Definition Essay On Family

What is your definition of family? If your definition has changed over time, why and how has it changed?

My definition of family is the people you hold very close to your heart. Once upon a time, I believed that a family consisted of a mother, father, brother, and sister. After my experience working with many types of families, I know there is no such thing as a “normal family”. Family can be the people who you live with or people you see daily. There is not a criterion to be a family member, if your heart feels someone is family then I would not question that.

How is your family different than the family in which your parents or grandparents grew up? What impact do you think those differences had or have on each family?

I believe my immediate family has a more traditional type roll now than my parents or grandparents did. My parents and grandparents grew up in divorced and blended households. The impact seemed to make everyone distant. While I respect all types of families, I really hope for my family stays together the way we came about. Watching how my ancestors were, it gives me a great desire to keep my family together. It also has impacted me in a way to where I highly value my close relationships.

What are the similarities and differences in

marriages of Native Americans, African Americans and European colonists and Mexican Americans in preindustrial United States?

Understanding the differences and similarities among families in history helps us to understand how families today have changed or stayed the same.

All families in the past were similar in a way that they all hunted and gathered food together, migrating in small groups looking for means of survival. The difference in these families is how they are organized and the roles each member plays. For example, in the Mexican and European cultures, women typically shared the same gender role. They spent time at home taking care of the children and maintained the home. Native American woman played more of a dominant role and African American woman were more likely to find jobs than African American men due to

slavery.

If the United States had universal programs such as Belgium, Denmark, France, and Canada, would families do better or would they do worse? Why?

I believe families would do better with universal programs in place. I feel families tend to struggle here in the United States and that is due to the Independent culture that is among us. The United States feel that people should be in control of their own fate and policies tend to pull away from welfare programs. Ultimately, I believe that the children suffer due to this. Of course, we don’t want to see people on welfare and we want to see people thriving on their own and I think universal programs can help families get there. Health insurance is a huge problem for lower-income families. Many employers do not offer insurance and low wages prohibit families from being able to purchase insurance. Studies show that the poverty rate is much lower in France compared to the United States. Enhancing lower-tier jobs and enforcing a livable wage, results in less single mothers on welfare benefits than in the United States as well. France does not eliminate programs that are important to a family’s well-being and I believe if we were to do the same in the United States, families would also do better.