Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

This is the short paper for Anthropology, analyzing and describing a family which I have visited several times:

The Krauters are a family of four. Herr Krauter, about 50, Frau Krauter, 40; Dorothy 13, and Fritz 9. they live in a stucco finished house on the edge of Beutelabach, about 10 years old. It has 3 bedrooms, living room, dining-sitting room, and kitchen. They have only cold running water and no plumbing for the toilet, only a pipe to a hole several feet below with a vakve [valve] arrangement yo [to] close the pipe except when flushed. The house is comfortably furnished, if simply, with furniture about like inexpensive styles in America. Most of it is 10-15 years old. They are presently redecorating the dining-sitting room with new wall paper and a new walnut china cabinet. They only appliances I have seen are a gas stove, a gas oven-heater, a small refrigerator and a radio-phonograph combination. The family has no car. Herr Krauter takes the train to work each day.

Herr Krauter works five days a week as a bookkeeper for a Stuttgart firm which makes leather shoe lining material. The family also owns a single piece of Weinberg property) acreage on which to grow grapes, a very small piece, proably about 1 acre on a hillside close by). This was inherited by Frau Krauter on the death of her father. The family tends the plot itself, mainly the parents, with some added help from the family of Frau Krauter's sister, a local fulltime Weinberg family. The annual yield is about 200-250 liters (equals quarts) of wine which is said to be of good quality and whose excess above family use is sold to one of the best local inns. A further family economy comes from the growing of fruit and vegetables in a garden behind the house.

The family's inter-personal relationships are, of course, difficult to assess especially under conditions of social visits of not more than six or eight hours. I have spent more time with Frau Krauter and know her much better. She lived in Beutelsbach as a child, had 3 sisters who also still live here, and a brother who was killed in Russia in the war. Her mother is still alive and lives with one of the sisters whose husband also died in Russia. She describes as strict, at least in matters of morals (drinking, dancing, and movies were all disapproved). yet she too favors very similar behavior for her children though less dogmatically justified. Her main role is naturally that of housewife and mother and she has no outside activities that I know of. She takes pride in her cooking and baking, looks on food as a large part of hospitality, often insists that I take "kuchen" (cake) etc with me back to the burg. The house was not spotlessly clean on those occassions when I have dropped in unannounced, and this does not seem to disturb her particularly. Cooking and raising her children seem to be her main concerns. She is interested in music and listens to concerts and operas over the radio (they rarely get to concerts or operas in Stuttgart because of no car and the desire to be with the children.)

Herr Krauter is difficult for me to describe since I have only spent a few hours with him. He is more outgoing than his wife, more self-confident appearing. He speaks a little English, reads it fairly well, and is eager to learn more. This eagerness is to me a manifestation of his need to make friends, to be sociable, although it also has some overt use in his job.

I have made no direct observations of the division of labor. Frau Krauter says that her husband helps her with the housework when she needs it. She cited wiping dishes as an example. But in discussing American vs German marriage roles, she expressed the belief that, in America, a wife is [illegible?] than here, that in Germany a wife has a more distinct role as housewife

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In the Krauter family the major decisions, at least, are made cooperatively between Herr and Frau Krauter. She apparently handles the money as part of her housekeeping and cooking responsibility. But he may either give her a specified amount each week, or may even receive an allowance from her. I am only sure that she has money on hand for groceries and also more for undetermined uses (she gave some money to an aunt who stopped by after a discussion in Schwabiseh). Large projects such as the remodeling of the dining-sitting room are decided jointly. When Herr Krauter arrives home in the evening, his wife passes on the news of the day. "Fritz has worn through another pair of pants at the knees"; "the wallpapering man will be here Monday;" the cabinet price estimate is $160.00", and we must see him tomorrow to discuss it." they discuss briefly such news and defer further details until later. From this series of observations, I would conclude that they try to decide major matters togethr and apparently without consulting the children.

A second incident that illustrates Frau Krauters tendency to common council in family policy: She considers her frequent reception of several Stanford students as guests in the house as a problem. Because some of them drink too much wine and she thinks this is an undesirable experience for the children. She is trying to work out a solution which balances her desire to welcome all students alike, and her feeling of responsibility as a mother. Apparenyl [Apparently] she has discussed this with Herr Krauter and finds him less concerned with the problem. Her response to this impasse is continued worry and the observation "I can't do it alone".

I have observed only one specific area of conflict between Herr and Frau Krauter. She objects to his drinking as much wine as he does and frequently complains of it. He, in turn, makes mention of this objection to others. This matter is treated lightly, jokingly, by them both, particularly Herr Krauter, though it seems to be a legitimate issue. Perhaps this acts for them as an escape valve for as often it is brought up in public, it cannot be very disturbing.

