The Way We Never Were Essay

Family, the word itself brings images of love, comfort, and peace in mind. The foundation of the family is based on structure, care, and dependence. It is a combination of individuals striving to understand and love one another unconditionally. Sharing the same blood is no longer a requirement to be considered a family. In fact, the definition of family is evolving like never before. With most marriages ending in divorce, the majority of children will be reared in "nontraditional" families ( single parent, step-parent, etc.). It seems that now the only thing you need in order to be a functional family is love and trust, which can be found anywhere from a close friend to a pet. Despite having the liberty of choosing who you want as a family, you cannot, however, run away from the fact that your primary family (blood-related) play the most significant role in your development. Whether you

Bill. She writes that shows like Ozzie and Harriet, and Leave it to Beaver were merely romanticized versions of how people wish they could be. In her book, Coontz provides evidence that social and economic inequality has contributed to the breaking of families. In other words, Coontz believes that the dilemmas that exist today will not be solved by taking up traditional values again, but by critically assessing obstacles that modern day families face. "Only when we have a realistic idea of how families have and have not worked in the past can we make informed decisions about how to support families in the present or improve their future aspects- Coontz. Some of Coontz' suggestions consist of "affordable child care, family-friendly work policies that include family leave, and stiffer child support enforcement"-