The traditional family in today's society is rather a fantasy, a fairy tale without a happy ending. Everyone belongs to a family, but the ideology around which the family is built is telling. Family structures have undeniably changed, moving away from the conventional family model. Today, more and more mothers are working outside the home, more and more fathers are being asked to help with household chores, and more and more women are choosing to have children alone. Today, there are families where a father and a mother live in the same house, blended families and families which only have a mother or a father. Families made up of two moms or two dads are probably the most scrutinized. These are all examples of families and if all members are happy and healthy, then these families are fine and should definitely be accepted. So why is the fantasy of the traditional family model still so emphasized in our society? This expectation is degrading and misleading. As we progress over time, one should not be criticized or shunned for being true to one's beliefs. It is those who live in error, who live the way society thinks they should, who are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there was more care and concern for happiness and peace within the family and less concern for the neighbor, there would be fewer dilemmas. Stephanie Coontz, author of The Evolution of Matrimony: The Changing Social Context of Marriage, writes that there have been more changes in marriage in the last 30 years than in the previous 3,000 years. With these changes, there are no religious or cultural exclusions. Coontz asserts, "This is America's Bible Belt where some of the highest rates of divorce and unwed motherhood exist in the country, and born-again Christians are middle of paper...family ideology and the refusal to accept those who fall outside this parameter, a point of view which is worrying. It is those who live in error, who live the way society thinks they should, who are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if we focused more on happiness and peace within the family and less worry about the neighbor, there would be fewer dilemmas. Works Cited Selzer, Jack and Dominic Delli Carpini, eds. Reading conversations for writing. 7th ed.New York: Pearson, 2009. Print.Coontz, Stephanie. “The Evolution of Marriage: The Changing Social Context of Marriage.” Selzer and Delli Carpini 445-450Hite, Shere. “Bringing democracy home.” Selzer and Delli Carpini 477-484Nock, Steven L. “The Marriage Problem.” Selzer and Delli Carpini 445-450Straus, Jillian. “Lone Stars: Being Single.” Selzer and Delli Carpini 451-459