{"id":201,"date":"2020-06-24T06:01:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T10:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/vladwp2019\/?p=201"},"modified":"2022-06-06T23:56:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T03:56:32","slug":"goals-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/goals-family\/","title":{"rendered":"The Plantin Family: Past, Present & Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ancestry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For those who may not know, I was born in New York \ud83d\uddfd, to an entire family of immigrants from Haiti \ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9 (don’t worry, we came here legally). I still have members of my family – including my dad, uncles, aunts, and cousins – who still live in New York, but I’ve been fairly out of touch with them, at least physically, since I moved to Ohio. In this coming decade, I plan to strengthen relations with my relatives living in New York and in other places across North America, as we share and exchange our common past, present, and future family history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Most people from the Caribbean now have predominantly European or West African ancestry \u2014 a consequence of the Transatlantic Slave Trade that continued in the region until slavery was abolished in the mid-19th century. Today, this diverse history is reflected in the region\u2019s music, cuisine, languages, and DNA.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The website 23andMe.com<\/a> showed my DNA test results to be 70% from Sub-Saharan Africa \ud83c\udf0d, with at least 30% being from present-day Nigeria \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddec, along with being parts Ghanian \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udded, Beninese \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddef, Togolese \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddec, Angolan \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf4, & Congolese \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Growing up, I always suspected my lineage had to have at least some white ancestry,<\/g> since my own black skin was somewhat lighter compared to some other black people I’m met. These tests above and below confirmed it! It’s also striking just how diverse even my ~30% European heritage is: I’m apparently small bits of British \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7, Irish \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea, Spanish \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8, French \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7, German \ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea, Italian \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9, and even Ashkenazi Jewish! \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I first bought DNA tests from these 2 different companies back in 2017, so I could compare and contrast their results. There were some differences, but they’re mostly the same – and they both detected both African and European DNA from me. In other words, our family is mixed between black and white!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This is a photo of one of my 3rd great-grandfathers, General M\u00e9risier Jeannis<\/strong>, who lived from 1833 until 1908. According to history records, he was a military division general<\/strong>, who in 1896 led a political rebellion in his hometown of Jacmel<\/strong> against then-Haitian President Florvil Hyppolite<\/strong>; this president was well-known for his corruption, for executing his opponents. Once he got word of the uprising in Jacmel, he wanted to battle with and capture General Jeannis, except he died of a heart attack while riding on horseback before he could even leave Port-au-Prince<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Jeannis was also a Vodou priest<\/strong> who presided over two temples, one in Jacmel and the other in Port-au-Prince. He maintained control over the Jacmel area, and once aspired to become the leader of Haiti himself, up until he was ousted in 1908.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found out about him and about more people from the past using this family tree below I built on Ancestry.com<\/a>, which I plan to continue building in the coming years and decades, as more and more family history gets explored and recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On Friendships and Dating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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I call this starter pack the “Foreign Language Four“,<\/g> because they’re all computer programs built to help people learn new & different languages, which I expect to come in handy for me in communicating with family members in Haitian Creole \ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9, along with friends and others from around the world in the coming decade. I want to learn to speak more in:<\/g> Spanish \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8, French \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7, Italian \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9, German \ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea, & Japanese \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5
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I am currently single<\/strong>, and I’ve had a relatively nice life being single; I think the simple freedoms that come with that has helped me go a long way with how far I’ve progressed in life, especially in the past decade. I wasn’t too busy with a girlfriend, wife, or my own kids, so I was free to focus as much time and as much money as I wanted or needed to just work on myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the current COVID-19 era, single folks are increasingly looking to video chatting to socialize from a distance<\/a>. This would probably best the best approach for me, so I can focus on emotional connection first, before physical meetings later. From my research, I’ve learned that self-confidence and self-esteem are the most attractive traits<\/a> in both men and women (which is lucky for me – I already have plenty of that!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On Marriage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because of the integral role marriages and parenthood play in how families are formed, I will also at some point have to address the possibility of whether I want<\/g> to get married and\/or become a parent myself<\/strong>. I have been told for many years by countless people that getting married would be not only a great thing to do,<\/g> but the best and the most important thing to do in life. In my own observations, there are some things I like and other things I dislike about the ideas of me being a husband and father, so I have never favored or opposed doing either 100%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve always had respect for good, kind, and loving women for as long as I can remember, with and without having romantic feelings for them. I do enjoy playing and talking with kids and younger people whenever I get to, so I probably will get along with my future children quite well, at least before they reach puberty \ud83d\ude02 I do think I have more to learn when it comes to taking care of a baby, though. \ud83d\ude05 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, who would I get married to? Well, below is a list of factors a woman would need to have for me to be interested in dating her, but the most important thing would be that we are each other’s best friends<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Click or tap this photo for the source.