The definition of family varies from person to person. Is family just someone related to
you by blood? Or could it be a close friend? Or even a pet? Family is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, “the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children.” When I think of family, I think of everyone I love and care for, such as my immediate family and my friends. Whether I have known someone my entire life or only for a year, that person has an impact on my life. We hang out and create memories, some memories that are even unforgettable. Without the people I have met throughout my life I truly do not know who I would be today.
In 2017, there were sociologists from the UK who did research to determine what family meant to different people in the UK and in the United States. They studied the different types of families such as, nuclear families which have two parents, and single-parent households. They determined that each family has a different attitude and ways they approach situations. They concluded that, “The family acts as a primary socialization of children whereby the child first learns the basic values and norms of the culture they will grow up in. a child needs to be carefully nurtured, cherished and molded into responsible individuals with good values and strong ethics.” Although they had a similar definition as Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the
friends you have throughout your life have an impact on who you are as you grow up. A
household could be as loving as possible yet the child turn out to be a negative, rude person or
even vice versa.
Throughout my life the meaning of the word family has changed because of my family dynamic. Although my family may not be perfect in the eyes of others it is as perfect as it is going to get to me. I have always depended on my mom and older brothers, they have been with me through many of my struggles in life and helped me through them. However, my definition of family is more broad than a dictionary, I believe if you love and care for a person then they are your family, if you are willing to go beyond your comfort zone for them to be happy then they are family. I often see myself turning to my friends for help, they are the ones I spend a lot of my time with and they sometimes understand me better than my family at home. One of my friends and I treat each other like family so much that we go to each others family parties, birthdays, and spend the holidays with each other. We know each other's families well and have trusted them and each other over the years. Together, we have grown and seen each others personalities develop, our attitudes adapting to each others. I believe that is what family truly is. Now, in today’s society there are no “perfect” families, families vary in sizes and whether there is a parent or not.
Throughout my life the meaning of the word family has changed because of my family dynamic. Although my family may not be perfect in the eyes of others it is as perfect as it is going to get to me. I have always depended on my mom and older brothers, they have been with me through many of my struggles in life and helped me through them. However, my definition of family is more broad than a dictionary, I believe if you love and care for a person then they are your family, if you are willing to go beyond your comfort zone for them to be happy then they are family. I often see myself turning to my friends for help, they are the ones I spend a lot of my time with and they sometimes understand me better than my family at home. One of my friends and I treat each other like family so much that we go to each others family parties, birthdays, and spend the holidays with each other. We know each other's families well and have trusted them and each other over the years. Together, we have grown and seen each others personalities develop, our attitudes adapting to each others. I believe that is what family truly is. Now, in today’s society there are no “perfect” families, families vary in sizes and whether there is a parent or not.
“The Sociological Definition Of Family.” UKEssays.com,
www.ukessays.com/essays/sociology/the-definition-of-family-sociology-essay.php.
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I definitely agree on your definition of family because I can relate to it as well. Just from reading this, I can tell how much you love and treasure the people around you. I like how you included personal insights of you own family to come up with you own definition of family.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you, family goes beyond blood relation. Similarily, I also feel like there are times when I am more comfortable sharing certain thoughts or experiences with close friends instead of family because I feel that they will understand me better. The meaning of the word "family" has definitely become more dynamic in today's society. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you and I have so many friends that I call my family because they bring me that level of trust and comfort. I love my family and they have been there for me with all of my obstacles but sometimes there are certain things that I would go to my best friend with and tell her like she was a member of my family. Friends create so many memories together and not only that but you also go through the hard time together and you learn to love that person even more and they become your family.
ReplyDeleteI agree that family can be more than just blood related. My friends, like my family, have seen my ups and downs and have been there for me through everything. Its the bond that people share that makes them family.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you and I have so many friends that I call my family because they bring me that level of trust and comfort. I love my family and they have been there for me with all of my obstacles but sometimes there are certain things that I would go to my best friend with and tell her like she was a member of my family. Friends create so many memories together and not only that but you also go through the hard time together and you learn to love that person even more and they become your family. -Ariana Hernandez
ReplyDeleteYou often see the youth getting ridiculed for putting their "friends" above "family" and with this post you calmly added your opinion that I feel speaks for most of us. Communicating that friends can be family too, clearing up this seemingly common misconception was a great idea for a topic to write about in my opinion. Besides the topic choice, I really like how you included a statistic that further distances the idea of "family" to the idea of an individual related by blood along side your own personal experiences that have proven to you that friends can indeed also be considered family.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your perspective on what family means to you. It was very sweet and wholesome and i completely agree. Family doesn't have to be someone who is related to you by blood. Your family are the people you trust the most and care the most about. Just because someone doesn't share your blood doesn't mean they aren't your family. That also works the opposite way too, I feel that just because you are related to someone by blood that doesn't necessarily make them your true family either.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that family can be a result of numerous interpretations depending on who you ask. Its meaning can range from several things, which in the end leads to individuals creating their own version of the word family, depending on their situation. I love how you were able to provide definitions from several sources, as well as include your own interpretation, it allowed the ability to see a view other than your own of what family truly means. Amazing Job!
