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Why have family reunions?

July 11, 2006

Every family has its heirlooms, whether they're stories, quilts, recipes, photo albums or just family resemblances.

According to Beau Weston, head of Centre College's sociology department, family reunions have been going on since nearly the beginning of time.

"Reunions have been happening since young people began moving away," said Weston. "The kids come back. It's a return to the original space after they've become sufficiently distant."

Weston said families are the foundation for people to interact and to provide support.

"You build up ties to the family during the 'green wood,' as the Bible says, by getting to know people," said Weston. "The obvious payoff is in the 'dry wood,' during a crisis when the family is there to help."

Weston goes to a family reunion every year, a tradition he started at age 7. The Weston family reunion takes place at Capon Springs Mountain Resort in West Virginia, where the living space is somewhat like dorm life, according to Weston.

"It's very basic, but everyone goes to the common room and chats, knits, plays cards, and just gets to know each other," said Weston.

According to Weston, family reunions hold a special place in the sociology of families, especially as modern families begin to live farther apart.

"Mobility is a class phenomenon," said Weston. "As the younger generation dreams of a life anywhere they want, people begin to live farther away and reunions become more necessary."

Despite this trend, however, Weston believes that many families end up near each other. Families provide the obvious practical help, such as childcare, but there also are emotional ties.

"It's normal to pick the job by the home place, not the other way around," said Weston. "People want to raise their children within a mile of grandma and grandpa's."

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