Family Essay: What Is Family Is Everything?

709 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Concept of family

Family is everything. The term “family” is often used to refer to a group of people who are biologically related or related by marriage. Although this is somewhat true, the real meaning of “family” is much deeper than that. Family is the basis of all relationships and it helps shape individuals into the person that they are today. Family has a wide variety of meanings and can include people who are not blood related, people of different races and cultures, and people who stepped in when others stepped down. To be considered “family,” people technically do not have to be biologically related. If that person gives out sincere love, great comfort, and endless encouragement, blood could not make them any closer. Sometimes the bond between two or more friends are even stronger than the ones shared by kin. For example, two girls have been friends for many years. They have been there for one another through the good times and the bad times and they know everything about each other. The girls consider themselves “sisters” because when one of the girl’s family is not there for her, the friend’s family always steps in to …show more content…

It also applies to anyone who came in and picked up someone else’s slack or someone who comes in and fills a vacant space in the person’s heart. These are usually the people who have taught others many life lessons and have had a very influential impact on other people’s way of life. If a young girl loses her mother, for example, other women want to “step up and step in” to fill her place. Although she technically cannot be replaced, and it would not be the same, the women who decided to take on the role as mother are greatly appreciated. Their genuine, motherly love can still be felt even though it is not a biological relationship and this is why they are also considered

Show More
Related

  • Natalie Angier's: The Changing American Family

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is a family? People you’re related to? People you live with? According to Webster.com, it is a combination of those things. However, this definition could vary depending on who you ask. The meaning of family has changed over the years. Divorce and remarriage, single families, same-sex marriage, new family roles, and technology are just a few factors that have changed the way we interpret and define of family.

    Read More

  • Subject of Family in Lessing’s Flight, Hughes’ Mother to Son, Kincaid's Girl and Adrienne Rich's Po

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    Family as defined by Webster’s College Dictionary can be one of many different people. Family can be your parents, spouse, children, brother, sister, grandmother, uncle, any blood relative, or even people who are not blood related that share that common bond (Webster 475). My definition of family is similar to Webster’s, but I feel that there is more to it than just being a blood relative or close friend. A person’s actions, beliefs, and morals play a major role in deciding who makes it into that “family” group. Family becomes more of an idea or feeling, like love or hate, than just who a person is or where they fall in your family tree. There have been people that I have considered closer than family just by their actions, even though they were nowhere near related to me. Fortunately, I have not had any blood relation family members make me wish they were not in my “family” (maybe my older sister when we were younger, but that doesn’t count). While reading from Children and Families in our text, I came across many readings that I feel were inspired in many different ways by what the author believed was “family.” There were two readings that jumped out at me and reminded me of my view of how a family should be in their interactions with each other. They were the short story “Flight” by Doris Lessing and the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. There was also one writing that I read that went against my idea of family and made me happy that this wasn’t the way that my family acted as I grew up, that was “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. And while some authors lean their writing one direction or another, Adrienn...

    Read More

  • The Foundation Of Love In Barbara Kingsolver's Stone Soup

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Family, and its definition, is universal, it describes a union, particularly with parents and children. One could define Family as a group of people who are related to each other, a person’s children, and a group of related people who lived in the past. In reality, Family has a profound meaning, unique to every household and family. On a personal note, family is defined as a foundation of love, support, and strength.

    Read More

  • Family: What It Means To Me

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    Family, defined by the Online Merriam Webster Dictionary is, “a group of related people including people who lived in the past.” I believed that the wording of this definition is important because of the word related. The Online Merriam Webster Dictionary defines related as “belonging to the same group because of shared characteristics, qualities, etc.” This goes to show that a family does not have to be lineage, heritage, or chromosomes. There are many different types of families, and though many people think of a nuclear family when they think of a family, there are so many more qualities to consider when deciding how to personally define family.

    Read More

  • Family Definition Essay

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Family is a group of people like parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, spouses, siblings in law, parents in law and children in law. Who are considered to be related in some way such as by blood, by common ancestry, by descent or by marriage. There are two types of families, the nuclear and the extended family.

