Family Ties Essay

Family Ties
In reference to one of my favorite Disney quotes, “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten” (Sanders). Although I believe this quote rings true, every person has a different background and no two family experiences are identical; therefore, everyone can define family in different ways. According to the Oxford Dictionaries, family is defined as a group comprised of parents and children that live in the same household. As time progresses, the term “family” continues to develop many new interpretations due to the further advancement of society. Since the 1950’s, the guideline for the ideal family has evolved into a more abstract portrayal of the traditional family. The definition of family has grown to not only encompass those in

In the modern era, the term “family” is less likely to be defined as it was in the 1950’s. As of today, more families are being led by single parents, which often leads to the single parent playing both parental roles. Playing the roles of both mother and father is difficult because of the sacrifices that are necessary to make in order to fully provide for your child. As a child whose been raised by a single father since the age of three, I know how difficult it is for a parent to assume both traditional parental roles. Growing up, my dad would have to play more of the mother-type role when helping me pick out clothing, feminine products, and learning how to cook more than one basic meal. Although my dad often bought clothes for me that were a few sizes too small, often made random female strangers bring my feminine products into store check-out, and learned to make no more than two basic dishes; he adorned both roles to his greatest ability. Single mothers are also capable of undertaking both parental roles, which is portrayed in popular movies such as E.T. and The Karate