My Family Memories

    The essay “Stone Soup” highlights many topics related to the common “issue” of families who are binuclear. Throughout the years, divorce has become a recurring event in couple’s marriages. In the essay, Kingslover writes, “.. a culture in which serial monogamy and the consequent reshaping is families are the norm— gets diagnosed as ‘failing’.” By saying this, the author basically expresses her disapproval of our society's views of “broken” families.  People too often judge what they see on the outside, and do not pay enough attention to what truly occurs in the lives of these families. Being a complete family—a father, mother, and children— is what defines normalcy to society, but how often does this work? The author of “Stone Soup” wrote, “To judge a family’s value by its tidy symmetry is to purchase a book for its cover.” To rephrase it simply, just as it is unfair to judge a book by its cover, it is evenly unfair to determine a family's successfulness by simply looking at how together or not together they present themselves. The idea of the nuclear family is not necessarily the ultimate way to achieve happiness, and throughout “Stone Soup,” the author intends on explaining that to us. A family containing step siblings, step parents, half-brothers and half-sisters, and multiple grandparents, could possibly be the happiest family, or maybe even the unhappiest, but it is not us who determines that. Nor is it the standard society has set for

A nuclear family is universal and is defined as a two generational grouping; consisting of a father, mother and their children, all living in the same household. The idea of the nuclear family was first noticed in Western Europe in 17th century. The concept that narrowly defines a nuclear family is essential to the stability in modern society and has been promoted by modern social conservatives in the United States and has been challenged inadequate to describe the complexity of actual family relations. In this essay, I shall be assessing the views that the nuclear family functions to benefit all its members and society as a whole, from a

My mother couldn’t afford daycare and she didn’t have a lot of help from family. That means I was left to attend to her duties a lot. At the age of seven I was cooking, cleaning, making sure my brothers had their baths before my mother got home. I had to make sure they were feed, in bed or ready for bed once she got home. By the time my mother got home she was too exhausted to help me with any homework. My mother was too exhausted to notice that I was so far behind in school. She was too exhausted to notice I couldn’t read. But had to work two jobs to take care of her children because my father wasn’t helping at that time in our life.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a nuclear family can be described as a group of people who are united by ties of partnership and parenthood, consisting of a pair of adults and their socially recognized children (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015). Because most children are most exposed to their parents in this manner, the nuclear family is regarded as the basic social unit where a child learns adult conduct. Based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the way an adult perceives life is determined by the experiences the person had as a child (Moynihan, 1965). Consequently, the stability of a child’s nuclear family can have a large impact on their subsequent behavior as they age.

Many of us overlook the importance of something as simple as “family” because it has been something we are familiar with since our first day on this planet, never thinking twice about to topic. Truth be told, the family unit is crucial to who we are and what we value, and even in the bigger picture, the cultural importance it has on society. When we explore one of the most signature family units to date, the nuclear family, we learn its optimistic appeal, its modern elusiveness, and the professional and personal opinions surrounding it.

Constance Ahrons, a doctor who coined the term “binuclear family” once said, “Pessimists say that the family is eroding. Optimists say the family is diversifying. Both points of view are right. Families are more diverse and they are more in trouble-but not because of their diversity. The families of today-whatever their size or shape-are in crisis because our economy is failing, our national resources are shrinking, and our governmental policies to support them are inadequate.” This quote gives a perspective of several reasons for the decline of the nuclear family. A nuclear family is a type of traditional family, consisting of a mother, a father, and their children. It involves time spent with the children, emotional support, low stress, and a stable economic environment. This type of family became most popular during the 1950’s, and was regarded more as a universal form of a social organization, and not just a simple family. Both parents worked secure jobs, and would come home to their children, and would enjoy this happy-go-lucky lifestyle. However, this fantasy of a family evolved over time, and the idea of a nuclear family curtailed. New generations were created that opposed the idea of a nuclear family, and began to reject society’s values: Generation X and Generation Z. In addition to the new generations, there was a development to the word “family”, as many families differed from the traditional template of a mother, a father, and children; changing the idea of a

In this paper, I will use the sociological imagination to connect my personal experiences of growing up in a nuclear family to comparison of growing up in a divorced family. I’m from a nuclear family and my best friend is from a divorced family. “Some people still think the average American family consists of a husband who works in paid employment and a wife who looks after the home, living together with their children” according to Giddens, Anthony pg. 447. That’s not the case in many households. There are many differences, from values, financial issues, and how having one parent opposed to, two parents growing up. Growing up in a nuclear family household has given me the opportunity to have both parents supporting me and always being there, having both parents at special events, giving me the guidance from both perspectives man, and women, love, and financial aid. My best friends parents have been divorced for over 19 years, her living style is much different. She has to make certain days available to visit her father, and her mother has financial difficulties.

