Jared Powelson (jarrpowe@mars.utm.edu) from 10.100.9.6 at 10/26/01 02:52PM
comment
    Southern families are more than just small nuclear families that consist of a group of people living in a household. They go far beyond mom, dad, brother, and sister. Aunts, uncles, and cousins are all a part of them, but to limit the definition of a southern family to just blood relatives would go against the friendly and warm "Southern Hospitality" that those of us living in the South are known for. To define a Southern family, you must look at all the people that a Southerner treats like family. Anyone that would get an invitation to a cookout or party or could get a hand at fixing their truck or mending a broken fence would be considered a part of a Southerner's family. The way I see it, a southern family is not just a mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins; it's neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow church members, etc that enjoy each other's company and care enough about each other to help out in times of need. It's just as common in the South for neighboring farmers to share a meal after spending hours rounding up loose cattle or congregations to have a church picninc as it is for a family to meat a grandma's for chicken and dumplings. That's the funny thing about Southerners; friends get treated as family, and family get treated like friends. The line between the two is very blurry. It's no wonder Southern families are typically so big.