    Read More

  • Family Essay: Defining A Family

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Family, a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. Although family is a concretely defined term, the idea of family varies from person to person. But, what makes a family? For those who are surrounded by loving blood relatives, for those who have never known the one to grant them life, for those who have left their blood behind for a more loving and nurturing environment, what can commonly define a family? Family is something defined by the individual. Family includes those who you have come to love, whether platonically or romantically, those you have suffered with, those you have come to respect, and most importantly those you have cared for and in turn have cared for you. To one that could mean people who

    Read More

  • Family: The Importance Of Family In The Family

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the word “family” is discussed most people think of mothers, fathers, and other siblings. Some people think of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even cousins and more on the pedigree tree. Without family in people 's lives they would not be the same people that they grew up to be today and in the future. When people hear the word family they think about, the ones who will help them in any way they can whether it 's money, support, advice, or anything to help them succeed in life. Family will forever be the backbone of support. They are the ones who support their children during those life decisions. Family is not always blood related. Finally family is forever, family will never go away.

    Read More

  • What Family Means To Me Essay

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a child, family was very important to me. My parents made it very clear that the people in your family are the people that are going to be on your side for the rest of your life. My parents were young when they had me so they needed some extra help. Although they did everything in their power to make sure their work schedules were set so that somebody would always be at home to watch me, that just wasn 't always possible. When in doubt, my granny would always come through. I began to build a very strong bond with her being that she was one of my main care takers. Over the years my parents started to figure things out so they no longer needed grannies help. But this is not what I wanted. Instead of

    Read More

  • Social Institution

    2229 Words  | 5 Pages

    “A family can be defined as a set of people related by blood, marriage or in some other agreed upon relationship, or adoption, who share primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for member of society". (Schaefer, 2009, p. 288) This leads to a wide open range of interpretation on the exact definition of how a family is truly made up. Depending on your culture, religion, or geographical location a family may represent and be comprised of many different ideals and social norms. There are many theoretical perspectives that have their own interpretations on the subject of what a family is and how it is perceived. I will attempt to expound on three of these perspectives; Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionalism.

    Read More

  • Marriage And Family Essay

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is a family? A family is two or more people consider themselves to be blood related, or related by marriage, or adoption. Our families are who we love. We as families look different in so many ways. A family’s caregiving unit might have a couple, a mother, a father, and children. A family could also be a single parent and child, a group of siblings, a small or large group of friends. A family defines itself in many different ways. Families are the foundation of how our society and how it works. It is how we come into the world and nurtured and given the tools that we need to go out into our world. We are both capable and healthy or not our families influence our lives either in a good way or a bad way. While families

    Read More

  • Defining Family and a Personal Reflection

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    To me, family is a group of people that are brought together by blood, adoption, or marriage. I also believe that people do not have to be blood-related to be considered a family. If two or more people have a connection with one another where they can rely and depend on each other and have an emotional attachment, I also believe that to be considered family. Golics, Azam, Finlay, & Salek (2010), define family as a diverse group of people that care for each other on a day-to-day basis (p. 400). My mother and father are still married after 27 years. I am a child of three with two older brothers, both are currently married with children. My older brother Robert and his wife, Lauren have to two girls named Abigail and Avery. My other other brother...

    Read More

  • Social Life As A Social Institution

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Family is arguably the most important social institution in an individual's life. A family is defined as a group of individuals that are related through blood ties, adoption or marriage, that form an economic unit, where the adult members are responsible

    Read More

  • Essay On The Word Family

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    How can a simple six letter word be so complicated to define? Family is a single word that is open to many interpretations depending on the individual. If you try to condense this ideal to a single clinical definition you end up excluding numerous members of society. What comes to mind when you think of the word family? While in the most broken down and literal sense, family means a relative with a blood or legal bond, the word family can encompass blood relations, adoptions, and even intentional relationships such as friendships. Economies, cultures, and backgrounds can further differentiate what one’s perception of a family is. For many people, including me, a family is so much more. It is the amount of commitment, cohesiveness, and importance

    Read More

  • Family Essay: The Importance Of Family

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    There may be times where no one is there for you, your friends betray you in some way, and the only one that will be waiting with open arms are you family. It is very important to always cherish and appreciate the love, comfort, help, and attention that your family offers you because if you don’t, you may just end up regretting it in the end. A family does not necessarily have to be considered blood. If you have close friends that you see as a brother or sister because of their loyalty to you and the way they treat you, they are considered family. A family will always bring peace, love, and happiness, and though there may be times that you bump heads with your family members, you always run back to each other and speak as if everything is perfectly

    Read More

  • What Is My Family Essay

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    The definition of family is “It finds its origin in marriage; it consists of husband, wife, and children born in their wedlock, though other relatives may find their place close to this nuclear group, an the group is united by moral, legal, economic, religious and social rights and obligations” (Ravelli and Webber 283). My family fits perfectly into the definition of what a family is. My family is a nuclear family; I have a mother, father and

    Read More

More about Family Essay: What Is Family Is Everything?

Open Document