Doing Family: Exploring Everyday Lived Culture

Abstract

The first findings chapter explores the mixed families’ everyday lived culture. Families’ everyday experiences are important to examine because, as Becker and Charles (2006, p103) state, it is here, amidst the bustle of family life, where meaning is found. More specifically, mixed families’ everyday lives can become an important space for the identity formation and development of mixed children, as it is where mothers and fathers negotiate between their different cultural and personal preferences and backgrounds, while also attempting to create a sense of belonging for their children. In order to better understand such complexities, this chapter explores the mixed families’ homes and how they are actively doing family in their everyday lives, with specific sections in the chapter devoted to home life, religion, leisure, and rituals. While on one hand, the mixed family are just “normal” families, through observing different aspects of their everyday lives and learning of the constant negotiations that take place, we begin to see that mixedness does come to play a significant role in doing family.