Traditional & NonTraditional Familiesby Heather Long | More from this Blogger 11 Oct 2006 09:30 AM There is a difference between traditional and non-traditional families. We identify the traditional family as being comprised of mom, dad and baby. While the traditional home is considered or perceived as the norm by many, more than half of all children are raised in non-traditional homes. I fall into both statistics. I was raised in what is considered a non-traditional home and I am raising my child in a traditional one. What this means is that sometimes by choice, by circumstance or by both - there are many single parents - both mothers and fathers, who are raising their children on their own. There are grandparents raising their grandchildren. There are mothers and fathers who live separately, but share joint custody. There are widowed fathers. There are widowed mothers. There are abandoned parents and more. There are even same-sex couples, heterosexual couples who have elected to live together. Families come in many shapes and sizes and these families are growing all the time. Parents are parents - the only difference between traditional and non-traditional families when it comes to raising their babies is the different challenges that are waiting for them. More often than not when I am talking about babies and the different facets of raising them, we talk about mom and dad because that is our generic view of the traditional family and for me, personally, it is the household that I raise my child in. This should never discount the moms who are raising their kids on their own; the dads raising their kids on their own; the grandparents raising their grandchildren and more. Each family unit meets their challenges with their own skills and talents. They enjoy the same things as traditional families and they are kept up late at night by the same concerns. There is a saying - that it takes a community to raise a child - then I submit to you here at our families.com community that we are a community of families and we're all interested in doing the best we can for the babies we love and are raising together. Here at the baby blog, I want you to feel not alone, but a part of the larger community - we're all moms, dads, grandparents and parents. We love our children. We want what's best for them and we're all trying to do our best by them. That's what it means to be a family - thanks for letting us be a part of yours. Have a great rest of your day! Related Articles: What is a "Traditional" Family? Learn more about Heather Long  Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago. Relevantbaby tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags alternative family, family, grandparents raising grandkids, traditional family, what it means Discuss this article
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