Understanding Relationships

Concept: My Family

What is a family?

• A unit of people related to each other is called a family.
• A family comprises parents, their children, and grandparents.
• The individuals of a family are called the family members.
• The members of a family belong to different age groups.
• The oldest person of the family could be a seventy-year-old man or a woman, and the youngest member of a family could be a few months old.

Types of a family:

Families can be broadly classified into two categories—

• Nuclear family: This type of family consists of two parents, children, and sometimes grandparents.
• Joint family: It is a big family consisting of parents, children, grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts.

What is a family tree?

A family tree is a tree-like structure that helps us understand the relationships among different individuals of that family.

• A family tree represents the members of the family from different generations.
• The older people of the family belong to the first generation or generation I.
• The younger family members represent the family's last generation, which is generation III or IV.

• Nine family members are present in this family tree, but they do not belong to the same generation.
• Paternal and maternal grandparents are older than their children, i.e., father and mother.
• Younger sisters, older sisters, and sons are younger than their parents.
• This family tree represents three different generations of family members.

Know about relationships:

Roles of grandparents in a family:

• Grandmothers and grandfathers are called grandparents and play a vital role in a family.
• They properly shape our parents’ life by teaching them the values of life.
• Grandparents support the family by helping with household activities, caring for the grandchildren, and playing with them.
• Their experience and wisdom help in the proper functioning of the family.

Role of parents in a family:

• Your mother’s husband or the male parent is your father. Your father’s wife or the female parent is your mother.
• Parents play a key role in a family and are also our first teachers in life.
• They teach their children various life skills and help them in education and career development.
• They provide both financial and emotional support to their children.
• Parents prepare their kids for future challenges.
• They help them make important decisions and make them self-dependent.

Role of brothers and sisters in a family:

• Brothers and sisters are called siblings and form an integral part of a family.
• They grow together in the same household and may share common habits, likes, and dislikes.
• During adolescence, elder siblings support younger ones mentally and emotionally.
• One also learns many skills from their siblings.
• We learn to share and care while growing up with siblings.

Know about your extended family:

Uncle and Aunt:

• The brother of your mother or your father is your uncle.
• The wife of your uncle and the sister of your father or mother is your aunt.
• Both uncles and aunts belong to the extended family.
• Your mother’s brother is called maternal uncle, and your maternal uncle’s wife is called maternal aunt.
• Your father’s brother is called paternal uncle, and your paternal uncle’s wife is called paternal aunt.

Cousins:

• We may have a cousin brother or sister but overall, they are called cousins.
• Cousins share the same grandparents or great-grandparents.
• We usually meet our cousins at family functions like weddings and birthday parties and during family get-togethers like family picnics.
• The son of your father’s brother or sister or brother-in-law is your father’s nephew.
• The daughter of your father’s brother or sister or brother-in-law is your father’s niece.

New Words:

Did You Know?

• The study of family history and family relationships is called genealogy.
• The use of a tree to represent the family ancestry started from a piece of art called 'The Tree of Jesse,' which shows the ancestors of Jesus Christ in a tree.