Family systems The word family in the 21st century has a very different meaning than it did 20 or 30 years ago. While in the past the image of a family was that of a nuclear family: a father, a mother, children, and perhaps a pet or two, this image has changed dramatically in several ways. Your view may vary slightly depending on your cultural practices, for example it is common in Hispanic and some Asian cultures to have three generations in one home. These families choose to care for their elderly parents rather than move them into an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. However, all of humanity has a similar vision of what a family system is and what its functions should be. In the 21st century, family systems can be a parent and one or more children, same-sex parents, or even a grandparent in the parent, guardian, or caregiver role. Regardless of the number of adults, gender, or family relationship, a family is a group of people living under the same roof whose life goal is to love and care for each other in a nurturing and supportive environment. Isaiah 14:1 states, “The Lord will show mercy to the people of Jacob and will choose the people of Israel again. He will settle them in their own land, then the non-Israelite people will join the Israelites and become part of Jacob's family. "Feldman (2013) lists many statistics on how families have changed over the years, including: the average family size has dropped from 2.8 to 2.6 people, the number of teenage mothers has decreased but they are still half million per year. The number of single-parent homes has increased and is expected to continue in this direction. The number of children living in... middle of paper... we exemplify God, and our children exemplify their parents, we have followed God's teachings as instructed. Roehlkepartain, et.a. (2006) explains that in the world of educators and psychologists there is a “Spiritual Child Movement”. While they naturally go through the usual developmental stages described by Piaget and Erickson, there has recently been a surge of philosophers researching and writing on this topic. They claim that around the ages of 4-6, children “have the capacity to have spiritual experiences rich and varied that constitute the foundation of their religious, ethical and spiritual development". References Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the lifespan. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc..University, Liberty. (Director). (2014). Parenting [Video].