How Do You Define ‘Family’?

Does your definition of”normal family “mean” two married parents and their children living together under the same family? If not, then what do you consider”a “family” is — or is it? Which are your family?

What is it that holds families in a family? Is it biological connections? Do you have support and love? Living in the same place?

in ” What’s a ‘Normal’ Family, Anyway?” Claire Haug writes:

The typical Thursday evening and my family is gathering at the table in my home from childhood. I’m fresh back from college helping my mom put together tables; and my half-brother who is also in break, discussing with our father’s views on politics; My half-siblings’ mom criticizing my half-sister for snapping on Snapchat with high school classmates.

In the event that it takes you more than a moment to comprehend the relationships I’ve mentioned, don’t fret that you’re not the only one. Here’s my most concise summary of my family’s life: My mother, my half-siblings the mother of our father, and my half siblings were all friends within the Bay Area in the ’90s. In the ’90s the women were both aged 30 and were looking to have children – however neither of them had a long-term relationship with a partner. My father, a homosexual man, also single was willing to become their donor and, if it were to go as planned, be a part of your children’s lives.

My younger brother’s birth was in March 1997, and was later joined by me in the month of October the same year. Then my half sister was born three years after. As a young person, I received strange looks when I mentioned to the world that I was 7 months younger than my brother. However, I always imagined our family as one that lived in three families.

While growing as a child within Berkeley, Calif., that is known as a place that is culturally diverse and progressive in its political stance my family’s arrangement is regarded by some as odd. I’ve had a difficult time explaining the structure to everybody, including people who I’ve known for many years as well as administrators of financial aid. It’s hard for many to understand that you could have a family of parents who weren’t married and some women may decide to have children without a partner.

However, families with unconventional family structures similar to mine are becoming more popular: the percentage of families with two parents is on the decline from the 60s onwards falling from 87 percent in 1960, to 69 percent by 2014 according to Pew Research Center. The report states the fact that “the declining share of children living in what is often deemed a ‘traditional’ family has been largely supplanted by the rising shares of children living with single or cohabiting parents.”