The Perfect Family Is Not Always The Case For Everyone Essay

Family. A word that has about as many meanings as there are stars in the sky. Can family truly be defined, or is it merely interpretive? According to Seccombe, family is a relationship by blood, marriage, or affection, in which members may cooperate economically, may care for children, and may consider their identity to be intimately connected to the larger group (Seccombe 4). Although I do agree with the above explanation of family, I believe that it is inadequate in that it only supplies a framework of family rather than the duties and purpose. To me, family is a unit of individuals, related or not, that symbolize and exude comfort, solace, and support through all the trials and triumphs life throws our way.

A post from July 4th stated; “Family can be very diverse and there is no general term to describe such. Each person takes their own hold onto this meaning and individually family can mean many different things from one person unto the next”. This notion is one which stems from the belief that families can be of mixed races and religions, be single parent families or foster parents taking in children for periods of time; society may hold notions of what is the typical or nuclear family yet, society does not need to adhere to this ideal and each has the right to form a relationship with any other

Growing up I believed that the three bears in the tale of Goldilocks were a family because they lived under the same roof and ate at the same table. I also believed that Barbie and her little sister, Skipper, were family because they looked alike, and that Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head were family because they were married. Now that I am grown, my understanding of family has matured, and many sources have helped shape my belief. Carol Shields points out in her article, “Family Is One of the Few Certainties We Will Take with Us Far into the Future,” that all around us there are different definitions and symbols of family (Shields 558). In short, a family does not have to conform to

For over centuries, the term family has been specifically used to mean a group of people that consist of two parents and their children. The word is originally from the Latin word Familia, which means household or family. Although this word is known all over the world, it can have a different context to each person. In the United States alone, family can be referred to two adults and their children, a single-parent household, extended relatives, and a structure of more than two parents. Despite how the family structure may look like within a household, it plays a major role in life, either directly or indirectly.

would be: A household in which 1 or 2 adults who have a loving and

I define family by a group of people that communicate on regular basic, care for each other, and love each other unconditionally. I think that I was able to construct that definition when I realized that my “relatives” weren’t related to me at all. And then realized I talk to the people who I was related to all more than the people who were considered “blood”. I’ve never been to a family house where I have considered them perfect, every family has their personal issues as well as their own strength.

The word 'family' is a unique term that has many different definitions depending on who you speak with. In today's time, compared to the 1950's, the ideas of families has changed in several different ways. Many people wonder why and how this happened over the years. Some individuals will argue change is a good thing, but others might say it it best to keep things as they were. Who is to say what the perfect family is anymore. Ideally, there is no such thing as a 'perfect family'. Everyone has their own version, and many people are choosing to live their lives differently then back in the early to late 1950's.

In The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz suggests that society romanticizes past generations of family life and points out that these memories are merely myths that prevent us from “dealing more effectively with the problems facing today’s families” (Coontz x). Coontz proposes that researchers can take empirical data and create misleading causality for that data, thus feeding cultural myth and/or experience. Coontz believes that “an overemphasis on personal responsibility for strengthening family values encourages a way of thinking that leads to moralizing rather than mobilizing for concrete reforms” (Coontz 22). She calls on us to direct our attention to social reforms, which can be accomplished by avoiding victim-blaming

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

family was thought to be, or shown to the general public to be, the “perfect family”.

Family has assumed a key part in molding me into the individual I am today. However, as I have matured, I have developed my own standards in view of my comprehension of the world. My family 's qualities are anchored firmly on religion and we attempt to live the values that the Bible lays out. Growing up, my family instilled Christian qualities into me and these qualities are imbued in my memory and I attempt to practice them despite the fact that I don 't generally succeed. As of now, I am driven by aspiration and yearning to be at peace with myself. I have certain objectives I need to accomplish and my qualities and morals have advanced to incorporate them while attempting to keep up those morals I learned when I was young. There since have been occurrences whereby I have gotten in difficulties and I need to settle on what I know to be right and what serves my self-interest. I can 't assert that I generally make the best choices. Yet, I pride myself on being principled. Usually, I adhere to a specific way on the off chance that I feel that it is right with my beliefs. My struggle with is with the whisper in my ear attempting to occupy me from my previously chosen way, however I am persistent, resolute, and take after what I have confidence in to be right to me. I rarely make serious ethical violations but I will not hesitate to own my actions.

There are many different definitions about what the family is. Different theoretical positions influence these variations. For example, the functionalist sociologist George Peter Murdock defines the family as “a social group characterized by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain

A family can be defined in many ways, but the common denominator in all is the love and fulfillment one gets by being surrounded by family members. Families can sometimes be at odds with each other, but the strain of this type of relationship usually creates an upsetting feeling to the people involved. People want others to rely on, talk to, do things with, share, love, embrace, and be part of. No matter what the family dynamic is the qualities the word family has will remain the same, as time goes by, and life evolves once again for every person living their

No one can’t meet a family like mine’s. My family is well diversified. Every family member plays an important role in all my family’s lives. In my family, there are four people: my father, my mother, my little brother and me. My father is one who brings money home and is also responsible for organizing and planning family trips. My mother is the one who is in charge for making meals and makes sure everyone eats at the appropriate times. My little brother is the pet of the family. He actually doesn’t have any responsibilities, for he’s the pet. I am the rock of support in my family. I always go beyond my parents’ expectations. I also support my younger cousins and little brother, by being a role model that they can look up to. Another

The definition of family is defined in various ways to many different people. Many people may say their family includes the family of orientation, extended family, and family of procreation. It all depends on how the child is raised. Three important factors, out of six, that I consider to be the main functions of family are socialization, economic cooperation, and care, protection, and intimacy. Some families may very well address these functions, while others may not. And because of that, family may be quite hard to define because it goes above and beyond the surface.