much like other people's, has a unique and intricate love/hate relationship. If the claws do not come out at one point or another during an extended family gathering, it would be, well....abnormal. I took this weekend to simply observe my family members and see what triggers each individual person. What I observed was that, control and power is a big issue in our extended family. Whether it is power over the food, the social atmosphere, or boasting about their perfect children. It becomes a literal epidemic. And how sad. In class this past Tuesday, we discussed the importance of observing people, and why it is so effective. Sometimes when people (myself including), know their opinions or behaviors are being seen or calculated in surveys or interviews, they put on a front. But observations, especially when unplanned, and on family members, are quite insightful...