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                            THE FAMILY

What is a family?

A family is a group of people who live together in the same house and are related by blood marriage or adoption. A family is the most important unit of society and plays an essential role in fulfilling the emotional and physical needs of individuals. A parent is the mother or father of a child or children. A child is the son or daughter of the parents. Types of family members include: mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, cousin and aunt. Members in a family have a title or a role for example; a father and a mother will work to provide for their children, while a child (sister or brother) will carry out different chores around the house.

Functions of the family

Some of the main functions of a family are; provides the basic needs for its members (food, clothing and shelter); provides a sense of security to its members; looks after its aged and disabled members; nourishes members with mutual love and affection; helps in socializing children and make them acceptable to the society; contributes towards preservation and enrichment of cultural heritage.

Types of family

Nuclear family

A nuclear family is a family consisting of a mother, father and child or children living together in the same household. Children in a nuclear family may be the couple’s biological or adopted children. The nuclear family is one of the most common types of family in the society and both parents share equal responsibility in the raring of each child or children. The father’s role in the nuclear family is to provide for the family as well as protecting it, while also being the family’s disciplinary role model. While the mother’s role is to also provide for the family and take care of each child/children. The nuclear family provides children with a stable home environment.

Single parent family

A single parent family is a family consisting of a mother or father and children living together in the same household. A single parent family is also called the one parent family. In this type of family the mother or father provides the basic needs of the family.

Extended family

An extended family is a family which is bigger than a nuclear family and consist of a mother, father, sister, brother, cousins, uncle and grandparents all living together in the same household and often includes multiple generations in the family. Extended families can be found in many different communities and countries. An extended family may also live together for many reasons such as, to help raise children, support for an ill relative, or help with financial problems.

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Blessing, M. (n.d.). love to know my family. May 13, 2013, from http://family.lovetoknow.com/advantages-disadvantages-nuclear-family </gallery>