Mr. Perez is a 76-year-old Mexican American who was recently diagnosed with a slow heartbeat requiring an implanted pacemaker. Mr. Perez has been married for 51 years and has 6 adult children (three daughters aged 50, 48, and 42; three sons aged 47, 45, and 36), 11 grandchildren; and 2 great grandchildren. The youngest boy lives three houses down from Mr. and Mrs. Perez. The other children, except the second-oldest daughter, live within 3 to 10 miles from their parents. The second-oldest daughter is a registered nurse and lives out of state. All members of the family except for Mr. Perez were born in the United States. He was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 18 in order to work and send money back to the family in Mexico. Mr. Perez has returned to Mexico throughout the years to visit and has lived in Texas ever since. He is retired from work in a machine shop.
Mr. Perez has one living older brother who lives within 5 miles. All members of the family speak Spanish and English fluently. The Perez family is Catholic, as evidenced by the religious items hanging on the wall and prayer books and rosary on the coffee table. Statues of St. Jude and Our Lady of Guadalupe are on the living room table. Mr. and Mrs. Perez have made many mandas (bequests) to pray for the health of the family, including one to thank God for the healthy birth of all the children, especially after the doctor had discouraged them from having any more children after the complicated birth of their first child. The family attends Mass together every Sunday morning and then meets for breakfast chorizo at a local restaurant frequented by many of their church’s other parishioner families. Mr. Perez believes his health and the health of his family are in the hands of God.
The Perez family lives in a modest four-bedroom ranch home that they bought 22 years ago. The home is in a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood located in the La Loma section of town. Mr. and Mrs. Perez are active in the church and neighborhood community. The Perez home is usually occupied by many people and has always been the gathering place for the family. During his years of employment, Mr. Perez was the sole provider for the family and now receives social security checks and a pension. Mrs. Perez is also retired and receives a small pension for a short work period as a teacher’s aide. Mr. and Mrs. Perez count on their nurse daughter to guide them and advise on their health care.
Mr. Perez visits a curandero for medicinal folk remedies. Mrs. Perez is the provider of spiritual, physical, and emotional care for the family. In addition, their nurse daughter is always present during any major surgeries or procedures. Mrs. Perez and her daughter the nurse will be caring for Mr. Perez during his procedure for a pacemaker.
1. Explain the significance of family and kinship for the Perez family.
2. Describe the importance of religion and God for the Perez family.
3. Identify two stereotypes about Mexican Americans that were dispelled in this case with the Perez family.
4. What is the role of Mrs. Perez in this family?
Mexican American views on Family, Religion and Disease
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Mexican American views on Family, Religion and Disease
Introduction
Having people to call a family is very important in the life of everyone. A family may be described as a group of two or more people related by marriage, birth, or adoption who live together (Henriksson & Goedecke, 2021). All such related people are regarded as members of one family. In the case study, Mr. Perez is a 76-year-old Mexican American and a family man. He has been in marriage for 51 years and has 6 adult children. Despite having his wife and children around, Mr. Perez has not forgotten about other family members. This paper provides an analysis of the case study.
Explain the significance of family and kinship for the Perez family
From the case study, one can realize the significance of family and kinship to the Family of Mr. Perez. Kinship is based on two aspects such as birth and marriage (Henriksson & Goedecke, 2021). From kinships, families are born and closeness and love are sustained. The significance of family and kinship manifests here due to the togetherness of this family. Every member of this family is cooperative and always there for one another. In this family, everyone has a role to play (Henriksson & Goedecke, 2021). Having people around to discuss issues and try to address any problem is very important.
Describe the importance of religion and God for the Perez family
Some people place God and religion at the center of their family tradition and relationships while others do not put as much importance on them. Mr. Perez, however, has put religion and God at the center of his family relationships and values. Religion improves family cohesion due to love and homily in every one of the members (Petts, 2019). In the case study, Mr. Perez, his wife, and his children are all connected. Mrs. Perez acts like the spiritual leader of the family. It has kept the children connected to their parents (Petts, 2019). In a family raised in religion, children are obedient and cases of divorce, violence, and disobedience are minimal.
Identify two stereotypes about Mexican Americans that were dispelled in this case with the Perez family
There are particular issues in the case study of the family of Mr. Perez that reflect stereotypes against Mexican Americans. First is the neighborhoods where Mr. Perez and his family live. The picture here is that Mexican Americans are separated in a designated place to live, which could indicate a form of stereotype (Henriksson & Goedecke, 2021). They live in a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood located in the La Loma section of town. The second stereotype is the fact that Mr. Perez consults a curandero instead of a conventional medical center. This may implicate that Mexican Americans are not accessible to affordable care healthcare services (Henriksson & Goedecke, 2021). Therefore, they try to find alternatives.
What is the role of Mrs. Perez in this family?
Mrs. Perez plays a critical role in this family. First, she is the mother of everyone in the family. Mrs. Perez plays the motherhood role by extending her lover and guidance to every family member (Henriksson & Goedecke, 2021). Secondly, Mrs. Perez is the provider of spiritual, physical, and emotional care for the family. This second role supplements the first role because a mother must be caring and loving (Petts, 2019). Mrs. Perez is showing love and care as a mother by providing spiritual, emotional, and physical care for the family.
Conclusion
A family is a group of two or more people related by marriage, birth, or adoption who live together. The family of Mr. Perez is a good example of the importance of a family to an individual’s life. Religion strengthens family cohesion and good behaviors among members. Mexican Americans experience some aspects of stereotypes.
References
Henriksson, H. W., & In Goedecke, K. (2021). Close relations: Family, kinship, and beyond. Singapore: Springer.
Petts, R. J. (2019). Religion and family life. MDPI.