Parenting: Changing Times for Changing Parenting

With the changing society, the traditional family base is a fading icon. Decades ago, it was common to have a family that was based on one mother and one father for the life of the family unit. With the rising divorce rate and the increase of public awareness to same sex couples this trend is no longer the norm. The traditional family, although it still does exist, is being replaced by the children living with one biological parent and the step parent. In the cases of same sex couples there are many ways the families are being created. This may be from a biological child from one parent or by co-parent adoption of non biological children. In the past, these forms of families were considered unacceptable or unethical. In modern times, the nontraditional family is growing to become a strong family unit.

Same sex couples are not permitted to legally marry in most states, but they are permitted to have families. Statistics show that the average same sex couple are staying together longer than the average heterosexual couple, resulting in a strong familial base. The children raised in these non conventional families are not only well developed but happy children. It is also proven that mixed families sometimes develop difficulties. Occasionally the family units are unable to obtain success due to the conflict of the step parent and children’s relationship. If the family is able to overcome these difficulties in the beginning, loving and nurturing relationship may form resulting in the success of this form of nontraditional family. In our schools, it needs to be mentioned that families aren’t all similar. Some children may feel left out with the mention of only one mother and father. In the nontraditional mixing family, there may be two mothers and two fathers, with the reference to step-parents. In the instance of the nontraditional family of same sex couples, there are two mothers or two fathers to mention. The mention of the family units needs to be revised to parents instead of just mother and father. It is important to raise awareness and acceptance to these forms of nontraditional families because this trend is not going to go away.