What is a family and their values and also what is an extended family
Families are who you love. Our families all “look” different and it's always been so. A family care giving unit might consist of a couple; a mother, father and children; a single parent and child; grandparent and grandchildren; a sibling group; a circle of friends; or however that family defines itself.
Family can be a tough thing. Hardships faced in the families of this day and age just astonishes me. This is where most of our hardships come from. Being close to a small group of people that you live with, eat with, spend almost every waking day with is not easy. Sometimes we lose focus on what family truly means. ‘Family’ is a single word with many different meanings. By google definition, family is; “a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.” And let me tell you, that is FAR from the truth.
People have many ways of defining a family and what being a part of a family means to them. I’m going to tell you what it means to me.
Family has a special ring to it. Whether it’s a mother and father or a single parent with kids, family means love. Surrounded by people who care about you, people who see what you’re going through, who are there no matter what.
Family is not being related by blood. Family is not even being related at all. Family can be your religion family, friends from school, etc.
Another thing family is would be a relationship with God. He’s your father (even when you may not have a father), he is your friend when may not have any friends, he is your Mother, brother or sister whoever isn’t present. God is your family.
Family is a social institution organised to meet certain essential societal needs. It is a group consisting of parents, with or without children and relatives, united by bonds of love and affection and sharing common social activities.
Family is a group defined by sex relationship sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children."
Family is a group of persons whose relations to one another are based upon consanguinity and who are therefore kin to one another. Family is the biological social unit composed of husband, wife and children."
Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values (that is, values passed on from generation to generation within families) that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. In the social sciences, sociologists may use the term "traditional family" in order to refer specifically to the child-rearing environment that sociologists formerly called the norm. This "traditional family" involves a middle-class family with a breadwinner father and a homemaker mother, raising their biological children. Any deviation from this family model is considered a "nontraditional family".
Many people don't think about their family values until a crisis arises that forces them to make decisions that may go against their beliefs. While they may have never identified their values, all of sudden they are
faced with the realization that something doesn't quite fit into what they believe in. This is when people realize how important family values are to the structure and operation of their family system.
Family values are important on many different levels of the family structure.
What does family mean to you? When people think about the definition of family, they usually say something about feeling connected because they share the same views of the world. While some family members may differ on views of some topics, most family members keep the largest, most influential, beliefs intact.
Family Values Make You Who You Are
When you describe yourself, do you ever tell people what you believe in? Do you talk about your personality traits and what influences the decisions you make? It's likely that you do in one way or another, and this stems from the list of values instilled in you by your family.
Familism or familismo is the ideology that puts priority to family and family values. This can manifest as prioritizing the needs of the family higher than that of individuals, with influence on individuals as well as on society and politics. Politically, familialism may advocate a welfare system wherein it is presumed that families will take responsibility for the care of its members rather than leaving that responsibility to the government.
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A definition of extended families is simply a family unit that extends past the nuclear family to include other relatives such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents. There is more to an extended family, however, than just a list of relatives, and understanding the structure of an extended family and why it can be a valuable type of family unit can help you better understand your own family structure. You can also consider your very close and good friends as your extended family. In time of difficulties they are always there to help each other.
Why Extended Families Exist
The extended family is the basic family unit and is quite common in southern and eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Latin America, but it is less common in western Europe and North America. The reasons for extended families to be so prominent vary, and some factors are cultural; for example, it may be considered inappropriate for adult children to leave their parents' home until they have children of their own. Some families may have several adult children still residing at home, providing parent-like role models to younger siblings.
Benefits of Extended Families
Whatever the reason for an extended family to exist, it can be a great arrangement for all the family members.
“You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.”
Parsan Narang
7th September 2016
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