Why traditional families still matter

By Kevin Finn

In the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, there’s a voice-over, intended to be heartwarming, from Robin Williams’s character.  It’s in response to a child who is upset that her parents are divorcing.  It goes like this:

You know, some parents, when they’re angry, they get along much better when they don’t live together. They don’t fight all the time, and they can become better people, and much better mummies and daddies for you.

And sometimes they get back together.  And sometimes they don’t, dear.  And if they don’t, don’t blame yourself.  Just because they don’t love each other anymore, doesn’t mean that they don’t love you.

There are all sorts of different families, Katie.  Some families have one mommy, some families have one daddy (or two daddies, or two mommies!) or two families.  And some children live with their uncle or aunt.  Some live with their grandparents, and some children live with foster parents.  And some live in separate homes, in separate neighborhoods, in different areas of the country — and they may not see each other for days, or weeks, months…even years at a time.  But if there’s love, dear…those are the ties that bind, and you’ll have a family in your heart, forever.

That sounds nice.  No one wants to see a child, or anyone else, living in a house where the adults are fighting all the time.  So maybe it’s better if the parents just split up.  As of 2021, the divorce rate was approximately 2.5 per 1,000 people, and about 41% of first marriages are estimated to end in divorce.  This figure appears to be relatively stable.

In 1970, the marriage rate was approximately 76 marriages per 1,000 people.  By 2022, this rate had dropped to about 31.3 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women, marking a 54% decline since 1900.

So fewer marriages are occurring, and of the ones that do occur, 41% end in divorce.  Does that mean we should take Mrs. Doubtfire’s advice and welcome alternative family structures?  Do they deserve consideration for their adaptability and inclusivity?

full story at https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/08/why_traditional_families_still_matter.html

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