Single  parents need to keep a sense of family for their children now that the children's family of origin is broken.

Single parents need to give their children a sense of  family.

Keeping a Sense of Family!
By Jan Wilson

What is a family?

This is a question single parents ask time and time again because it is so important to give our  children of single parents a sense of family.

For children of single parents it must be more than Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's and Christmas dinner at Dad's.

We are all anchored to a vast network of family relationships, family patterns, family rules, and various roles played by members of our family. This is the family personality and the family system.

We carry this family with us into any new family that we form. It  is our family of origin.

All families feel special, even families with severe problems. Every individual identifies with the family and this identifications creates the family unit.

When our children's family or origin is ended by divorce or death, it is still important to give them that sense of family.

All families feel special, even families with severe problems like physical or substance abuse. Every individual identifies with the family and this identifications creates the family unit.

Make certain your child still has that sense of family. It is important.

Most families  follow certain rituals that reinforce this identity. The family personality is those peculiarities that seem to "run  in the family." It is often expressed in "always" and "never."

"The Murray family is a vegetarian family. We think that's the healthy way to eat, especially for children and teens."

Any home has rules. They are tied to the family identity and destiny.    These rules are not right or wrong. They are just the "way we Wilsons or Murrays do it." However, to the Wilsons or Murrays, these rules are the right rules.  

Again, this sense of family is important to the child who has lost the complete circle of his/her  family of origin.