Ohio State nav bar

Skip to main content

The Ohio State University

  • Help
  • BuckeyeLink
  • Map
  • Find People
  • Webmail
  • Search Ohio State
  • Home
  • Food
  • Family and Relationships
  • Money
  • Mind and Body
  • Webinars
  • Authors

Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Topics:

The Ohio State University
You are here: Home / Family and Relationships / How Do You Define Family?

November 16, 2018

How Do You Define Family?

leaves with frostOSU Extension, Lucas County was fortunate to have the assistance of Michelle during her 2018 internship rotation. She supported the Extension staff with food systems work including mapping, summarizing data, teaching and planning for Dine In day 2018. Please enjoy her guest post this month.

This October was life changing for me. With the passing of my dad, I felt like my world had been turned upside down. The first few weeks after his passing I had an army of family and friends supporting me. As time went on, the text messages became less frequent and the phone calls stopped. I knew this would happen. I would never expect this army of people to continue to check on me forever but it felt like their lives continued while mine had stopped. Fortunately, I have a smaller army of people who love and care for me and continue to lend support. With their love and kindness, I have been able to persevere.

Looking ahead towards the holidays this year, after the passing of my father, I have stopped to evaluate what family really means. Family is a simple word with many connotations. Can it really be defined? The U.S. Census Bureau classifies family as, “a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together.” Not only is the definition of family complicated, but families across the country are also very diverse. For the purposes of the census bureau, family members reside together. From a different perspective, family relationships may cross state and national lines. Although birth, marriage, and adoption are formal delineations of family relationships, it is not uncommon for non-related individuals to be family to one another.

I asked my friends to define “family” with these results:

  • “Knowing you have a safe place and people who will always love you”
  • “The people who support you and love you, blood-related or chosen”
  • “People that love you for who you are, not what they want you to be,”
  • “Family is blood and who you chose. The people who stand by you no matter what and who you can count on”
  • “Unconditional love”

To me, family is the small army that holds you together in your time of need. Families are people, blood related or not, that are willing to sit with you and listen to the same story no matter how many times they’ve heard it before. They love you through your worst times and pick you up when you are down.

I encourage you to evaluate your definition of the word “family”. What does family mean to you? Who is your family? Are they people you choose or the people you were given? Monday December 3rd is “Dine In” day. Regardless of how you define family, do you eat meals together? If not, can you plan to eat a meal together that week? Join the national pledge and share your family mealtime story for #FCSday at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. At your family mealtime, “ditch the devices” and spend time communicating your different definitions and stories about family.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

WRITTEN BY: Michelle Huepenbacker, 2018 Cedar Crest College Dietetic Intern with OSU Extension, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • pixabay

REFERENCES:

  • American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences https://www.aafcs.org/fcsday/home
  • Dellifield, J. (2016). Living with loss. Live Smart Ohio. https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/family-and-relationships/dellifield-2osu-edu/living-with-loss/
  • Hill, M. (2010) Thankful for the memories. Live Smart Ohio. https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/family-and-relationships/hill-14osu-edu/thankful-for-the-memories/
  • Marks, N., Heyjung, J., & Song, J. (2007) Death of parents and adult psychological and physical well-being: A prospective US national study. Journal of Family Issues. 2007; 28(12): 1611–1638. doi: [10.1177/0192513X07302728]
  • Technology at the table. (2018) The Family Dinner Project. https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/technology-at-the-table/

Categories: Family and Relationships
Tags: family, holidays

Avatar for Patrice Powers-Barker
Avatar for Patrice Powers-Barker

About Patrice Powers-Barker

Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE (Certified Family Life Educator) implements Ruby Green Smiths’ description of Family and Consumer Sciences, “where science and art meet life and practices.” The Mind and Body topic lends well with empowering families to evaluate their daily habits and to make individual as well as family goals to enact mindfulness and abundance. The “science and art” of mindfulness can be practiced throughout different aspects of life - from work and play to eating or parenting and education. Patrice loves spending time with family, treasuring the four seasons of Northwest Ohio and appreciating the abundance of her local community.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

Loving Kindness chart from self to world

Cultivating Loving-Kindness

Exploring the Heart of It All webinar series presented in Autumn 2024

pages of open book shaped into a heart

Making Every Day Sweet

I will serve 2024MLK

Unite, Serve, and Transform on MLK Day to Create the Beloved Community

Follow Us!

  • Facebook

Footer

Need Assistance?

If you are having issues logging into the site, need assistance with updates, or need to request an alternate format please send an email to the EHE Service Desk at servicedesk@ehe.osu.edu stating the nature of your issue and we will assist you. Thank you.
Are you a Live Smart Ohio Author? Log in here!

Categories

  • Food
  • Family and Relationships
  • Money
  • Mind and Body
  • Webinars

Follow us!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
The Ohio State University
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN ECOLOGY
COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

© 2025 Live Smart Ohio - Family and Consumer Sciences | The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology | Accessibility | Privacy Policy

%d