Family — is what you make it

Back in the day, father was supposed to know best, according to the family depicted on the television screen. There was Ozzie and Harriet and the Cleavers’ left everything up to the “Beav.” The Cunninghams on “Happy Days” were supposed to be the perfect family with the not-so-perfect next door neighbour “The Fonz” — in his leather jacket and hoodlum-like demeanor.
Then came Mike and Carol Brady and “The Partridge Family” — with a different view of the traditional family. The Brady bunch was a blended family and the Partridge brood had a single musician mom, not the stereo-typical soccer mom from today’s depiction.
In cartoons, parents were but a horn-of-some-sort blast on any Charlie Brown holiday special and on today’s Disney hit “Phineas and Ferb” — a blended family prevails as the family unit plus Dr. Doof is a single dad.
On one of today’s hottest television comedies Mitch and Cam from “Modern Family” are a same-sex married couple with an adopted daughter and another family on the show is also a blended family unit. On a not-so-well-known television show “Seed” — a female same-sex couple have a son from a sperm donor. So, the family unit tale, told through the televised world has changed dramatically over the years.
It has been said, time and time again, television is but a mirror to real life. In real life, families are made up of all shapes, sizes and dynamics. In all family dynamics and/or relationships — there’s both good and bad.
Families are great, many times dysfunctional and at times crazy but manageable. It doesn’t matter if there’s a mom and dad, one parent, two parents of the same sex, a grandparent or an uncle or aunt raising a family (like Uncle Ben and Aunt May in “Spiderman.”) What’s important is being a part of something remarkable. Being a part of a family is indeed something special and should be cherished and nurtured, at any cost.
Work and play is no match to the wonderful embrace of a significant other, child or sibling or a good friend. At the end of the day, what matters, is being with the ones you love or at least like.
Children need a loving caregiver(s), good role models and a chance to shine and to be the best possible person they can be. A caregiver (no matter who you are) should be loving, caring, understanding and there for the children in your care. Also, older family members or those in need of medical support and/or special care need extra love and care too.
You can’t pick your family, well sometimes you can, but families should form a strong relationship and bond and be there for each other when the going is good and when the going gets tough. Young and old need to be a part of some kind of familial unit.
Since the cavepeeps, cave women and cave men, searched for a sense of belonging. Animals tend to form packs or some choose the lone wolf approach like Chuck Norris.
Being a part of something bigger, whether that’s a family or spiritual in nature, is something most women and men crave. Even dinosaurs seemed to like hanging out in some kind of secure and tight-knit unit.