Definition of family - Essay Example

DEFINITION OF FAMILY According to me a family comprises of the people who are close to someone by blood, marriage or friendship. I come from a nuclear family of nine members: four brothers, two sisters, my mother and my father. On top of that I have so many friends whom I consider as my family because they offer a lot of support to me just likes how family members do .In support to this the oxford dictionary explains that a family can be a group of people related by blood or marriage.It further explains that people related by blood are those that can be termed biologically as having the same genetic makeup while those related by marriage are those who come together due to a mutual agreement and whose relationships are guided by vows taken at the time of marriage .It goes further to explain that a family comprise of people who share a great sense of loyalty and intimacy. This includes people related by blood, marriage, adoption and friends. Friends who give one a sense of belonging, care, love and protection can be termed as family. On religious values, a family is supposed to have a common believe that is, if it’s Christianity, Muslim or Hinduism .My family members are Christians, we conduct religious activities together and this has strengthened our bond. A family without similar religious values is said not to be in full unity. The same political values should be obtained after several consultation and discussions and a conclusion reached as to what is best for the family. Common view on the social way of life is brought about by code of conduct that guides the family. It is very important for every member of the family to understand the code of conduct. This enables a family to be identified by a certain code. Some examples are some families are well known for their bravery, others honesty while others due to their generosity. It is important for a family to ensure that the negative traits such as dishonesty and cowardice are taught against to members of the family. These traits give a family a bad name in the society. According to cultural beliefs, families that follow the code of conduct are said to be happy and prosperous. On the other hand, a family that does not adhere to these beliefs is said to fall apart. According to me the best code of conduct is togetherness; families should maintain good ties, communication and recognizing your role in the family .In my family everyone understands his/her role for example supporting each other in times of need. Understanding one’s role in the family reduces conflict s and hence promotes togetherness. Also a family can be viewed as a group of people with common ancestry. This shows that people of the same origin can be termed as family. Members of the same family share so many things in common. This is so because every family is guided by rules, regulations and behavioral traits that are instilled to children by the parents. It follows then that people of the same family have the same view on religious, political and social way of life. Structure of family Family fall into two types which are nuclear or extended family(Paul Cheney, 2009). A nuclear family consists of father, mother and children. This is the simplest form of family. Father and mother are related by marriage while they are related to their children by blood. Parents can also be related to their children through adoption whereby they parent a child who is not biologically theirs. An extended family is a family that includes people who share the same lineage and have common ancestors. Extended family gives moral and financial support to each other. It is the responsibility of every member in the extended family to uphold the name of the family in terms of moral traits and financial status. In the nuclear family, it is the role of the parents to nurture the children. This means that parents should educate their children on important life skills in their preparation to adult life. Children are expected to heed to their parents’ advice and are expected to pass on whatever they are taught to other generations. This ensures that a society of desirable moral traits is maintained all through the generations. It is also the role of the parents to bring up a family they can comfortably raise. The parenting capability of every parent is gauged by how well they raise their family. They should be in a position to provide the basic needs to the family. Hence parents are advised to raise a family they can manage well. Of all the roles, the most important role parents can play to their children is that of being their role model. Children tend to emulate the behavior of their parents. This shows that all parents should always be at their best behavior all the time so as to show their children how to behave. ORIGIN There prevailed among the American whites a form of monogamy easily terminable on both sides, which was called the “pairing family.”The issue of the married pair was known to everybody (Engels, Origin of family) known and identified by everyone: there was without a doubt whom was to be referred to as father, mother, daughter, son, sister or a brother. However these names were in fact used rather in a different way. The man not only referred to his own young ones as his daughters and sons but also the kids of his brothers; and they referred to him as the father. The kids of his sisters, on the other hand, he referred to them as his nephews and nieces, and they referred to him as their uncle. The woman, however referred to her sisters’ kids, as well as her own, her daughters and sons, and they referred to her as the mother. However, she referred her brothers’ kids as her nephews and nieces, and she was referred to as their aunt. In a similar fashion, the children of brothers called one another brother and sister, and so did the kids of sisters. The mother’s own children and the kids of her brother, however, called each other cousin. And these are not just empty names, but expressions of true conceptions of nearness and farness, of equality and distinction within the levels of consanguinity: these conceptions function as the basis of a completely elaborated system of consanguinity in which a number of hundred different relationships of one particular person can be expressed. Conclusion In the modern world, it is very hard to define family. This is so because parents nowadays have little influence on their children. Children are mostly influenced by their peers and also by the media. Children are influenced negatively by whatever they learn on the television and on the internet. Parents have also delegated the duty of molding their children to teachers. It becomes very hard for a teacher having several pupils to monitor and tutor each and every pupil closely. Also due to hard economic times, parents spend most of their time working. This means there is no or less family time. There has also been a case of neglect of children by parents leading to suffering of children. This has led to children being sent to foster homes. Hence it can be concluded that family is anyone who gives you a sense of belonging, care, love and protection. REFERENCES Cheney Paul “Chapter 13 - Family." Free Books from UVU. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. . Bray, James H., and Mark Stanton. The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of family psychology. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print. Engels Frederick “Origins of the Family." Marxists Internet Archive. N.P., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. . Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. The Oxford English dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. Print. Read More