Kimberly Frantz (babytoes26@yahoo.com) from 208.44.30.20 at 10/25/01 09:16PM
comment
    Originally from Michigan, my family would probably be considered Northern. Though I was very young when I moved to Tennessee, and my values were very much shaped by the South, my parents shared the values of my extended family in Michigan. Growing up in a Northern household while attending a Southern Baptist church and spending time with my Southern friends, I was able to see any contrast between my friends' families and my own, but the contrast is not that defined. As others have mentioned the closeness of Southern families, my family visits Michigan anywhere between 2-4 times per year. We visited more frequently when my aunt was ill with leukemia. These are supposedly characteristics of a Southern family. Maybe it is the influence of the South on my parents, but I believe that no matter where we lived, family would always be important, and we would make an effort to remain close. I have seen various comments made by both Northerners and Southerners who claim their families are very close and those who say they are not, regardless of where they are from. I have found that the South overall is more polite, friendlier, and places a greater emphasis on making newcomers feel welcome, but I would not extend that comment to compare Northern and Southern families. Families are very individual, as are their values. As far as the influence of large cities and small towns, New York City, one of the largest cities in the United States, not to mention one that has one of the coldest reputations in the nation, has just shown some of the greatest support in this time of need. This extends to not only family and friends, but also to strangers. We are realizing that as Americans, none of us are really strangers, no matter what part of the United States (or the world for that matter) that we are from, and that in times of need, we all have something even stronger than Southern hospitality.