In the 1960s the “Nuclear Family” was seen as the ideal family consisting of, a father, a mother, and their children. Yet, as laws change, immigration increases, and people make new decisions the definition of family and family dynamic/structure has changed dramatically, and Molly Howes ‘17 is a prime example of this. Currently Howes lives with her dad, his fiance, and her three little sisters. Yet, her family has not always been this way.

      “My parents got divorced about six years ago, because my mom had left him for who is now my step-mom,” Howes wrote in an email. Ever since then, she has gained  three moms,  step-siblings, and a bigger family. “I love my big family. We don’t always get along, and we technically aren’t that big, but I like it anyway. It’s chaotic, but worth it”.

       Even though Howes is an example of a shifting family dynamic, she is not the only one.  Increase in immigration has caused diversity in families, and acts such as the Immigration and Naturalization quadrupled the number of Asian Americans in five years. I  surveyed ten students and more than half of the student said their family did not change much, but few did move to America from a different country.

    Sean Chi’17 pointed out that his family moved from China to America. He also discusses about being the first generation to move to the United States,“My parents were the first people, first generation actually to move to America”. Changes like these help build on the different terms of family and what the word means to people. When coming to a new place, one is more likely to have a change in family structure. Also half of the students at West included love in their definition of family, and said that family does not only include blood relatives. Matilda Mackey ‘16 said, “I don’t think family means going home and seeing whoever is there at your doorstep,” which seemed to be true for most of the students surveyed.

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/544478/The-Change-in-Family/

     As high school students, the idea of having someone other than relatives to be by your side is refreshing, and allows one to feel the same as others outside of their home. With that being said, even though family structures, family dynamics, and the definition of family is changing, family  itself will always give you a shoulder to lean on, and that is what matters in the end.