no matter how many families live on your street no two will be exactly the same that's because families like individuals are unique they come in all shapes and sizes but what makes a family family means different things to different people but no matter what our family looks like how many languages we speak what religious beliefs we practice or how we come together to eat it's the relationships we form with family that most often prove the strongest all families are made up of more than one person some go back generations we trace our lineage using family
trees see how we're related to our uncles aunts cousins and grandparents but families are formed in different ways not all families are blood related families can grow through adoption when children whose birth parents are unable to give them the care they need are given a new home by new parents or split in two when parents divorce but blended families are formed through remarriage when two families come together to form one family it's also possible to consider our circle of friends as family too because as the saying goes friends are the family we choose cultural influence
is how our families are structured the nuclear family which consists of two parents and their children originated in england in the 13th century and has been common in cultures around the world since because it provides economic stability for members of the family from 1979 to 2016 chinese families were only permitted to have one child because the chinese government was concerned about population growth there and tribal communities like the maasai of kenya value communal living with different families living together under one roof how has culture influence your family what does your family look like does it
look like this or this or this or maybe this all of these families are different but they all share some similarities what do you think they have in common we've seen how family structures change over time and how culture can shape what families look like how do you think families around the world are the same and different
