I
wonder who is looking at the meta-structure of the modern family. I
see studies of children in families with multiple parents and
sequential partners, divorces and custody battles, gay couples, single
parents and sperm bank offspring, but the issue is broader than that.
Because Americans move around a great deal in the years from age 18 to
25 and find mates from a a variety of geographic locales we have many
unusual and unexpected consequences.
One consequence I have seen
personally is that In-Laws often never see each other again after the
wedding. Personally and in many families I know intimately, the parents
of the married couple only meet each other at the wedding and rarely or
never meet again. This is a far cry from tradition.
Family
dynamics by my estimate are positive in less than half of all cases.
The majority of people I know view their family as dysfunctional, and
they are only talking about parents and children.
Grandparents
can be a release valve for families and children and can be a
stabilizing force. What is the consequence of simply being too far apart to play much of a role in the lives of the offspring and
grandchildren?
What are the consequences?