Family Issues

Family may seem like a simple concept, but there is no simple definition of family. In its most basic terms, a family is a group of individuals who share a legal or genetic bond, but for many people, family means much more, and even the simple idea of genetic bonds can be more complicated than it seems.

Basic Family Definition:
In the most basic definition, a group of people who share a legal bond or a blood bond is a family.
• Legal Bonds: Families are legally bound through marriages, adoptions, and guardianships,
    including the rights, duties, and obligations of those legal contracts. Legal bonds can be changed,
    expanded, or dissolved to change the composition of a family.
• Blood Bonds: Individuals who are directly related through a common ancestor are part of a
    family. This includes both close and distant relatives such as siblings, parents, grandparents,
    aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Researching a family tree or genealogical records
    can reveal familial blood bonds.
Despite the apparent simplicity of this definition of family, the idea of family goes far beyond just legal or blood relationships for many people.

Defining Your Family:
While the direct legal and genetic relationships you share with others can help you create your definition of family, there is more to family relationships than these basic concepts. A true family provides its members with emotional and spiritual kinship through:
• Shared values, beliefs, and traditions
• Common experiences and activities
• Unconditional, non-judgmental support
In many ways, different individuals relate to groups of people who provide them with emotional and spiritual connection as family, even if they share no legal or genetic bonds. For example, a church "family" has spiritual connections and shared values, even though its members are not formally related. Similarly, a work family has common experiences and share activities in long-term relationships without formal bonds. College fraternities and sororities often share familial bonds through experiences and consider one another brothers and sisters without formal relationships. With social networking technology, many people are even creating online or virtual families of individuals who share their beliefs, hobbies, and values even if they have never met in person.
The definition of family is constantly evolving, and every person can define family in a different way to encompass the relationships she shares with people in her life. Over time one's family will change as one's life changes and the importance of family values and rituals deepen. Every member who is truly family will help make it richer.
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