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with this. I also believe that family is not only the once we share blood but the once we share memory's. Those that will stay with one in the decisions we make and help us guide us as well of correcting us.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that family doesn't have to be blood it can be someone you car deeply about like friends. As I grew up I started to notice that I had a lot of cousins but I eventually came to realize that they really weren't my blood they were just family friends but I got so close to them that to me they are family. To quote one of the best movies of all time (2Fast 2Furious) " We don't just make friends we make family"
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your definition of family because I have a few friends that have are very close to me who have turned into my family over the years. I also enjoyed that you added your personal view of family and added experience from your life.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with your idea that family is not merely confined to blood ties or a predetermined family unit. Anyone that is close enough to you can be family. I am lucky to say that I have friends that I am close enough to that I would call them family. I really enjoyed reading your take on what it means to be family. - Cameron Hunter
ReplyDeleteYou are completely right. A mother can be a best friend, a friend can be a sibling, a cousin can be a stranger. Regardless of how you are related to a person, depending on how we feel about them it's how we can tell who really is part of your family. I like the topic of your piece and how you compared your definition to the dictionary's. Using your own experience to support your argument was very good since many people can totally relate. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with what your views and opinions of what family means. As long as you love and care about a person, and if you are willing to do anything and everything for them, then they are your family. I love the way you included a definition so the reader can have a baseline of what family means. I also loved how you included a study to show the reader different opinion of what family means to other people. This was overall a very pleasing piece to read and definitely something for the reader to think about. Great Job! - Yuan Maneje
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your definition because not all blood families can be considered as family because of personal issues. The people we hangout the most, like our friends per se,knows us so muc better than our actual family. Reading through your passage, it made me think about the people I truly care about how whether blood or not, I still consider them as family. I also love that you included the dictionary definition of family in your passage, this attracted me in a way of seeing how everybody has different definition of family. Great job! - Leigh Rubillar
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your message in regards to how family does not have to be blood related. Additionally, I love how you mentioned family can have vary with other people and your own personal insight justified this very well. Overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteReading this as one of your closest friends has definitely helped me realize how important it is to have each other backs and create everlasting moments. I've always felt like you were a step sister to me because you've made a big impact on me, just like how you said when someone does when they are family to you. Other than that you defined the definition of family really well, with a variety of examples that emphasize your topic even more.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the definition of family, and family does not have to be blood it can be someone that you care and love very much,and they do the same for you,and they are there for you when you have a hard time and need someone to talk too. Lastly the meaning of family has changed in our society today and there is deeper meaning to it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose to explore a different interpretation to the word "family". I agree with your belief of how if you are willing to go beyond your comfort zone for someone to make them happy then they are family. In fact, that is the strongest part of your piece in my opinion because it describes a unique stance on the family which instantly captivated me. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your definition of what family is especially when you said that it could be anyone not just blood-related. Similarly, I also think of family as someone who I care and love deeply. For instance, I consider my close friends as my family because they have been there for me despite of all of our differences and despite the fact that we are not blood-related! Anyways, I think your piece is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with this piece! Family shouldn't be restricted to your blood relation! Rather it should be those close to you! Someone who's been there for you! Someone who supports you! I strive to find people like that who are willing to be that type of person to me, as I strive to be that person for whoever needs it!
ReplyDeleteYour definition of family is something I can very much relate to! Really good job on proving that family isn't always blood, but its the people who help you grow as a person.
ReplyDeleteI agree that family extends beyond just blood relation. It is often people really close to you that can make you comfortable or feel like family through building bonds overtime and the should be something that goes with that definition like you explained rather than strictly bloodlines.
ReplyDeleteWell written! I would have to agree with you on how family doesn't necessarliy have to be those who are blood related to you because I myself have people like that in my life. Also, I really liked how you included the 2017 research done in the UK and provided an in depth description on your take of the word "family". -Halie Montes
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ReplyDeleteI love and agree with your take on the definition of family; it is not defined by those you are related to by blood or household, but rather by those who we love, cherish, and would go endless boundaries for. I have my own friend group that I would consider my family as well, since they know how to bring out the best in me. I also love how you brought up the idea about how: family shapes you into the person you become, since they are the first person a child looks up to. It really emphasizes why sometimes, people feel that their family is outside of the household, since they were inspired by the people that surrounded them.
-Julia Lozano
I like how you compared the actual definition of family to your definition of family, which I one hundred percent agree with. Family should not be bonded by blood. There are so many of my friends who I don't consider friends, rather I consider them family because of how much they have impacted my life.
ReplyDelete100% agree with your definition. I love how you gave a dictionary definition, and expanded upon that to further emphasize that family is more than those you share blood with. The transition from the definition, to the research, and then to your take on "family" clearly accentuates how the word can branch into so many different aspects of one's life. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your piece because of the sincerity that used to write and talk about family. Family is really important to everyone and to see the insight from you, it was well written. Great Job
ReplyDeleteYour definition of family, is the same as my definition of family, and I liked that this piece was relatable for me on that part. Family is more than blood relation, and I believe it’s anyone that takes care of you when you need ! I really liked your piece, great job :)
ReplyDeleteI think everyone has their own definition of family but I totally agree with what you define family to be rather than the definition from Merriam-Webster. I also think family is anyone you care for or love whether they are related to you or not It was clear that you did research and then used evidence to back up your thoughts. I enjoyed reading this, so a job well done!
ReplyDeleteGreat insight on the concept of family. It's always nice to read one's perspective on something that is usually associated with one idea but could have many. I think like most people, I agree that family can be more than those related by blood. As we have grown up with many of the same friends, it is nice to call them family as well, as well as see them develop to be the individuals they are today.
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