A nuclear family is defined as: ‘A couple and their dependent children, regarded as a basic social unit.’ My research of this concept will focus on the theories of two sociologists - George Peter Murdock, and Talcott Parsons. George Murdock’s theory suggests that there are four essential functions of an ideal family. 1. Stable satisfaction of the sex drive, 2. The biological reproduction of the next generation, 3. Socialisation of the young, 4. Meeting its members economic needs (Thompson, 2014). According to Murdock, these four components are what keep the structure of the basic family unit intact, and by achieving these four functions create an ideal family model. An opposing theory is Talcott Parson’s functional fit theory. Parson suggests that as society evolves, alternative forms of family life become more accepted. Society has progressed so much that single parents providing for their children is as normal as a nuclear family, and there tends to be less need for extended

The discussion of how society has shaped or altered the daily life of families across the globe has been going on for centuries. Some studies blame advancing technology, the industrializing of American society, differing forms of economic systems, or shifting from a religious to a more secular modern society for the loss of a strong emotional bond between family members--but whatever the explanation, the western world family unit is no longer the heartwarming entity of yesteryears. Analytically studying the daily life of each era and comparing the differences give a good depiction of what parts from each combine to form the best family for tomorrow. The key to a better family for tomorrow is to use the beneficial pieces of the past, such as

Many sociologists argue that the nuclear family is a universal and dominate institution however there has been an increase in diverse family types for various reasons. Examples of these diverse families are lone parents, reconstitutions and cohabitation families. Although most people experience life in a nuclear family, it represents only a stage in their life cycle. Social and demographic changes have meant that an increasing part of many people’s lives are spent in households that are not based on conventional nuclear families.

Throughout our country’s past, it has been important for the government to safeguard the American family ideal. This ideal is of the perfect, nuclear family where everybody gets what they want and there is no worry of debt. The “American family” has set a standard of living that is not currently feasible for most in America, which leaves many striving for something they can not obtain instead of appreciating what they have. The satirization of the American family ideal in the film Little Miss Sunshine is the director’s way of telling their audience what really matters in a family, not the “perfect life”, but the support for eachother. We, as a society, see the nuclear family as “perfect”, however Little Miss Sunshine shows us that a family doesn’t have to be “perfect” to be good.

Sometimes we are so caught up in our own bubble we forget how much others have sacrificed for us so we can make something of our lives. As I sat down to study one day, my mom joined me. As we talked about various subject, slowly teardrops started rolling down her eyes. Those were tears of happiness, for that she was proud of me. Sadly, those tears were also a reminder of the abandoned dreams and aspirations that she always held. She always wanted to go to college and become someone in her life. Rather, she was forced into marriage when she was seventeen. My dad was a victim of his own brothers who deprived him of a college education. Despite challenges and hardship that always plagued our family, my parents never gave up. My parents slept hungrily

In sociological terms there are many definitions of family. In the modern world however we are bombarded with images of the ideal construct of the family three advertising and other media. This ideal construct depicts The nuclear family consisting of a mother and a father and several children. Advertising shows us that this ideal construct is one of domestic bliss and fulfilling lives. These lives are enhanced by superior cleaning agents, excellent cars and nurturing home environments for the children. Occasionally the media depicts grandparents and other relatives "popping in" to help out the nuclear family.

Having my parents away, the last thing I wanted to do was cause them any sort of trouble, given it was already hard enough on them to not be with their children. I made it my responsibility to do good in school and do everything I was supposed to. Although, Elizabeth cared for us as much as she could , she still had to take care of her own obligations such as school and work. That meant I had to fend for myself many times. Balancing school, tutoring, cooking and doing errands became a part of my weekly routine. Back then, simple things such as asking for ketchup were such a challenge for me, because I am a very shy person but in those years it was essential for me to develop my communication skills. There was no longer an adult to speak up for me, meaning I had to learn to communicate and express myself to others. Every time my parents came, they would give me a certain amount of money to last me for a period of time. Rather than using it for junk food and other silly little things, I learned to manage my money and spent it on what was necessary. Before that, I knew money was important but I didn’t really understand the value of it. I would spend it on inessential things, not on the things I needed because normally my parents would take care of that, which no longer was the case. Those decisions were now for me to make, and it was my responsibility to do what was right. Not being with my parents

Family dynamics are ever changing. In the past, nuclear families were widely considered to be the “typical american family”, with 45% of families fitting into this category in 1960, compared to the less than 25% of families today. There were also many differences in how the families functioned even when compared to today's nuclear families. Job Pressures, new relationships within families, and the different expectations for each member of a family now all prove to be admirable barriers in family life. Today, more than ever, being part of a family presents many challenges.