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Misinterpretation of “Normal” Family Facts

Misinterpretation of “Normal” Family Facts

Thesis Statement: The misrepresentation of facts about the “normal” two-parent family structure in the past is used to justify the inaccurate argument that diverse families today, which do not fit a two-parent model, are abnormal. Comment by Jordan Reuter: A paper should begin with an introduction and lead into the thesis statement. A paper does not start with a thesis statement written separately to start the paper. For helpful tips of structuring a paper, looking at the example papers online will help you.

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the misrepresentation of facts about the “normal” two-parent family structure in the past is used to justify the inaccurate argument that diverse families today, which do not fit a two-parent model, are abnormal. The social roles are learned over time and are subjected to both facts and misinterpretations. Andrew Cherlin in his article chapter two reveals how family facts shifted from undifferentiated family systems from ancient times to the current structure of diverse family forms. Cherlin (Chapter 2, page 16) of chapter two of his article reveals how people started departing from the dominant structure of the nuclear family. Steven Mints in his article chapter six, page six reveals how misinterpretations of the family are created which starts from childhood which is a social and cultural construct. In the past, there were several factors which primarily impacted by female power of earning. The shifting of parental attitudes in the 18th century changed the social and family role where people started interpreting family differently hence change the norm. The stability of the family has been exceptional in American history as revealed by (Steven Mintz, chapter 6, p. 60). Comment by Jordan Reuter: Lead the reader into the thesis statement by writing your introduction information first. The introduction paragraph should end with a thesis statement to lead the reader into the rest of the paper. Comment by Jordan Reuter: I am not sure what this sentence is referring to. What social roles? Comment by Jordan Reuter: Are you citing Cherlin’s 2015 piece or the chapter from the textbook? Comment by Jordan Reuter: in Comment by Jordan Reuter: the textbook? Comment by Jordan Reuter: Mintz Comment by Jordan Reuter: His chapter is focused on the idea of “Childhood” in America, not the misrepresentation of families. Comment by Jordan Reuter: This paragraph lacks a clear focus. Each paragraph should start with a clear topic sentence, and the rest of the information in that paragraph should directly connect to that topic sentence. Start with an introduction to give the reader enough background information, then build the rest of the paper on supporting arguments or pieces of your thesis statement.

Cherlin’s articles challenge us to check the accuracy of facts critically and understand how people interpret relationships and family. Cherlin reveals in his article that many children are growing up in single-parent families or living in a household that does not have two parents married to one another hence creating a venue for misinterpretation about the facts about the normal of the two-parent family. Steven Mintz in chapter two of his article admits the aspects of childhood including relationships with peers and parents have drastically changed for the last four centuries hence affecting the structure of the family by creating misinterpretation of the "normal" of a two-parent family structure. The articles reveal that the history of the family that is the two-parent family has not been genuine, steady, and progress because children had to strive and fight for certain specific social, economic, and political constraints in the early stages of as well as their historical period. The children had to struggle with family instability, increasing disconnection with adults. Comment by Jordan Reuter: Unclear phrasing Comment by Jordan Reuter: Word choice – “admits” does not fit here. Comment by Jordan Reuter: I am not completely understanding your connection here. The changing social and cultural ideas of “childhood” were not the cause of the misinterpretation of families.

There are some misrepresentations of facts associated with families (Cherlin, chapter 2, p. 19). The present and past family structure create room to explain inaccurate statements about working mothers and how they should respond to the partners. The first is related to the need to view working mothers in a manner that is consistent with one's religious beliefs. For example, this need for consistency can explain why most misinterpretations of facts are designed and adopted in families (Mintz p. 61). When the facts towards marriage are misinterpreted it then turns to be a symbol of the issue in crisis or dispute. Cherlin reveals that marriage does not offer significant federal benefits and federal returns should be filed by the married couples only (Cherlin p. 15). The children who are raised by a two-parent family appear to be different in terms of behavior, attitudes, perception, and characters compared to those raised by a single parent as revealed by psychologists. The psychologists reveal that boys that are raised by mothers alone may fail to develop gender role or sex-role identity (Mintz, chapter 6, p. 61). Comment by Jordan Reuter: Where is this coming from? Comment by Jordan Reuter: Cherlin does not say this! Cherlin states, “Clearly, marriage does provide important federal benefits. Only married couples can file their federal tax returns jointly…” Your sentence here misinterprets Cherlin’s writing by stating the opposite of what Cherlin wrote. Comment by Jordan Reuter: Mintz writes about early psychological thought on parenting. These are no longer supported by science! Comment by Jordan Reuter: Citation

The misinterpretations of the fact about family especially the two-parent family structure in the past is commonly used to justify inaccurate arguments about the diverse family which does not fit in the two-parent model is abnormal. The American family in the past did not consider social needs for instance when their married partners died, they could remarry without the involvement of the church but still accepted by the communities. The children were raised by step parentsstepparents or taken to orphanage homes (Cherlin chapter 1, p. 39-40). The structure of the family is influenced with the pool of the available partners as well as economic status of the partners. The two-family parents may be established because of social, economic, and political reasons which are the same factors that may hinder people from establishing a two -family couple. The social-economic constraints and the number of partners available affects the diverse structure of the family. Comment by Jordan Reuter: In the textbook, pages 39-40 are in Chapter 2.

Priyanka,

I have some specific areas I would like you to focus on for your future papers and if you choose to rewrite this paper:

1. Be sure to read the assigned readings carefully. You misrepresent a lot of the information from those readings in your paper here, and that undermines the strength of your overall argument. See my comments in your paper where you claim findings that are not true or not supported by the readings.

2. Structure your paper is a clear manner such that your paper opens with an introduction that gives the appropriate information and background context to understand your thesis statement. Your introduction paragraph should end with your thesis, and that will lead the reader into the rest of your paper.

3. Each paragraph should have its own topic sentence and focus that directly connects to your thesis statement. Your paragraphs in this paper tend to lose focus, or not have a focus. To write a clear paper, you will want to have paragraphs that each have their own clear topic sentence, and the information you present in each paragraph should directly relate to that topic sentence (i.e., focus). Your topic sentences should be directly connected to your thesis. This organization will give a clear framework for your paper, and it will give the reader a clear idea of what your argument is and the support you have for that argument.

Please reach out to me or come to my office hours if you have any questions about my feedback, or if you have questions on the expectations for these papers.