Joint Families
If you've followed my blog for very long, you probably know my husband travels for work. His work schedule is chaotic. He has extremely busy seasons and then quiet seasons. (Check out his blog to hear how he balances traveling for work and a family). When he's gone, the kids and I keep ourselves very busy. Before you start thinking I plan out my days with super fun, structured activities... remember I have three boys under four. Most days you will find me chasing after them, picking up swords, trying to explain to them why they can't ride our dog like a dragon, and trying to convince my middle child to keep his clothes on. It's naturally jam packed. Luckily, I don't have to do it alone. I haven't had to for most of my kid's lives. We've usually had my brother in law, father in law, or one of my family members close by to help. While everyone understands how great it is to have some extra help with the kids, some people thought it was strange we invited family members to live with us at different times. It has never been a strange concept to me. I grew up with my aunts and mom living with my grandparents off and on and I've seen the roommate dynamic a lot. The more I talked to my American friends, I realized it wasn't common for them. They thought it was strange that we would live with family after we got married. Why not? We had just purchased a big house and had the space. Why not fill it up with family. My aunt has always been the same way. Her house is constantly open for her family to come and stay. In fact I can't remember a time in the last four years that only her family lived in her house. The more I researched it and thought about it, I realized my friends were the exception. Joint families are extremely common right now. What is a joint family you may be thinking... A joint family is where parents and their kids live with additional family members such as siblings, grandparents, and in laws. A joint family dynamic is different than a typical family dynamic. Joint families function as a single unit. The oldest couple is typically in charge, unless they let the couple younger than they take the authority. For example grandparents allowing their oldest child and spouse. Everyone in the family contributes financially and around the house. They combine their money and use it for the family. When I thought about this, I figured the US wouldn't have very many joint families. Wow. I was wrong. In 2003, there were 79 million joint families. This is one thing that Americans have in common with other countries. Joint families are becoming more common around the world every day. Children in joint families tend to feel very secure and confidant in who they are. They have family members all around them encouraging them and helping to raise them. They usually don't have the same financial strains smaller families do. This is because joint families tend to have multiple family members working and contributing to the finances. I don't think there's anyway to say which type of family is better, joint family or nuclear family, but I will say I've learned how great joint families are.
Have you ever seen a joint family? Did the family work well together?
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