One of the most important roles which Frau Krauter sees for herself is that of mother and counselor for her children. Most of her attention is directed toward Fritz. Dorothy is apparently not considered a problem any more and few parental criticisms are directed to her. She has one more year of mitteelschule (grammar school, 9 grades from age 6.) During which she will learn among other things the basic techniques of cooking and housekeeping. Frau Krauter has made no great effort to teach Dorothy to cook or bake and apparently both consider this the place of the school. Dorothy does help with keeping the house clean, decorating cakes, going to the store for groceries, and serving guests but otherwise, she has no noticeable duties to the family. She is reserved and quiet, seemingly a conscientious student. Her relation to her parents is passive submissive; that is, her training is seemingly completed- she doesn't have to be scolded and she doesn't seem to attempt to declare any personal independence, as is so often said of the American teenager.

Fritz, on the other hand, is considered more of a problem, at least by his mother and this is not seen as a typical case of bringing up children nor merely as one of the boy conforming adequately to expected standards of obedience and behavior. Instead Frau Krauter sees the problem in terms

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of Fritz' own personality. "he is too unruhig" (restless, turbulent, uneasy). She cites as further evidence for this condition the concern of the doctor (he recommends much sleep and certain patterns of diet). And repeated complaints from his teachers that he is constantly moving around and disturbing the class.

In the light of this view of Fritz how does Frau Krauter train and discipline his? First of all, she rarely exerts harsh authority, rarely raises her voice in anger. One afternoon while I was visiting them, Fritz had been drinking lots of spudel (similar to 7-up), and milk. She eventually suggested that he had had enough, repeated this over the next half hour as he continued to get another cup or glass, finally as he carelessly plashed a pan of milk on the table, she took the pan and cup away from him and, with Dorothy's help, cleaned up the spilled milk. Fritz continued to move restlessly about, playing records, listening to the radio, climbing up on top of the china cabinet to look for postage stamos, disassembling a small chair etc. Through all such activity, Frau Krauter was seemingly one of slight harrassment and exasperation. She occassionally said to him that the radio was too loud or that he should stop something but, if he ignored her comment, nothing further was said. She had to speak to him 4 or 5 times to get him on his way to bed and this finally occurred an hour after his usual time. Frau Krauter response to Fritz' play behavior may be described as "concerned permissiveness" but in matters of sleep and diet she is more firm and Fritz seems to realize this and shows reluctance obedience.

Herr Krauter, as father, seems to carry most of the burden of punishment. When Fritz was especially restless, his mother said in a slightly threatening tone that perhaps his father would make him quieter if he were there.

Another incident at the fest on the burg, when Fritz was asked to share a chair wth his mother in order to make room for others, his father answered his cimplaints with "You have onyl [only] two alternatives- sit here or go home". Though said softly with a smile, this remark was quite openly spoken with authority.

The children in Dorothy's age group (14 of them this year, an unusually small number) will soon celebrate confirmation in the Evangelische Kirche This is a regular annual function and seems to correlate the completion of Mittelschule at about age 14. The ceremony consists, at least in part, of a big party given by each family on a Sunday, succeeded on the following Sunday by a speech of welcome as adult members in the church. Again on this Sunday the families serve a big meal for friends and relatives. This may supplement the autumn harvest festival (during which the 17 year old boys and girls are official hosts and hostesses and lead town parades etc.) as a "rite of passage", thogh it apparently affects a younger age group and of course only within the Evangelische kirkche community.

Health seems to be an important value in the Krauter family. Frau Krauter examined Fritz' feet one afternoon with some concern because she thought she saw wet socks. The children are not allowed wine or coffee because these are not thoughts good [for] her health. Further, the evening meal is customarily light (only bread and butter, milk or fruit juice) because

This is a copy of my short paper for anthrology I, analyzing and describing a family which I've visited several times.

The Krauters are a family of 4 - Herr Krauter, about 50; Frau Krauter, 40; Dorothy, 13; and Fritz 9. They live in a stucco-finished house on the edge of Beutelsbach, about 10 years old, which has 3 bedrooms, living room, dining-sitting room, and kitchen. They have only cold running water, and no plumbing for the toilet (only a pipe to a hole several feet below, with a valve arrangement to close the pipe except when "flushed.") The house is comfortably furnished, if simply, with furniture about like inexpensive styles in America, most of it 10-15 years old. They are presently redecorating the dining-sitting room with new wall-paper and a new walnut china cabinet. They only appliances I have seen are a gas stove, a gas oven-heater, a small refrigerator, and a radio-phonograph combination. The family has no car - Herr K. takes the train to work each day.

Herr Krauter works 5 days a week as a bookkeeper for a Stuttgart firm which makes leather shoe lining material. The family also owns a single piece of weinberg property (acreage on which to grow grapes) - a very small piece, probably about 1 acre) on a hillside close by. This was inherited by Frau Krauter on the death of her father. The family tends the plot itself, mainly the parents, with some added help from the family of Frau Krauter's sister, a local full-time weinberg famly. The annual yield is about 200-250 liters (= quarts) of wine which is said to be of good quality, and whose excess above family use is sold to one of the best local inns. A futher family economy comes from the growing of fruit and vegetables in a garden behind the house.

