Family as a Social Setting - Essay Example

? Family Settings affiliation Family Settings A family is a social setting consisting of people related to each other by blood. When referring to family, a picture of parents and their children is the best example of a family. A family setting usually comprises individuals related by blood. There is the nuclear family and the extended family. In the nuclear family setting, members only include part of the immediate family. These are parents and their children. The nuclear family has the strongest family bond as members spend significant time round one another. On the other hand, the extended family includes all immediate relatives. Significant inclusions in this family setting are the grandparents. Grandparents in this case are on top of the family tree. In a research carried out in 1996, fourteen percent of all children lived in extended families (Friedman, Bowden and Jones, 2003. Pp. 22). Regardless of what setting families share, they remain the best setting individual posses in the society. The family is viewed as the center of all the relationship created in the social setting. According to Friedman, Bowden and Jones (2003), parents are viewed as the providers (pp. 53). The author further argues that the relationships formed in the family setting come naturally. These relationships have assurance on commitment and honor. Researches on family relationships have pointed out that families provide individuals with more than just a relationship. They also provide a unit of companionship and support. It is proven that many people believe that the strongest bonds in life are created from family settings. An individual living without the family bond does not have required relationship bond in the society. Different families have different ways in which they bond with one another. One common way in which such moments are shared is through sharing of meals and holidays. Sharing of meals in a family setting is viewed as a way of keeping in track with everyone’s life in the family. Meal times are used to strengthen bonds in the family since people get to know about each other. The healing process during family meal times is the most inspiring healing process. In case of any problem which a family member has incurred during the day, they have a time to put it across and receive advice or solutions. The most significant way of creating strong bonds in any form of relationships is solving each other’s problems. To me this is the most important function of a family. A family should not be a unit of formal relationship but a unit which provides guidelines to all its members. Solving problems in a family setting can be termed as the best therapy anyone can have. Apart from counseling sessions, family meal times are characterized by the sharing of memorable moments that strengthen the relationship between members. Meal times are viewed as an activity which family members carry out together. Spending time on holidays brings out the moments that have a significant impact on the strengthening of family circles. Holidays with family members provide with the best memories I hold to date. Family holidays also play major roles in strengthening the bonds in family. Family holidays produce as well comfortable environments in which people can relate more to each other. Holidays away from the normal social setting bring out the serenity and calmness one needs. This scenario is made more comfortable when one spends it with family members. A family that usually has more than two holidays annually have strong relationships compared to other families that do not have or spend fewer holidays together. My other view on a family is the issue on proper division of labor. In the division of labor there should be an inclusion of team work. In the division of labor, fathers are usually required to take on the most challenging tasks and majority provisions to the families needs. As much this is viewed as a duty, most fathers appreciate this gesture and view it as a form of respect from other family members. On the other hand, mothers are given the duty to run matters inside the house ranging from neatness, cleanliness and shopping for the family needs. Just like the fathers, mothers take this as a form of their femininity being used for a positive purpose (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003, pp. 519). Children are given the responsibility of doing the miscellaneous duties around the house. From the division of labor, respect boundaries are created and honored. A family that does not have such a division of labor often experiences occurrences of misunderstandings. This is a great hindrance to a normal family setting. My view on division of labor is based on the supposition that each individual in a family setting is entitled to a significant duty. In my personal experience on family, my family has been a pillar to my success in life. In every step of my social, scholarly and profession life, I had a family to count on. I had family members to support me in all the ways possible. I knew with my family I always had a home and a place to confide in any occurrence of problems and difficulties. The time we spend together either during meals, general conversations or holidays, they have been the best times I have spent in my entire life. The elderly in the family teach me on how to mature up and be a responsible person in the society. They act like my role models and mentors. The shape my future through their experience and nothing more can be compared to the impact they have made in my life. The young in the family provide me with a sense of responsibility as I have to look out for them. I love spending time together and giving them advice in fields I am experienced in. From this, we have created very tight bonds between us and we have shared secrets in the most comfortable way. This process of giving and taking is what makes my family very significant in my life. Without their support, commitment and care I would not be enjoying so much confidence and success in my life. I consider family being home created for everybody to take pleasure in the benefits that come with it. Regardless of the status an individual has, family always gives one a sense of belonging. The beach (Family Photograph). (2010). Retrieved from http://www.travelblat.com/family-vacation-ideas/ Image II (Retrieved from http://thepowerofthepurse.blogspot.com/2012/07/qualities-women-and-men-bring-to-family.html) Image III (Retrieved from http://www.lcmh.com/family-medicine) From the pictures, the family is represented as a unit. The pictures represent all family members including members of the extended family in the second picture. In the first picture, the family is enjoying leisure time which depicts a form of strengthening bonds. One can also depict from the picture that the existence of the family is based on completeness. That is there being both parents and children. This is a symbol of a complete family. With many forms of families being seen in the modern century, a normal and the most significant family settings are one complete with a father, mother and the children. Additionally, Friedman, Bowden and Jones (2003, pp. 277), argue that families with a concrete communication pattern have strong bonds in terms of respect of each other’s concerns and feelings. The significance of family in the society setting cannot be undermined. The success of a man is usually attributed to the contribution their family has made into their lives. Sociology researchers over the years have depicted that a family is the most influential unit the society has. Despite the success or profession one holds, family always comes first. References Family (Photograph of a Hispanic Family). (2012). Retrieved from http://www.lcmh.com/family-medicine Family multigenerational (Photograph of an extended family). (2011). Retrieved from http://thepowerofthepurse.blogspot.com/2012/07/qualities-women-and-men-bring-to-family.html Friedman, M., Bowden, V., & Jones, E. (2003). Family nursing: Research, theory and practice. Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange. The beach (Family Photograph). (2010). Retrieved from http://www.travelblat.com/family-vacation-ideas/ Read More