Family is the cornerstone of our lives and our society, so most of us consider family is the most important in our lives. Each family has different beliefs, moral standards, and values. The traditional American family, which comprises of a breadwinner father, a homemaker mother, and their biological children, reinforces the belief in the father as the head of the household and the mother as the home-based role. However, the family values in America today consist mainly of acceptance of non-traditional families, such as same-sex marriage, single-parent families, and blended families.
The whole family is willing to accept the family members who have different sexuality. In his essay “Family Values,” Richard Rodriguez admits that he is homosexual (221). He indicates that his parents have known his secret of being homosexual, but his parents would rather accept the truth than disclose his secret for not hurting his son’s self-esteem (226). He states, “Isn’t willy-nilly inclusiveness the point, the only possible point to be derived from the concept of family (226). Even though Rodriguez is homosexual, his
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Barbara Kingsolver, the author of “Stone Soup,” describes the scene that the blended family is watching the boy playing soccer. Today, blended families are sprawling. Many blended families often struggle with how to balance the relationships between the new spouse, the new stepchildren, and their own children. My husband lived with his two stepbrothers and his stepmother when he was a child, but his family achieves harmony and peace in his home. Acceptance is the major reason my husband achieves harmony in his blended family. Kingsolver indicates that “Any family is a big empty pot, save for what gets thrown in” (144). The term of “family” is not limited to those who have blood relations; family is a place where welcomes everyone who wants to love and be loved to