People from all religious, political and social persuasions believe that societies need family values. But what are family values? They are defined as the moral and ethical principles traditionally upheld and transmitted within a family, as honesty, loyalty, industry, and faith, but the fact of the matter is that "Family values" has become a cliché; so general that it is meaningless. With time comes change, and through the centuries, family values has shifted from “Leave it to Beaver” and “Little House on the Prairie” to “Reba” and “Rosanne”.
Barbara Kingsolver displayed the traditional family through the “Family of Dolls” she possessed as a child. They consisted of a nuclear family, “Dad, Mom, Sis, and Junior” (327). The traditional working father, cooking mother, and smiling children are the postcard of the traditional American household. There were no prior marriages, no children from prior relationships, no threat or even thought of divorce. The children would show a great amount of respect toward their parents and would help with all of the chores around the house. There were no infidelities, no drinking problems, and no drugs. Nita Casagrande, my great-grandmother, said that her “father worked while (her) mother stayed home and took care of the children. It was the way things were, and any other way of living was frowned upon.” Those traditional values that are so adorned refer to that brief flicker of time when the white middle class were kings.
With the start of a War, America’s family traditions began to shift. Richard Rodriguez points out that “Mom (was) forced to leave home out of economic necessity” (346). Simultaneously, social changes and emancipation were underway. Gays and Lesbians began protesting for their rights, and women began the feminist movement (346). Sexuality became open, and issues such as birth control and abortion became relevant. Since the Colonial era, the only thing constant about families is change.
It is no longer unusual...