Geographical influences

llghoney · Feb 25, 2009

Do you think where you live plays a role in what your child may grow up to do?

jgonz · Feb 25, 2009

I think it can for some families.... Here where I live (predominately Mexican/American, on the border of Mexico) the norm is for children to grow up and stay at home. If they get any college, they live at home while doing it. Then when they get their degrees, most stay here, even if they can't find a job in their field. The local newspaper even did a whole series of articles on this phenomena.

Now that I'm thinking about it though, that's Culture not geography... although the geography must play into it somehow... Well, now I'm not sure! lol

heart of peace · Feb 25, 2009

Interesting question, I'm curious to read what others will have to say about this.

Athaliamum · Feb 26, 2009

jgonz said:
Now that I'm thinking about it though, that's Culture not geography... although the geography must play into it somehow... Well, now I'm not sure! lol

I would have to agree, but it does answer the question, culture will obvious effect a grown child's aspirations as it would effect priorities, likes, dislikes etc. Unless you are only talking environmental factors honey?

Hadassah · Feb 26, 2009

Not always. I fully believe part of the theory that drives this, hasn't really investigated what roles family/parents play.

I am finding that while we grew up around the world at the mercy of the military, my sister lives within a couple miles of my parents (and is over every week ), my brother won't have a thing to do with us, and I am all the way across the ocean in Germany.

My family in SC, are now spread far and wide from their family, and are homebodies. One is moving to NC (6 hrs from family) and her brother is in university in TN.

As much as I love our hometown in SC, and the town we lived in for 10 years, nothing really ties me there, there are no real job opportunities and such a smothering mentality if you want to be anything "big" other than in sports/politics, and you are absolutely nuts if you are environmentally or "worldy" (as in travel the world) minded.
I'm already kind of ostracised due to our faith walk... So I'd have to say a resounding no.

llghoney · Feb 26, 2009

HadassahSukkot said:
As much as I love our hometown in SC, and the town we lived in for 10 years, nothing really ties me there, there are no real job opportunities and such a smothering mentality if you want to be anything "big" other than in sports/politics, and you are absolutely nuts if you are environmentally or "worldy" (as in travel the world) minded.
I'm already kind of ostracised due to our faith walk... So I'd have to say a resounding no.

That's what I mean. Here in the south it's sports & music it seems. To be a actress you would have to go to CA. Certainly no acting careers in AL.

Hadassah · Feb 26, 2009

LOL well there are some... I am unsure to which level though. I know up near Bham there are a few playhouses and they put on shows a few times a year to rave reviews.

Amazing considering I am from the South, I *still* got the "You Ain't from around here"... drives me up the wall.

llghoney · Feb 26, 2009

I know there are things like that but, I am meaning more on a big scale.

You will probably always here that over there. What was funny to me was when I went to Europe everyone always asked if I was from Al. I guess they think AL is the only southern state.

CrystalBrooke · Feb 26, 2009

Unfortunatly, yes. A lot of people around here make their money by selling drugs and the ones that do go to school become either teachers or nurses..not that those aren't good jobs, I just want Emily to feel like she has choices. I would love to be able to move to a better, more advanced area where there are more job opportunities, but I can't just pack up with Emily and leave her father behind. I'm hoping that eventho we're not together that we can raise her to be a stable enough person that maybe she'll be able to move out on her own somewhere better and have some choices.

Birbitt · Feb 26, 2009

I think that where a child grows up doesn't affect their future career choices and such nearly as much as the family influences that a child experiences. I mean a child may grow up in Los Angeles, CA but if the family places more value on say education that acting/modeling then that child will most likely attend college even if his/her friends are studying acting or modeling.

llghoney · Feb 26, 2009

I would say that too but like Chrystal said there are not that many choices where she is. As to where I live either.

TexasSky · Feb 26, 2009

A friend of mine did a research project on that and ended up writing a college textbook about it. The answer is, according to her research, yes, it can have a heavy influence. It isn't necessarily a one-way track, but it can influence things.

A child in Detroit is more likely to be exposed to things that will prepare that child to go into factory work, and less likely to be exposed to something like, "television directing."

Some people in certain regions of the nation have preconceived (inaccurate) views of other regions of the nation. If you come from an area where the general public attitude is that people there are "backwards and ignorant", no matter how untrue that is, it can hurt you if you are job hunting in a place like New York and San Francisco.

llghoney · Feb 26, 2009

Right that is what is kinda scary in a way when I think of wanting my child to be all or whatever she wants to be. I just don't want her to be trapped by where she lives.

heart of peace · Feb 28, 2009

TexasSky brought up an interesting point. It reminds me about those who grow up in ghettos like those in the South Bronx in NY or in the midst of gangland out in East LA. The children growing up in such circumstances are normally being raised by single moms (dads are in jail, gone, etc) and moms have to work 3 jobs to maintain things so the kids are very much left to be raised by those located in their "geography". This means they are more likely to repeat the pattern instead of breaking it and getting out of the ghetto. So, I guess I do think geography plays a part for sure in one's development.

Athaliamum · Feb 28, 2009

MsDahl said:
TexasSky brought up an interesting point. It reminds me about those who grow up in ghettos like those in the South Bronx in NY or in the midst of gangland out in East LA. The children growing up in such circumstances are normally being raised by single moms (dads are in jail, gone, etc) and moms have to work 3 jobs to maintain things so the kids are very much left to be raised by those located in their "geography". This means they are more likely to repeat the pattern instead of breaking it and getting out of the ghetto. So, I guess I do think geography plays a part for sure in one's development.

Interesting points, but I guess I would still consider that cultural rather than just geographical, although cultures are normally found within certain geographical locations. Take for instance some major cities that are western white but have pockets of other cultures like China town in which other ways of life and opportunities are available. There are even differences in cultures between cities, say New York and small town Texas. I think it is more about breaking out of the cultural standard than the actual location - but granted, they normally are closely related, but I think if one searches they can find the opportunities they are after to at least see if they like it before moving somewhere else to pursue it fully. I'm still processing really...

Hadassah · Mar 2, 2009

llghoney said:
I know there are things like that but, I am meaning more on a big scale.

You will probably always here that over there. What was funny to me was when I went to Europe everyone always asked if I was from Al. I guess they think AL is the only southern state.

I don't get it here! I get it back home! I've pretty much lost my accent unless I'm with my family from South Carolina for long periods of time... and I had a serious twang when I was in my early years.. so much so that people would embarrass me by asking me to say things again so they could hear it, not because they didn't understand.

I hardly get it here. Most just assume Canadian or American

tiredwalker · Mar 6, 2009

This is an interesting topic! I think that the culture and geography play into each other. Up here, the winters are so cold! 6 months of cold can really promote a culture of learning and art! Up here we have the great Dartmouth college. Our towns are really not that big at all, but we have great centers of learning and arts. There is a huge emphasis on higher ed up here which I love. We moved here from the central valley of CA and our towns there had a huge emphasis on big agriculture..as in big company ag like Driscal strawberries and diamond nuts (I lived one mile from the Sunsweet plant...like sunsweet prunes). On the flip side, there is ag up here, but it's very crunchy. Instead of huge farms like in CA, there is a focus on local, small organic farms and dairies. When I first moved here, I was amazed to find cream-line milk in glass bottles in the local grocery store from a dairy just a few miles down the road! Sorry, I totally digressed there.

Yes, I do think geography/culture can steer a child's career choice, but I don't think that it really sets it in stone. I think that parents play a much bigger role in that. If the parents educate themselves beyond their culture (before the baby or as the baby grows up), that child will rise above any limitations that culture might set.

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