1. Senior Maggie Bowen, left, her
sister Clare, her grandma Judith and her mom Beth. 2. The Hoffine family from left: Scott Parrish, Ashley Parrish, Skylar Parrish, Shiva Hoffine, Chloe Hoffine, Arinna Hoffine, Sadie Hoffine and Trace Shapiro. 3. The Shapiro-Parrish family gathers around their family room. photos by MARIA DONNELLY
SHAPIRO-PARRISH:
BROKEN DOWN SCOTT PARRISH (step-dad) TRACE SHAPIRO (arinna’s mom) ASHLEY PARRISH SKYLAR PARRISH ARINNA HOFFINE SHIVA HOFFINE
FAMILY Ashley said. “I’ve never called them my ‘stepsisters’ to anyone.” In this household, family comes first over everything -- over friends, over chores and even over homework. “Merging the families has made us more stable as a family,” Trace said. “Prior to that, we were more nomadic.” According to the family, certain special traditions are important, such as vacationing to Universal Studios theme park in Florida every few years. Eating is also of high value to the Parrish-Shapiro household; every other Sunday, they go out to dinner together (a family favorite is Chuy’s Mexican Food on the Country Club Plaza), and usually every
2
Junior Arinna Hoffine’s family includes her mom, step-dad and her five sisters and step-sisters.
Monday, they hold a family dinner at home. As a “blended family” they have adapted well together, despite the mix of “historically different” cultures, according to Trace. “[Before merging families], we used to only eat organic food and we never had cable,” Arinna said. “But now, we [have compromised] some things, like we still eat organic food but we finally have cable and a microwave.” As the only male in the house along with seven females, Arinna’s stepfather Scott says that at times, it can be a challenge, but his strong male personality type tends to “counterbalance the whole female hormones thing.” Arinna added how “Donut
3
CHLOE HOFFINE SADIE HOFFINE
Days” are yet another special ritual for her family. “Well, that ‘time of the month’ happens at different times for different ones of us, so if you’re having a particularly terrible PMS-y day, [Scott] will take [the girls] out for donuts,” Trace said. When asked if they have ever experienced hostility from others because of their nontraditional family structure, Scott was quick to respond. “The basis of our family is that we care only about what our family thinks, and we’re really not worried about what everyone else or society thinks,” Scott said. H 1. Arinna’s sister Shiva Hoffine, from left, and family, mom Trace Shapiro, step-sister Skylar Parrish, sister Sadie Hoffine and step-dad Scott Parrish warm themselves around a fire at their farm in Kearney, Missouri on a cool November night. 2. Arinna’s step-dad Scott Parrish, left, and mom Trace Shapiro stand outside with their kids at their farm Nov. 2. 3. Arinna’s sister Sadie Hoffine swings outside of her mom’s house in Brookside. page designed by Sara-Jessica Dilks
19