The Ties That Bind

These are interesting times for families. So many of us are living in modern family situations of blended families that include, "his, mine, and ours." Some parents are loving, nurturing and raising children who share absolutely zero DNA with them. The age old perception of the nuclear family doesn't appear to have quite caught up to some of our realities. It is truly a sad observation (and one that causes a parent to question the responses and opinions expressed) when human interactions with a new "family design" vary so greatly from those of the traditional "nuclear family." Worse is the emotional toil that occurs when a child "feels," by their own perception, that they are less important or loved by "relatives" because they lack the DNA carried by a "natural" child. It is truly disturbing as a parent to recognize the incongruity of others who claim to love your child while at the same time their actions also make clear that all God's children were not created equal. Whether intentional or not the use of terms that segregate a member of a family by singling them out by their "differences" to natural born children is detrimental. I believe a grassroots movement to break down these differentiators is long overdue. The ties that bind are not DNA.