A Critique on the Standard Family Construct

When you think of a traditional Western family, what do you think about? Mother, Father, children and maybe a few house pets, right? Indeed, a majority of Western families look like this and a huge portion of the population experienced this kind of customary upbringing in their childhood. All fine and dandy, so was I. But, in reality, there are many types of functionable and solid family structures that can set up a healthy and beneficial environment to all its members. This has to do with gender identity and how we want to live our lives without any detriment from the outside. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

The traditional family household consisting of a husband, wife and children in the Western world has been around since the dawn of time. That's how the image of a typical family looks like in many parts of the world and that's what we see when someone asks you to describe what a family looks like. In fact, the term "family" is multi-faceted and rich in variety. When we think of family, we think of our closest biological relatives who come from the same lineage. In the Western world, it's usually patrilineal since the male's surname gets passed down from generation to generation. I think the term, "family" consists of a group if people who share commonalities, traits, beliefs and perspectives. For example, a stable and healthy work environment contains members of a workforce whose goal is to work as a team. We have the same objective and make a living working for the same company. We see each other all the time and share stories with each other about our lives and what interests us. I can safely say that a working team has the same dynamic as a family. So do people with the same political ideology, profession, hobbies and interests, association, club or even cultural and linguistic background. These are great examples of families from a rather broad point of view.

The design of the urban household has changed fundamentally since the 1950s. The nuclear family of the time was considered the ultimate bread and butter portrayal of the most ideal family grouping. I can conclusively say that this is no longer the case since this image is obsolete and backward. With the progress of gender identity and equality within societies, the idea of family has changed considerably. In my opinion, any construct is purely acceptable. It doesn't have to between a man and a woman. It can be male or female couple or a single parent after a bad divorce. It has been proven that this design works well and helps to forge the same pathways for children who have been raised by the traditional mother and father couple. Critics such as Christians, conservatives or the like have mentioned already that same-sex couple can't provide the same basic necessities like a mother and father can. Unfortunately, in many cases, the mother and father appearance can be destructive to children. How many times has a marriage fallen apart in disastrous fashion only because the couple couldn't work out their differences, or if one parent favors a child over the other? Some would point out that this happens frequently because the vast majority of parents are mothers and fathers, so these problems persist more often. Yes, you're right, but it still happens. That's what I'm getting at. If you're able to maintain a great connection with members closest to you, biological or not, it's a family. That's it. That's because trust, integrity, impeccable character and tolerance are the pristine building blocks that build the trusty foundation of a good family, not only in the privacy in our own home but also in public. You'll be nurtured, taught, respected and beloved by people that are closest to you. This works wonders as it helps develop the youngest members of a family into incredibly beautiful people that will share their experience and thoughts to others. Their contributions to society will be everlasting and serve as a role model to countless generations in the present and future. A loving and stable home is absolutely crucial for a child. Anything otherwise, will cause extreme stress, hardship and calamity to the most innocent members of a family that can last for the rest of their lives and that's simply inexcusable. No one deserves to be treated this way, not by anyone.

A family is supposed to be a group of people with the same traits, attributes and interests, biological or not. Each member must be treated equally and respectfully. The idea of family has transcended over the years and developed into a myriad of different possibilities that can be beneficial to people. People are social creatures that survive on the warmth, acceptance, kindness and openness of others. The most critical time to see this is through the eyes of the youngest members. Proper education will make things clearer for them. Anything else can't be tolerated.