Reflection on Family

Family can be defined as people who are related to you, consisting of (but not limited to): grandparents, parents, siblings, and children. Our families affect who we are by raising us in a particular way that coincides with their culture and beliefs. As we age and learn more, we can decide whether we will keep these beliefs or accept a new truth. This can cause people to either embrace their family, or distance themselves.

Family: a relationship by blood, marriage, or affection, in which members may cooperate economically, may care for children, & may consider their identity to be intimately connected to the larger group.

Like everything else, "family" has an infinite number of definitions. One definition of family is "any group of people united by marriage, blood or adoption, constituting a single household, interacting and communicating with each other, and creating and maintaining a common culture" (Hales 14). Many contemporary sociologists have expanded this definition to include people whom or may not be related and those who for of their lives live together, satisfying their emotional needs and relating to each other to fulfill wants and desires. Regardless of the definitions, everyone has his or her own idea of what a family is. Some feel that family life "is not what it used to be" and have a very negative view on the

In my opinion, family, and the relationship between different family members, is messy and confusing, but beautiful nonetheless. Family, in my opinion, is a complex web of interconnectedness, and mutual love. My personal definition of family, is those who are there for you in your hour of need. I have been very blessed to have an amazing support system, who is there to love and support me through life’s challenges. However, my opinion on family is constantly changing, as I grow and learn, about the individuals around me, and family history that has come to light. To clarify, as I have grown older, I have started to become more aware of family struggles, and have become privy to conversations on family, that at a young age, I was not. Family history, and struggles are very hard to hear and learn about, and are at times, too difficult to explain on a piece of paper. However, it is incredibly important to acknowledge the past, in order to understand your family’s future.

What is family? It is defined as “a group of people related to one another by blood or marriage.” Three acclaimed authors: Shakespeare, Pope and Eliot, identify family in many different ways, some that are similar and some that are different from each other. To clearly understand how they all variously define family you need to dive deep into the context of their works. A couple of the authors use a textbook example of family and others create their own idea of the concept.

Everywhere around the world, in every different culture, people are grouped into families. The word family can be defined as a group of people bound together over time, because of mutual consent, birth and or adoptions/ placement or simply people who consume responsibilities for one other.

Family comes in all shapes and sizes; color, similarities and differences, but at the heart of it all, family is the solidified foundation to one belonging and feeling loved.

My own personal experience plays a part here as I don’t believe my family was ever “fully actualized.” Independence and autonomy was stressed, however, warmth and connectedness between members was not. Feelings were definitely suppressed in my household growing up, and even today sharing openly feels awkward. Whitaker, as well as Satir, has inspired my theoretical framework because I see the importance of the affective or emotional layer of family interactions.

When you hear the word family, what are the thoughts come to your head? Maybe words such as blood, loving, nurturing; or even in some rare cases, overbearing, ashamed, and disgraceful. We all have a different perspective of what family means to us, but a common trend that most families exhibit is that a family is a unit of protection, a support system and that every family has its flaws.

Family has many personal meanings to every individual, and the way they view the concept of having a family.

Growing up in a big family can be tough some days, although I would not have it any other way. My mom has four siblings and my dad has five, blessing me with over twenty first cousins and an extended family that is too large to count. I was also fortunate enough to have both sets of grandparents and several great grandparents as an active part of my life. I am the youngest of three kids, having an older brother and an older sister. Being the baby of the family growing up I did not get in much trouble for I had two older siblings to blame my mistakes on. Some people define family as, “any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins” (dictionary.com), while I define it as those

Since the united stated has become so diverse that the definition of family has change, therefore, in my perspective, culture background, and personal experience, a family is not only blood related that lives in the same household but also someone that has been by my side showing empowerment through rough times. Therefore, I perceive the definition of family as, someone who, has seen the good and the bad side of me and still accept me who I am with judging me. Someone that has helped me through a difficult situation without asking anything in return. A family that is very supportive, therefore, making me believe in myself and feel very motivated to keep me going every day even though sometimes my life was difficult in this country. furthermore,

“Kaitlyn hurry up!” “Okay mom I’m coming!” Today is the day my family and I are leaving Tucson, Arizona. We are moving to a small town located in Virginia. I’m very nervous but also excited. We are leaving Arizona because my stepdad just retired from the military and he wants to live somewhere where we are surrounded by vast land. Also, on the plus side my grandparents will be very close to us. I’m going to miss all of my friends, especially my best friend Kayla. Maybe this move is the best thing for my family.

Growing up in a large family there was always someone there for me. Being the third of four children put me in a position where no matter what there was always someone to rely on. If my parents were unavailable I had an older sister and brother to depend on and if they weren’t there I had my younger sister to count on. Being alone was not something I often got to experience, but on the rare occasions when I was it was tolerable because I knew it wouldn't be long before someone was there again. I often think that I took for granted having a close-knit family because not everyone is fortunate enough to have so many people in their daily life they can rely on. Constantly having had someone there for me taught me not only that family is essential,

I was on my best behavior. And there was no such thing as always being happy like I was when I am at home with my parents. I learned what it was like to be picked on, be mad, angry, happy, and develop friendships. I think my family addressed this function well, because I have matured to be able to communicate and socialize with all those around me, which includes how to act and feel.