The following paper will discuss what I believe family means and how my own experiences have shaped my understanding of this. When asked what family is, the first thing that comes to mind, is a social unit of people that share the same culture, morals, values, norms and resources. These people are a support system for one another financially, mentally and emotionally. I believe the husband/father of the family should bring in the main source of income while the wife/mother should be responsible for child bearing, domestic work, and nurturing. The family should work together to strengthen the stability of the group as a whole and strive for equal opportunity amongst its members. All members support each others decisions and discuss amongst themselves any choice that needs to be made which involves the household. People may disagree with my definition of family, and this is understandable considering that every individual experiences a different type of family environment.
Happy Mother's Day Mom!
Waiting on the porch on Mother's Day 2007
Young Woman Mother with Daughter GirlThe following paragraphs will illustrate using examples and the history of my family, why I consider this the model of family.
My ideas on the family have been shaped by the social, economic and community situations in which I live. I grew up comfortably in a middle class area with a stay at home mother and a working father. The other families that I grew up around, such as my neighbors, lived in similar situations with an employed fathers and a stay at home mothers.
I feel that this traditional way of living is and was popular because mothers are naturally unsure about working while having young children. However some families cannot afford a stay at home mother because the income earned the father is not enough to provide security for the family. Yet, this is not the case in my situation,