Myths and Realities of Raising Children and Creating Family Life in a Rural County

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the myths that surround rural areas and the expectations parents have of family life based on residence in a rural Michigan county. In face-to-face interviews with rural parents, we find that expectations for the creation and maintenance of family life are often at odds with the economic, political, and material conditions of rural living. Yet, parents adhere to myths about self-sufficiency, safety, family life, and community solidarity, myths that are separate and distinct from beliefs and perceptions they have of what family would be in an urban area. Myths about rural places are incorporated into parents' perceptions of their family life. Parents' perceptions are shaped by farm or nonfarm rural residence, whether they grew up in a rural or urban area, and whether or not they have other family or kin that live in the same rural county.