I don’t agree with Freud’s depiction of a child’s evolutionary relation with their family. He begins by saying “for a small child his parents are at first the only authority and source of all belief and wishes to be like his parent of his own sex” (Freud 237). This is generalizing the definition of family by limiting it to a mother, a father and a child. In our current society, the definition of family has certainly expanded. Also, while it’s true that a child is heavily influenced by his or her environment, it’s not limited to parents. Personally, I learn from my teachers, friends and other family members. Freud also says that “a child with siblings feels regrets at having to share parental love” (Freud 237). This is a foreign concept to me. I have siblings, but I don’t regret having them even they’re acknowledged and I’m not. Freud mentions that when a boy grows up, they are more inclined to feel hostile impulses towards his father as opposed to his mother and even replacing them with a family of higher social standing (Freud 237-238). The child wishes to be liberated from the influences of their parents when they grow up (Freud 237). I think it natural that as a child grows older, he or she thinks of what their life would be like if they grew up somewhere else. However, to say that they feel resentment towards their parents is a bit of a generalization. Finally, Freud says that neurotics is a condition derived from children who failed at the liberation from their parents (Freud 237). There are adults who still listen to their parents and they’re not mentally unstable. In these respects, I find it difficult to relate to Freud’s Family Romance.

-Benny Chan