As societal-norms evolve, a variety of popular entertainment media (books, movies, TV shows, etc.) feature stories of characters who are a part of traditional and non-traditional family or relationship structures. Examples include but are not limited to: traditional families, cohabitation, single-parent households, blended families, same-sex couples, and grandparents as the primary care-givers for their grandchildren.
In a 3-page paper, written in APA format using proper spelling/grammar, address the following:
Describe a book, movie, or TV show that you are familiar with which features characters in families or personal relationships.

Select at least two families/relationships from your chosen story and explain the relationship characteristics and dynamics between individuals.

Apply terminology presented within the module when analyzing the relationships. Be sure to include APA citations for any resources you used as references.  Human Growth and Development Portrayal of Families and Relationships Essay

Human Growth and Development- Portrayal of Families and Relationships

Introduction

As the societal norms evolve, various common entertainment media continue to feature stories of characters that portray different family or relationship structures such as traditional families, single-parent households, same-sex couples, blended families, etc (Chambers, 2016). The spread of these types of relationships and family structures has significantly affected the way society views the family life. The society is steadily accepting the diverse family setups and the social changes that have taken place in the family structure.

The Selected Film

The selected film is Parenthood. This is an American drama film directed by Ron Howard. Diverse family issues are covered in the film. The rationale for selecting this Parenthood is because the film represents numerous trials and tribulations that families encounter and also the common family dynamics (Steenburgen et al., 2012). The main character in Parenthood film is Gil Buckman, a 35-yeard old man of three children. Gil is a sales executive while the wife Karen is a stay-at-home mother. Gil tries so much to balance between career life and family life, where at home he struggles to be a good father. However, he feels like a poor father because his older son Kevin lacks confidence and has emotional problems while his other children Justin and Taylor also have issues. Gil is not happy when the wife becomes pregnant with the third child and fears if he would be able to handle the financial burden that comes with a bigger family. Gil does not want to become the type of father his own father was (callous, unavailable, and distant). Gil’s brother and the youngest in Robards’ family is the black sheep of the family and a liar and a compulsive gambler, yet his father tries to keep hope alive for him. Gil’s sister (Helen Buckman) is raising a moody teenage son and a very independent-minded daughter, without any help from her financially well-up ex-husband. The ex-husband is more interested and preoccupied with his new wife and family and does not care about his first family which makes Helen Buckman (ex-wife) very bitter (Steenburgen et al., 2012).

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

There is also a family of Rick who is a very dedicated father and obsessed with his children becoming a genius. One of the daughters is a genius but does not do socially. Basically, both the family of Gil and Rick go trough joys, struggles, hardships, and good times when trying to raise their children. Moreover, in each family, we see the rebellious teenagers, the laidback child, and the black sheep of the family as well (Steenburgen et al., 2012). Human Growth and Development Portrayal of Families and Relationships Essay

The Selected Families/Relationships

The selected family families/relationships include the family of Gil Buckman and the family of Helen Buckman. Gil Buckman is married to Karen Buckman and they represent the typical American nuclear family where both parents are available together with their children (Steenburgen et al., 2012). This is the traditional family set-up that includes the father, mother, and children. According to Brown et al (2015), a traditional family set up is a family structure that includes the man, woman, and child (children). In the majority of traditional families, the woman and man are a wife and a husband respectively. In the traditional family, the husband and the father is the head of the family and plays the role of providing resources like money, food, housing and clothing for all family members (Brown et al., 2015). The mother and the wife is normally the home-maker. This is portrayed in the family set up within the film where Gil as the head of the family works very hard as an executive salesman and tries to be a good father. On the other hand, Karen Buckman is a housewife in the film.

On the other hand, Helen Buckman represents single-parent households. Single-parent families include the families having children aged below 18 years headed by a divorced, widowed, separate and not remarried, or by a parent who never got married. In this film, Helen Buckman represents single-parenthood in society. Helen is a divorcee who is very bitter about her ex-husband and also weary but at the same time very determined to raise her two children single-handedly. Helen represents the single-parent households that are becoming very common in the US. The struggles Helen goes through as a single-mother indicates the challenges that single-parents go through while raising the children on their own (Richter & Lemola, 2017).

Conclusion

Media is very influential and depicts the various dynamics within families and society as well. The selected film is “Parenthood”. This film represents various family dynamics including the traditional family (Gil Buckman married to Karen Buckman). Gil family has three children and they face various challenges while raising their children.  Buckman represents the single-parent households as she struggles to raise her two children alone without the help of her ex-husband.

References

Brown, S. L., Manning, W. D., & Stykes, J. B. (2015). Family Structure and Child Well-Being: Integrating Family Complexity. Journal of marriage and the family, 77(1), 177–190.

Chambers, D. (2016). Changing media, homes, and households: Cultures, technologies, and meanings. Routledge.

Richter, D., & Lemola, S. (2017). Growing up with a single mother and life satisfaction in adulthood: A test of mediating and moderating factors. PloS one, 12(6).

Steenburgen, J. R., Moranis, R., Hulce, T., Plimpton, M., Reeves, K., & Harley Kozak, E. (2012). Parenthood 14. The Joaquin Phoenix Handbook-Everything you need to know about Joaquin Phoenix, 14.

Human Growth and Development Portrayal of Families and Relationships Essay