Family

I define family by whether it is a group of people or even two people who care for each other, and support each other, and love each other no matter what happens. It could be a family of four where there is a married couple, male and female with two kids, or two females and a child, or two males and a child, or just two females or two males. To me, family members are always there for each other, especially in time of need, they support one another through thick and thin, and they love one another day in and day out, now matter what happens each day, each person in the family knows that everyone in their family will love them and support them, even if they don't, they will still back them up and be there for them, because that's what families do. They stick together through good and hard times.

In the types of relationships discussed in the text on pages 308 and 309, I feel that total marriage fits in my definition of a relationship because in a total marriage as the text mentions, that the relationship is similar to a vital marriage where the individuals are there for each other, and like being around each other, and look forward to being with one another, however in a total marriage, each person has separate interests and do not have to always be around each other. Out of the rest of the relationships discussed such as passive-congenial marriage where partners are polite and interact, however their relationship is based off of sources such as pleasure and satisfaction, I have heard of those relationships and they can be common, however I would not define a relationship at least a successful relationship to be of that type. A devitalized marriage from what I have noticed in movies, and in the media, and from others I know of, are common with couples who have been married for awhile, or for those where one partner is always busy with work or their kids, and do not find time to spend with each other and they feel neglected which sometimes can lead to boredom and also affairs or divorces because there is no more spark in the marriage. Also, in conflict-habituated marriages which I have seen are also common relationships, the partners stay together only solely on the basis for either children, or financial reasons, however they are no longer compatible. An example of this type of relationship I wanted to mention is in the movie This Christmas featuring Chris Brown, Regina King, etc. Where one of the sisters in the family is married to a man named Malcolm, they have two kids and she is a stay at home mom where her husband is working all the time. They only got married in the first place because she became pregnant with her first child and they felt the right thing to do was getting married. However, after being married for about over a decade, the husband had been cheating with her from a lady from work, and the wife finally realized their marriage was no longer a marriage, they were no longer partners, that everything he said was a lie, they were no longer compatible so they ended their relationship and got a divorce and the wife was going to go back to school, get a degree, and be a single mother.

Family can be defined in different and multiple ways and each person has their own definition of what a family can be as the text also mentions. The definition of a family has changed over the past decades, and will continue to change as our society changes, and grows. However, it is important to not lose our own interpretation(s) of what a family is and means to us, because family is what keeps us going, whether it is parents and kids, friends with friends, or a combination, they are the people who know us best, and there is unconditional love, and no one and nothing can change that.