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This would likely come naturally for us if she’s healthy, smart, open-minded, kind, compassionate, optimistic, self-confident, and determined. <\/strong>(Bonus points if she has artistic or creative talent<\/strong>). She would also have to be willing to improve others’ lives<\/strong> regardless of hard work, and should have a full understanding of my core interests and values<\/strong>, and supportive<\/strong> of them emotionally, creatively, and\/or professionally. Relationships can bring a whole set of challenges to anyone who has them, so close friendship, communication, chemistry, and compatibility are a MUST<\/strong> for long-term success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I downloaded this from the Instagram page of Psychology Today<\/a>: it seems like a great list full of simple steps for how to handle what would be my future marriage – and maybe yours, too!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I wouldn’t get into many details anytime soon about what kind of wedding I would have, as I think they would be best decided between me and whomever bride I have. One idea I do have is that the venue would be at either at Walt Disney World<\/a> in Florida (as pictured above), or at Disneyland in California, depending on where the event would be the most geographically convenient for the invited guests. Click or tap this photo to read about the costs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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As for what honeymoon I’d like to have, one idea I have is to take a newlywed trip to islands in the Caribbean, including Haiti \ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9 (as pictured above; tap it to see the top things to do there), and specifically the town of Jacmel<\/a>, where many of my ancestors lived in or nearby. This would be a great new way for my new wife and I to learn about my family’s background, aside from likely having a great time enjoying the beaches, tropical cuisine, and local rich art and culture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

On Parenthood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the book and film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”<\/span><\/strong>, Mr. Wonka chose a boy named Charlie to be his successor who would one day inherit his factory, knowing he would eventually grow too old to run it himself. Mufasa once told his son Simba in “The Lion King”, “A king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.”<\/span><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I bring these up to talk about something I may normally not like thinking about, but eventually will be important: I know I will not live forever. Someday, I know that I will die, one way or another. So I think it’s important for that time to consider critically who would be most fit to preserve what I will have built – my artwork, assets, and other parts of what my legacy will include. In my view, this should not be left up to my parents or to anyone older than me; they would only do everything their own way, not mine. Instead, it only makes the most sense if I raised my own children to be my potential heirs:<\/strong> they would be the people of a future generation to inherit the most from myself: my DNA, my heritage, my values, and possible my creative talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I know this can’t be official until I discuss this with the mother, but here are a few baby \ud83c\udf7c name ideas I picked out for my firstborn: Zachary Barack Plantin<\/strong> if male<\/span>; Victoria Blossom Plantin<\/strong> if female<\/span>. I’ll give you one guess where the middle names came from \ud83d\ude09<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The parenting style I would most likely have towards is to be authoritative<\/strong>, in the middle between permissive (too careless & lenient) and authoritarian (too harsh & strict).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One big mistake I’ve seen some parents make is that they believe all they have to do to raise their kids is less than what their kids actually need<\/strong>: they work at their jobs, get the money to pay for the house, the bills, the groceries, and other material provisions, and they may think that’s all their children need from them. From personal experience, here’s what I know is the truth: material provision is only half<\/strong> of what kids need from their parents. The other half would be things that can’t be bought or sold – these things come only from a positive relationship<\/strong> between parents and their children – emotional support, guidance, wisdom, love, and generosity, to gain mutual trust, respect, and cooperation in how they communicate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven’t had any kids so far, but I think I already know how I’d want to raise them, and about how I wouldn’t; I decided many years ago that I would never want my kids to be physically harmed for the sake of discipline<\/strong>, especially now that years of research have shown that spanking children is ineffective and potentially harmful<\/a><\/strong>; as adults, they may ever repeat these violent behaviors in even their own future romantic relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Don’t believe this? Tap on click this photo for the source.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Instead, I would always want them to know and feel that I can and will help or support them in anything they may need .<\/strong> Also, I’d like to train them to be talented artists<\/strong>, like me; I imagine it’s very likely they would take after me once they see me drawing \u270d\ud83c\udffd in front of them \ud83d\ude0e Of course, they always can and should have their own interests<\/strong>, and the dreams\/talents they pursue will ultimately be their own choices<\/strong>. I’d gladly have a focus on whatever calling God would have for them; if I’m lucky enough, they may even follow in my artistic \ud83c\udfa8 footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I may be open to change to this new lifestyle at some point, but I firmly believe having an economic base of a certain strength<\/a> first is critical for anyone raising a family to provide for them<\/strong>. That’s especially true for many middle-class families<\/a> nowadays, and it looks like for the next 10 years, as well. A lot of consistent income is needed to put a roof over a family’s heads<\/a>, to put food on the table<\/a>, to put clothes on their backs<\/a>, and for other necessities, luxuries, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Click or tap this infographic to enlarge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ancestry For those who may not know, I was born in New York \ud83d\uddfd, to an entire family of immigrants from Haiti \ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9 (don’t worry, we came here legally). I still have members of my family – including my dad, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[20,21,32,30,33,42,31,44,45],"class_list":["post-201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-20","tag-2020s-plans","tag-ancestry","tag-family","tag-haiti","tag-history","tag-love","tag-marriage","tag-parenting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":885,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions\/885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vladimirplantin.com\/wp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}