cchang

The Family Tree.  #globalite cchang recounts how her mother really wanted a grandson to grow the family tree and carry the family last name forward.  And how it was fulfilled in a profound way. #sundayoneday

When my mother just got married she was really young. The first kid in the family was born in the year of the dragon and was a boy. That was a big deal for her. That’s like you establish your status in the family with the in-laws. That’s a general belief among Chinese. So he is the eldest grandson in the family. He was the most spoiled kid in town.

My family has 1 boy and 3 girls. My brother is the eldest one followed by 3 girls. My mother didn’t get another boy, that’s what she was looking for to continue the family lineage. So she was really wanting my brother to have another son to carry the family name ‘Lee’ forward. For the first many years, my brother had only one daughter. So she kept telling my sister-in-law that she needs to work harder to have a boy. (chuckle)

Then when my brother was not feeling well, was sick, is when she realized that there are many people carrying this last name. There is no point, to have one in the family. So she is happy now, she doesn’t mind. And you know, that’s how it expands – to the same last name, to the same country, to the world. There are so many people already, there is no reason that you have to have a boy.

[img source: Houston Family Magazine]