The family's interpersonal relationships are of couse difficult to assess, especially under conditions of social visits of not more 6 or 8 hours. I have spent more time with Frau. K. and know her much better. She lived in Beutelsbach as a child, had 3 sisters who also still live here, and a brother who was killed in Russia in the war (her mother is still alive and lives with one of the sisters, whose husband also died in Russia). She describes her parents as strict, at least in matters of morals - drinking, dancing and movies were all disapproved. Yet she too favors very similar behavior for her children, though less dogmatically justified. Her main role is naturally that of housewife and mother, and she has no outside activities that I know of. She takes pride in her cooking and baking, looks on food as a large part of hospitality, often insists that I take kuchen (cake), etc. with me back to the Burg. The house was not spotlessly clean on those occasions when I have dropped in unannounced, and this does not seem to disturb her particularly. Cooking and raising her children seem to be her main concerns. She is interested in music and listens to concerts and operas over the radio (they rarely get to concerts and operas in Stuttgart because of no car and the desire to be with the children).

Herr Krauter is difficult for me to describe, since I have only spent a few hours with him. He is more outgoing than his wife, more self confident appearing. He speaks a little English, reads it fairly well, and is eager to learn more; this eagerness is to me a manifestation of his need to make friends, to be "sociable", although it also has some overt use in his job.

I have made no direct observations of the division of labor. Frau Krauter says that her husband helps her with the housework when she needs it. She cited wiping dishes as an example. But in discussing American vs. German marriage roles she expressed the belief that in America the wife is more equal than here, that in Germany the wife has a more distinct role as housewife.

In the Krauter family the major decisions at leat are made cooperatively between

Herr and Frau Krauter. She apparently handles the money as part of her housekeeping and cooking responsibility, but he may either give her a specified amount each week or may even receive an "allowance" from her. I'm only sure that she has money on hand for groceries and also more for undetermined uses (she gave some to an aunt who stopped by, after a discussion in Schwäbisch). Large projects, such as the remodeling of the dining-sitting rom, are decided jointly. When Herr Krauter arrives home in the evening, his wife passes on the news of the day - "Fitz has worn through another pair of pants at the knees;" "the wall-papering man will be here Monday." "the cabinet piece estimate is 650 DM [$160] and we must see him tomorrow to discuss it." They discuss briefly such news and defer further details until later. From this series of observations, I would conclude that they try to decide major matters together, and apparently without consulting the children.

A second incident illustrates Frau Krauter's tendency to common council in family policy. She considers her frequent reception of several Stanford students as guests in the house as a problem, because some of them drink too much wine and she thinks this an undesirable experience for the children. She is trying to work out a solution which balances her desire to welcome all students alike and her feeling of responsibility as a mother. Apparently she has discussed with Herr Krauter and finds him less concerned with the problem. Her response to this impasse is continued wory, and the resolution: "I cna't do it alone."

I have observed only one specific area of conflict between Herr + Frau Krauter: she objects to his drinking as much wine as he does, and frequently complains of it. He in turn makes mention of the objection to others. This matter is treated lightly, jokingly, by them both, particularly Herr Krauter, though it seems to be a legitimate issue. Perhaps this acts for them as an escape value, for as often as it is brought up in public, it cannot be very disturbing.

One of the most important roles which Frau Krauter sees for herself is that of mother and counselor to her children. Most of her attention is dictated toward Fitz; Dorothy is apparently not considered a "problem" anymore, and few parental criticisms are directed to her. She has one more year of mittelschule [grammar school - 9 grades from age 6] during which she will learen among other things the basic techniques of cooking and housekeeping. Frau Krauter has made no great effort to teach Dorothy to cook or bake, and apparently both consider this the place of the school. Dorothy does help with keeping the house clean, decorating cakes, going to the store for groceries, and serving guests, but otherwise she has no noticeable duties to the family. She is reserved and quiet, seeming a conscientious student. Her relation to her parents is passive, submissive; that is her training is seemingly completed, she doesn't have to be scolded, and she doesn't seem to attempt to declare and personal independence, as is so often said of the American teenager.

Fritz, on the other hand, is considered more of a "problem"; at least by his mother. And this is not seen as a typical case of bringing up children, nor merely as one of the boy conforming adequately to expected standards of obedience and behavior. Instead Frau Krauter sees the problem in terms of Fritz's own personality - "he is too 'unruhig' (restless, turbulent, uneasy)." She sights as further evidence for this condition the concern of the doctor (who recommends much sleep and certain patterns of diet) and repeated complaints from Fritz's teachers that he is constantly moving around and disturbing the class.

In light of this view of Fritz, how does Frau Krauter train and discipline him?