Exploding the Myth of the Traditional Family

What kind of family stories are worth telling? For too long, the answer has been painfully limited to families that fit the traditional mold: a married couple raising 2.5 biological kids, while living together under the same (probably middle-class) roof.

But today, most families hardly fit that mold. Fifty percent of American adults are unmarried and 41 percent of children in America are born to unmarried parents. That is an indication that the very concept of family is evolving, as more and more people realize that there are any number of ways to build good and functioning familial units.

Yet, the narrative and emotional pull of the traditional nuclear family continues to exert its influence, thanks in part to conservative forces, like Focus on the Family and the Heritage Foundation, that spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually to promote the false message that the nuclear family, allegedly under threat, must be preserved.

In an effort to push back against the voices dominating discussions of what real families look like, the organization Family Story has taken flight, with the aim of transforming "the way we think and talk about what makes a good family.” Below you’ll find a powerful video the group has just released that lays bare the historical myths about marriage and family that continue to bedevil us, while giving voice to the essential notion that “there's more than one right way to be a family.”

Take a look, and spread the word.

Visit www.familystory.org to learn more about what this organization is doing to change the narrative about what makes a family.