I define family as those people I grew up with my family . My blood relatives and close family friends . When I think about family I only consider people that go back about three generations - my parents , my grandparents , and my great grandparent . Also , the people I consider family is determined by how much time I have spent with them or how long ago I have seen them . For example , I have several cousins that I almost never see . While they are related by blood , they do not come to mind when I think
of my family . However , when I think about the people who I am close with my best friend from childhood comes to mind . While she is not related to me by biologically I do consider her family
The Vanier Institute of Family , a family research company in Canada defines family very academically . They consider family two or more person who are linked together either by choice or genetics . These people assume the responsibility , usually unspoken , for a variety of things concerning the group . These include the physical well being of the people within the family , the adding of new members by birth , legal adoption , or choice , teaching children how to be a good person and a good cities , and use of group resources like food , nurturing , and love
As child we are given our families and are forced to seek out love nurturing , and protection from those directly surrounding us . As we grow older , we quickly realize that we can seek out additions to our families to fulfill needs we are not getting filled by the biological family . Differences in the Vanier Institute and my own differences are based on the fact that we do not consciously establish family bonds Individual do not actively seek out people to bring into their families Usually individuals meet friends through school , work , and family friends . It is over after time and interaction with those people and then they become integrated into our version of family . This is the reason that my definition of family differs from the Vanier Institute Additionally , the Vanier Institute is trying to the impossible job of giving a general definition to a concept (family ) that is really defined based on each individuals experiences and opinions ...