Families Torn Apart

Eric Knudsen

English 101

Anne Knol

Families Torn Apart

Family ties have been a sour topic in my life since as long as I can remember. Through the years I have managed to cope with the reality of being on my own. Though it was not easy, I have been through more than most people my age. One of the hardest things I had to cope with was moving around as much as we did. I was born in Nurnberg, Germany while my father was in the military. When I was two, my parents divorced and I stayed with my father and lost all contact with my mother until I was 18. After they divorced, dad and I moved in and out of three states, and ended up in Wausau. Growing up with an abusive father, and without my mother, was very difficult to manage. To make matters worse, I attended 12 schools before high school, I had no friends. Homework was always a struggle for me, given that I attended 12 different schools. It seemed as if I was always behind or ahead of the class, because the last school was at a different pace or taught things differently. I have grown up without relying on family but relied on myself. Even today I have little or no contact with my family. My mother and all her relatives live in Oregon. I had the pleasure of reuniting with my mother in 1994. When we met again after 16 years I decided to live in Oregon with her. I stayed in Oregon for almost two years by then it was apparent that my mother and I lost the bond that a mother and child should always have. We were separated for so long, and I was at such a young age that I found it difficult to be close to her. I have since moved back to Wausau, and started a family of my own. On occasion I talk to my mother on the phone but this has never been a very fulfilling relationship either. Although unfulfilling, it has allowed for some progress in our relationship.

In the same way I have lost connection with family so has Chakkravann "Chucky" Saukom. During an interview with my friend Chuck, I learned some very interesting things. Chuck moved to the United States in 1975 with a "first class ticket from the U.S." (Saukom) Chuck's grandfather was a General of the Cambodian Army during the Vietnam War. Due to increasing threats from the Vietnam government, Chuck and his family were ordered to leave Cambodia. The United States stepped in and offered the family citizenship. Chuck's family on his mother's side stayed in Cambodia to help civilians during the war. Despite being forced out of Cambodia, Chuck and his family ties have also been torn. Contact through e-mail and telephone still make it possible to maintain some relationship with his family.

Just like Chuck and his family, my family also uses technology as the main source of contact. The only time I talk to any family is on the phone. My mother and I use the phone and send e-mails back and forth sometimes, but that never seems to be enough. Dr. Vern Bengtson, professor of gerontology and sociology at the University of Southern California Agrees with the idea that technological relationships are unfulfilling and had