Chapter 12- Relationships with Family Members

 

One of the most notable things that I have observed throughout my life is that families come in many different forms. Growing up as an only child, I was used to the concept that families consisted of a mother, father, and a child. Then at some point I learned that families sometimes have more than one child and that the original couple does not always remain married. Beyond that, I learned that sometimes couples don’t always consist of a man and a woman and that they can be same-sex or gender. While all of these families are different in some ways, the commonality is that when they have kids, they all have their own unique way of parenting. I learned recently that family is pluralistic, which means that there is very little preventing us from what we talk about together and that there is no pressure to act in a certain way and we can be ourselves around each other (chapter 12, pg. 335). Growing up with lifestyle, it was surprising to learn that many of my friends and classmates tended to have strict parents and depending on their background, sometimes certain topics were basically taboo. Needless to say, everyone is different, and it is important to learn that.