What Is Extended Family

1. A family group that consists of parents, children, and other close relatives, generally, it’s A group of relatives, such as those of three generations often living in close geographic proximity rather than under the same roof. People living together as an extended family occasionally feel a greater security and belonging. This is an advantage of extended type of family because this family contains more people to serve as resources during crisis and provides more role models for behavior of values. The disadvantage of living in an extended type of family is shouldering more expenses for their basic needs. In many cultures, such as in those of many of the Southern Europeans, Asians, Middle Easterners, Africans, Latin Americans, and Pacific Islanders, extended families are the basic family unit. Cultures in which the extended family is common are generally collectivistic cultures. Complex Family is a generic term for any family structure involving more than two adults. The term can refer to any extended family or to a polygamy of any type. It is often used to refer to the group marriage form of polygamy. A joint family is also known as a complex family, parents and their children's families often live under a single roof. This type of family often includes multiple generations in the family. In India, the family is a patriarchal society, with the sons' families often staying in the same house. In the joint family setup the workload is equally shared among the members. The women folk are often housewives and cook for the entire family. The patriarch of the family (often the oldest male member) lays down the rules and arbitrates disputes. Other senior members of the household baby sit infants in case their mother is working. They are also responsible in teaching the younger children their mother tongue, manners and etiquette. This kind of setup is fast eroding in many parts of the world especially in India. Most of the urban families are switching over to the nuclear family society these days. A nuclear family is a household consisting of two married, heterosexual parents and their legal children (siblings), as distinct from the extended family. Nuclear families are typical in societies where people must be relatively mobile — such as hunter-gatherers and industrial societies. Pros And Cons Of Being The Only Child Being an only child can be either good or bad, depending on how you perceive it and how you are brought up by your parents. The advantages could be that you get the undivided love and attention of your parents. They would dote on you more and provide for you more – in terms of getting you stuff, toys, etc. Obviously, being an only child means that your parents have only you to spend the money on and not have to share it among other siblings. So, you'd get more toys than normal, more money to spend than normal, more inheritance than normal, and of course more love from your parents than normal. So, in that sense, being the only child can be termed as a good thing. As far as disadvantages go, the â€Å"Little Emperor Syndrome† sums it up perfectly. For those unfamiliar with the term, â€Å"Little Emperor Syndrome† refers to the Chinese situation involving parents and their single child. Of course, all of you would be aware of China's one-child policy. Little Emperor Syndrome is an unintended consequence of that policy. This is a situation in which the parents lavish their love, attention, resources on this one child of theirs, and as a result, the child becomes spoilt and, well, behaves like a â€Å"Little Emperor. This sort of excessive attention and care can prove detrimental in the long term for the child. The child gets used to having everything done, managed, taken care of – by their parents. When they have to live in the real world and face real problems, they might not be able to cope with it. They may lack self-confidence to go out in the world and get things done for themselves. They might feel lost outside of the cocoon that their parents created for them. Being an only child can also be very lonely. They would miss the fun of growing up with a brother or sister. An only child can also grow up to be a selfish adult, i. e. one who thinks primarily of his/her needs over the needs of others. They may also lack in the ability to empathize with others as much as children with siblings. Another potential disadvantage of being an only child could be the excess burden on your shoulders as regards taking care of your parents, for example. It can take an emotional toll on you, being the only child with all the responsibilities.