My family consist of myself and my daughter. I had my daughter when I was 20 years old one year into college. Her father is African American and I am Caucasian. We met when we were working at a local restaurant together. Shortly after my daughter was born he cheated and I left. I soon moved back into my parent's house and have been there ever since. Most may critisize my situation as taking advantage of my parents, but I can respectfully say we are a team. I help them and they help me. I currently work full-time as well as a full-time student. I am very involved in my daughter's extra curricular activities and support her everywhere I can. Please meet my Happy Single Family and feel free to share your own!
Types of Family Structures
Family Structures
The following types of families exist today, with some families naturally falling into multiple categories. For example, a single parent family who lives in a larger, extended family. While these types of families are distinct in definition, in practice the lines are less clear.Nuclear Family
The nuclear family is the traditional type of family structure. This family type consists of mother, father and children. The nuclear family was long held in esteem by society as being the ideal in which to raise children. Children in nuclear families receive strength and stability from the two-parent structure and generally have more opportunities due to the financial ease of two adults. According to U.S. Census data, almost 70 percent of children live in a nuclear family unit.Single Parent Family
The single parent family consists of one parent raising one or more children on his own. Often, a single parent family is a mother with her children, although there are single fathers as well. The single parent family is the biggest change society has seen in terms of the changes in family structures. One in four children is born to a single mother. Single parent families are generally close and find ways to work together to solve problems, such as dividing up household chores. When only one parent is at home, it may be a struggle to find childcare, as there is only
one parent working. This limits income and opportunities in many cases, although many single parent families have help from relatives and friends.Extended Family
The extended family structure consists of two or more adults who are related, either by blood or marriage, living in the same home. This family includes many relatives living together and working toward common goals, such as raising the children and keeping up with the household duties. Many extended families include cousins, aunts or uncles and grandparents living together. This type of family structure may form due to financial difficulties or because older relatives are unable to care for themselves alone. Extended families are becoming increasingly common all over the world.
Childless Family
While most people think of family as including children, there are couples who either cannot or choose not to have children. The childless family is sometimes the "forgotten family," as it does not meet the traditional standards set by society. Childless families consist of a husband and wife living and working together. Many childless families take on the responsibility of pet ownership or have extensive contact with their nieces and nephews as a substitute for having their own children.
Stepfamily
Grandparent Family
Many grandparents today are raising their grandchildren for a variety of reasons. One in twelve children is raised by his grandparents, and the parents are not present in the child's life. This could be due to parents' death, addiction, abondonment or being unfit parents. Many grandparents need to go back to work or find additional sources of income to help raise their grandchildren.Variety of Structures
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to what is the best type of family structure. As long as a family is filled with love and support for one another, it tends to be successful and thrive. Families need to do what is best for each other and themselves, and that can be achieved in almost any unit.
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