Kaylee Rucker College Preparatory English Definition Essay October 24, 2016 Circumstantial Family
How many different meanings can one word have? That depends on how people view the word based on their own life experiences. Every single person experiences each day differently than the next day. Every single person was raised slightly different than the next person. Every single person has a different outlook on life because of the differences in life from their perspective. The biggest factor behind people’s perspectives on life is their family. Many people typically define “family” as blood relatives, but others think of “family” as people who love and support each other no matter the circumstances; however, both of those beliefs can also be true.
The technical definition of the word “family,” and also the view of the word from a biological family’s point of view, is people who are blood related. When people who live with their biological family are asked what the word “family” means to them, they generally use words like “parents,” “blood,” or “home.” People who live with their biological parents and haven’t experienced any other way of life would say that “family” means blood and nothing else. Those people would be right; however, there are numerous other perspectives on what “family” means that could also be considered as correct.
The definition of the word “family” to kids who don’t live with their biological family tends to mean love, comfort, home, or support, instead of blood. These people may or may not consider their biological parents to be family, depending on their life’s circumstances. For example, adopted children usually consider their adoptive parents to be their family, not their biological parents. They don’t consider their biological parents to be their “family” because those are not the people who raised and supported them throughout their life. My cousin Christian was adopted into our family, yet he considers us to be his family as if it were by blood. We treat him no different than any other family member because he is no different. We love him just the same.
Some individuals would vouch for the fact that “family” can mean both blood and also the people who they love that aren’t their biological family. For example, I don’t live with my biological parents. I grew up living with them, but I moved out of their house when I turned seventeen years old. I love my parents dearly and will always call them my family, but I also consider the people who I now live with my family. The people that I currently live with show me the same love and support that they show their own children; I consider them my family because of that relationship that I have with them. The word “family” has many meanings. Different people have different viewpoints on the word based on their own family experiences growing up. How they were raised is what they know, so that’s what they tend to believe. Whether two people are blood related or not, they can still be considered family; “family,” overall, means love.