Rachel Warren
Relationship: Sister
Education: High School Senior
Future Education: University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering
Relationship: Sister
Education: High School Senior
Future Education: University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering
Rachel is currently a senior in high school who will be attending the University Of Pennsylvania School of Engineering in the Fall of 2014. Rachel and I have a very unique relationship as she is my best friend since we are just one year apart. We do everything together from laughing to crying to shopping and even teaming up on our parents. She considers me her role model and after interviewing her on her feelings of growing up with two working parents, our relationship prospered. We have a very similar outlook on this unique lifestyle and how it has affected us.
I conducted a video chat interview session with Rachel to explore her outlook on growing up with two working parents. This was an effective video chat as Rachel was able to feel comfortable in her own house while answering my questions. A video chat is a great way to interview someone as you can see his or her emotions while speaking and really get a feel for how they are reacting to the questions. Video chatting is a great way to keep conversation flowing and increase the interviewer's knowledge on the subject. Both of our parents have been working since as early as we can recall. We never experienced a time where one parents was out of work. Our lives have greatly been affected for the better by this aspect of our family.
I started the interview by asking Rachel simple questions such as, "how was your day?", "how was school" and several other conversation starters to make her feel as comfortable as possible. This interview was not meant to be scary or frightening and this topic is something Rachel and I have spoken a lot about. I asked her perhaps the most important question of the interview, "how do you feel about having two working parents." It was extremely difficult for Rachel to come up with a response and we spoke about this question for an extremely long time. She told me, and I agreed, that she feels honored and different from other people in the neighborhood that she is able to tell others she has grown up with two working parents. She is proud of the lessons she has learned by having parents who have instilled such great work ethics and motivation in their children. She also told me that she feels a sense of freedom and independence. Since our parents are not always home, simple tasks such as taking the dog out, or doing our homework are expected and not asked of us. We have learned to do things on our own in the house and take responsibility for our actions. Taking responsibility is huge, especially when it comes to school and studying. Rachel told me that it is common for her to start her homework as soon as she gets home from school. This is something our parents do not remind us to do, as several of our friends' parents constantly remind their children to finish their homework and study.
The second question I asked Rachel was, "how has your life changed by having two working parents." She began to tell me that she really values and appreciates the time she spends with her parents, since she does not see them as often as other people do. Rachel and I laughed about the fact that our housekeeper was the one who would wake us up in the morning and play board games with us and try to cheer us up after a bad day. We recalled how excited we were to have family dinners every night once our parents got home from work and how happy we were to spend quality time with them. Rachel recalled a story of when she was coming home from school with her friends and she was wondering what was for dinner. As all of her other friends would typically call their mom's to find out what was for dinner, Rachel called Catherine, our housekeeper at the time to find out what she was cooking. By having a live-in housekeeper, Rachel and I have become more accepting of different people and consider her part of our family.
The next question is a vital part of the interview for Rachel and my parents. I asked Rachel what the pros and cons are of having two working parents. This question is important to ask because I already asked it from a parents point of view and it was interesting to hear it from the child's perspective. It was interesting to see how parallel mine and Rachel's perspectives on this lifestyle are. Rachel began with the cons. She said that growing up it was very difficult to not always have your parents around when you needed them. We both recalled how we were jealous of our friends whose parents (moms) were always home when they got home from school. However, these cons come with several pros. The times spent with our family is extremely valuable and it's quality over quantity. It doesn't matter how much time I spend with my family, it's how we spend our time. Since we have two working parents, Rachel and I value family vacations. This is a great time to relax and enjoy one anthers company. Another pro Rachel mentioned are the values and morals this lifestyle has taught her. Having two successfully working parents shows us the importance of balance and independence. We have grown up being very independent and not relying on our parents for help with homework or studying. When we got home from school, we would go straight to our bedrooms and do our homework until it was finished. Our parents were never there to punish us if we didn't do our work or teach us proper ways to study. We had to figure this out on our own. This is a huge pro of my childhood as it has made me the person I am today. Rachel and I both consider ourselves very independent women with outstanding work ethics. We both got into our early decision schools and believe this is due to our habits our parents instilled in us at a very young age. Although having two working parents may seem to contain several cons, the positives outweigh the negatives and Rachel and I couldn't be happier with our situation.