What Is “Family", Mama?

Summary

A mother thoughtfully explains the concept of family to her child during a playful moment in the park, emphasizing the emotional bond over traditional definitions.

Abstract

During a day at the park, a mother is tasked with explaining the concept of family to her curious child amidst the backdrop of the pandemic, which requires families to maintain a "family bubble." The mother reflects on the diverse forms families can take in modern society and likens them to interconnected leaves on a tree, each reaching for the sun while sharing common roots. She concludes that family transcends blood relations or shared living experiences, defining it as a living, growing emotion and a shared belief. In a moment of inspiration, she illustrates her definition by drawing a heart in the sand with figures inside, spelling out "F.A.M.I.L.Y" to represent "For Always More I Love You." The child's subsequent question about the meaning of love prompts a joyful, affectionate response from the mother, who lifts him into the air, exemplifying love through action.

Opinions

The author suggests that the traditional family structure is not the sole definition of family, acknowledging the diversity of family units in contemporary society.
The mother's comparison of families to a tree with leaves reaching for the sun implies that individual family members can pursue their own growth while remaining connected to their roots.
The mother believes that family is defined by emotional connections and shared beliefs rather than genetic ties or shared domesticity.
The act of drawing a heart in the sand to visually represent the concept of family indicates the mother's belief in the power of simple, tangible expressions of complex ideas.
The mother's reaction to the child's follow-up question about love—lifting and hugging him—demonstrates her opinion that love is best understood through actions and experiences rather than verbal explanations.
The mother's internal struggle to articulate her thoughts and her eventual moment of clarity reflects the idea that profound truths can be challenging to convey but are deeply satisfying when successfully communicated.

For Always More I Love You 💞

“Child playing in sand,” photo by Lilie Kaizen

The mother and her child were playing in the sand, when others families came to enjoy the park too. They needed to respect their “family bubble” due to the pandemic isolation measures. The mom was trying to explain this concept in simple terms, which prompted her child to ask her with curiosity: “What is ‘family,’ mama?”

The woman stopped for an instant to think about how to answer her child’s question. Her first instinct was to describe a traditional family organization, but she thought of how nowadays, many families are reconstituted when people remarried after divorced or how two people of the same sex can now raise children together.

She looked around for inspiration. Maybe families are similar to trees, where each leaf is reaching out for the sun without overshadowing the other leaves, knowing about their common roots. As the tree raises them to new heights, those leaves help the tree grow taller like parents raising their children.

Family. It’s more than blood or genes. It’s more than habits or knowledge. It’s more than sleeping under the same roof or eating around the same table. It’s more than sharing time together.

It’s a living and growing emotion, thoughts to which we agreed instinctively and consciously. It’s a feeling and belief we share.

Children are born from family and grow up to define their own “me”, but family can’t be “I”. Family starts when “we” come to life. Family is created by what is between “us”.

That might be too philosophical to explain to a toddler.

After a few moments of pondering while looking at the people playing in the park, the clever mom came to an illumination. A stroke of genius. She drew in the sand a group of people inside a heart and wrote “family” next to it. Then she said with a triumphant smile:

“It’s exactly how it is spelled: Family

For Always More

I Love You F.A.M.I.L.Y."

There you go! She went on walking, proud of her answer to a difficult question. Ah, that feeling of the deep satisfaction of a job well done! After a few steps, she realized her child was still sitting deep in his thoughts, looking at her drawings in the sand.

He finally raised his head and stood up to look at her mom with his big wondering eyes. He asked with all the seriousness a toddler has with any important question:

“Mama, what’s “love”?”

She stood there, her brain frozen at that new, unexpected question. She couldn’t help smiling, looking at her puzzled child.

She suddenly laughed and picked up her child to swing him in the air before catching him back to hug him close against her heart. Their shared laughs filled the air. She answered: “Love, it’s what is between you and me.” 💞

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What Is “Family," Mama?

For Always More I Love You 💞