It's All Relative
When you hear the word "family", what comes to mind? Do you think of your biological relatives? Do you think of an adopted family? Do you think of close friends? Do you think of other people that are in special groups with you? There is no perfect family. Even the Brady Bunch had its share of problems. As Coontz explained in her argument, television sitcoms like I love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver weren't the way families were in the 1950's. They were simultaneously advertisements, etiquette manuals, and how-to lessons for a new way of organizing marriage and child raising (59). Therefore, we should not use these programs to form our opinions on what the perfect family should look and act like. I believe each person has a different concept of what the word family means. The way a person defines family is relative to that person's surroundings and circumstances. In my opinion, family is not necessarily a biological relationship or the people you work with. This seems to be a fairly new outlook according to Graff who stated that until very recently, not love, not biology, but labor made a family (28). My family is made up of people who have similar interests, goals, and beliefs. The people that I consider to be
Respect is another way to display love and concern for others. When you respect other people, you value them and their opinions. Respect is having a special regard for someone. One way to show respect is to listen. When you listen to what a person has to say, you let the person know that you care. Having respect for the people in your family can also mean not doing things that would embarrass them. For example, my mom and dad would probably be embarrassed if I decided to die my hair a wild color. Because I respect my mom and dad, and I don't want to embarrass them, I have chosen not to die my hair. Respecting those around you shows that you love them and you don't want to hurt them. In conclusion, I feel that there is no collective definition for the word family. The word family means something different to everyone. I feel that people choose who their family is based on experiences and circumstances where genuine love and concern is demonstrated. Therefore, it's all relative to the individual's situation. I feel that sincere love for someone is the most important factor in establishing and maintaining a family. Everyone needs to be loved. It is a basic human essential. Being in a family can fulfill this need. The love that family members show to one another is the strongest type of love because it is unconditional. Loving someone unconditionally is not always an easy thing to do, but that is why it is so special. To me, unconditional love means that you love someone without expecting anything in return. It means knowing all of the bad things about someone and loving them anyway. The people in
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1107
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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