Change in Family Relationships and Values

Family has many different meanings to it but it seems as though we all want the same ideal family. The ideas of the “perfect” family come from old advertisements and television programs; they all have the same characteristics as one another. Everyone wants to live like families that lived in older times, but in reality it is nearly impossible for every family to be exactly the same and like old time families. Many things have influenced the change in families from how they used to be to how they are now. Social, economic, and historical changes have occurred that makes family relationships and family values different then they were. The ideal family of the past is no longer how modern families live but it is how they wish to live. In the 1950s, the impression of the ideal nuclear family was established. These families had a stable marriage, decent home, and enjoyed their children. The father worked all day but when he came home he was the head of the household and everybody listened to him. The mothers were in charge of cleaning the house, cooking the meals and tending to the children and her husband. Sons had more of an intimate and affectionate relationship with their fathers. Daughters were supposed to live up to their mother and be like them when they got older. Children also listened and respected their parents more back then (Coontz, 33-36). That is the basic description of what everyone wants his or her family to act.
Gow page 2
Gow page 2
Times have changed but the ideal family of the past remains the same in today’s society. In reality there are more divorces, single parents, and more adoptions. Mothers do a lot more to support the family; they cook, clean, and have jobs during the day. Fathers work longer hours and do not have much time for their families. Children do not want to spend time or even talk to their parents in present day because they have better things to do. Things are very unbalanced today and there is not enough family time as there