Chapter 2 Your Family 33
effectively in their culture. Parents
teach children the appropriate
way to act in personal and public
situations. Parents also encourage
correct manners and deter
unacceptable behavior.
Types of Families
Families come in many sizes
and combinations. As society
changes, different family types
often form. Today, there are many
different family types in the United
States. No one family type is better
than another as long as the family
performs its necessary functions.
The Nuclear Family
A nuclear family consists of
a married couple and their biological children. Parents in nuclear families share
child care and household responsibilities. They may also both earn incomes.
Relatives may not be readily available for guidance and support. They may
even live in other parts of the country. This can draw the nuclear family closer
together and cause the members to depend more on each other.
The Single-Parent Family
A single-parent family
includes one parent and one or
more children. The parent may be
either the father or the mother. The
parent could be divorced, widowed,
separated, or never married. An
adult who has never married may
want to be a parent. He or she may
then adopt one or more children to
form a single-parent family.
In single-parent families, the
single parent must play both roles of
father and mother, 2-2. This parent
must often provide both emotional
and fi nancial support for the family.
The parent usually works full time.
A working parent must arrange for
child care for young children. He or
she will need to fi nd time to spend
with children, maintain the house,
Your Cultural Heritage
Cultural heritage consists of learned behaviors,
beliefs, and languages that are passed from one
generation to another. The cultural heritage of your
family is refl ected in the traditions you observe, the foods
you eat, and the holidays you celebrate. You will fi nd
families of different cultures in communities nationwide.
Ethnic groups help preserve the cultural heritage of
a family. Ethnic groups are groups of people who share
common cultural and/or racial characteristics such as
language, traditions, religion, and national origin. Making
friends with people from different cultures can help you
learn more about other people and the world. Be open
to meeting people with different backgrounds. In addition
to learning from them, they can learn from you.
Global Connections
2-2 The single mother may have to provide for all the
needs of her child.
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Vocabulary