The Canadian family is an institution that is constantly changing. What once was the 'norm' is now evolving into something different. A family loves and cares for you, provides you with your basic needs, and teaches you morals and values that influence your opinions on the outside world. On a scale from one to ten (where one is the lowest on the scale), I would rate the family at a 10. I will prove to you that the title of the family has not been misplaced in the cases of single-parent families, childless families, and common-law families.
             A single-parent family doesn't fit the 'norm' of what people assume the average family should be. Whether it is father and child, or mother and child, some would say that's not a real family because society's perception of family includes mother, father, and child all living happily together. Now, if a father is providing food and shelter for his child, teaching his child how to survive in the world, and loving and taking care of his child, then he is fulfilling the duty of a family member that does not mean that the father and the child are not to be considered as a family regardless if the mother is in the picture or not. In the year 2000, there was a total of 16, 135, 523 single parents in Canada (according to Statistics Canada).
             In the past when a couple got married it was assumed that they would have children. In current society, most women are career-oriented and don't have time for babies. Is a couple who chooses not to have children still considered a family? As long as the couple is taking care of each other, working to put food on the table, and keeping a roof over their heads, and provided they are learning from each other's mistakes, then they can still be classified as a family. In 1996, Statistics Canada released that 2,729,775 families were without children.
             Recently many people are beginning to practice common-law marriages. Two people will live together for years and some wi...