Article April 24, 2000 Issue

Redefining the family

How to build a family on a solid basis

By Nathan A. Talbot

AROUND THE TURN of the last century, there were things in life that seemed a whole lot simpler. In the old days things seemed more clear-cut. They're harder to define today. Take the family. Not so many decades ago all of us knew exactly what a family was. It was Mom, Dad, and the kids. Maybe a dog, cat, goldfish, or parakeet rounded out the group. But today many would say that such a family is largely history. Now it's often just Mom and the kids. Or it could be Grandpa, the kids, and a python. Or a whole range of other possibilities.

Courts have long had to sort out issues between family members. But now courts are trying to figure out just what families are! A significant case on this issue is now before the United States Supreme Court. Interested organizations from around the country have filed briefs offering a variety of views about what constitutes today's family. The New York Times notes: "What the briefs have in common is a focus on the centrality of families in the lives of children. What divides them are different views of what it means to be a family" (January 4, 2000). The very definition of a family could become pivotal in this case.

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FAMILIES SOMETIMES TAKE SHAPE BEFORE THE MEMBERS MEET
April 24, 2000
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