Thursday, November 17, 2011
Definition of Family
I believe family should be defined as a group of people who care for each other and make commitments to stay loyal and supportive. They need not be related or married, but could be families of friends based on different circumstances. Family members should help each other when there are problems and always be supportive of one another. They should not feel obligated to do anything, but should want to be with each other. Family members should trust one another and not do anything to betray that trust. I believe the total marriage relationship described in this chapter best fits this description. Removing the married aspect, it applies to all types of families I described. Family members should have separate interests and activities, yet look forward to being with each other. Devitalized and conflict-habituated relationships strongly does not fit. A family should like each other and should not stay together only because they are obligated.
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3 comments:
Hello lind$ay,
I also share your view of the definition of family. It can mean many different things to different people. To me, a family is simply a support system. Whether married or not, heterosexual, homosexual, or even biologically related or now, a family is whoever you look to for moral support. Some of the key ideals I see in a family is not only support, but trust, loyalty, and happiness. Although a devitalized or conflict-habituated marriage may legally be a “family” by financial or marriage bonds, I believe families should be healthy and value communication and being with each other also.
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lindsay,
I agree with most of your post, although I think unfortunately some people are devoted to their family members because they feel obligated to do so. You can call it unconditional love, but you do feel this sort of obligation to help someone in your family, even if you may not like them very much or don't agree with their lifestyle. Thankfully, I love being around my parents and I am willing to help them whenever they need it. I also mentioned in my post about family that most of my family is family friends, who have adopted us as their own family. The first couple sentences of your post perfectly describes what is means to be family, and it doesn't have to be by marriage or blood. Good Post!
Lind$ay!
Me again. Great post and I felt like you gave a great summery of the different concepts defining the different types of families and your opinions on them. One element of your post that I want to touch on is your focus on devitalized and habituated relationships. In Filipino culture, if your Filipino your family. However, I don’t really follow this rule. I guess you can say that I’m white washed, but that’s besides the point. Many times, even with some family that I’m related to, I don’t feel like connecting with them and fully allowing them to be part of my family. Its almost as if I choose who I want my family to be, and there the default family that I’m stuck with because we’re related. I don’t think blood should define family. I think an individual should.
That’s just my two cents.
Cheers!
Jossshhuaa
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