how to start a essay about your family

Essay about Family: What It Is and How to Nail It

how to start a essay about your family

Humans naturally seek belonging within families, finding comfort in knowing someone always cares. Yet, families can also stir up insecurities and mental health struggles.

Family dynamics continue to intrigue researchers across different fields. Every year, new studies explore how these relationships shape our minds and emotions.

In this article, our dissertation service will guide you through writing a family essay. You can also dive into our list of topics for inspiration and explore some standout examples to spark your creativity.

What is Family Essay

A family essay takes a close look at the bonds and experiences within families. It's a common academic assignment, especially in subjects like sociology, psychology, and literature.

What is Family Essay

So, what's involved exactly? Simply put, it's an exploration of what family signifies to you. You might reflect on cherished family memories or contemplate the portrayal of families in various media.

What sets a family essay apart is its personal touch. It allows you to express your own thoughts and experiences. Moreover, it's versatile – you can analyze family dynamics, reminisce about family customs, or explore other facets of familial life.

If you're feeling uncertain about how to write an essay about family, don't worry; you can explore different perspectives and select topics that resonate with various aspects of family life.

Tips For Writing An Essay On Family Topics

A family essay typically follows a free-form style, unless specified otherwise, and adheres to the classic 5-paragraph structure. As you jot down your thoughts, aim to infuse your essay with inspiration and the essence of creative writing, unless your family essay topics lean towards complexity or science.

Tips For Writing An Essay On Family Topics

Here are some easy-to-follow tips from our essay service experts:

  • Focus on a Specific Aspect: Instead of a broad overview, delve into a specific angle that piques your interest, such as exploring how birth order influences sibling dynamics or examining the evolving role of grandparents in modern families.
  • Share Personal Anecdotes: Start your family essay introduction with a personal touch by sharing stories from your own experiences. Whether it's about a favorite tradition, a special trip, or a tough time, these stories make your writing more interesting.
  • Use Real-life Examples: Illustrate your points with concrete examples or anecdotes. Draw from sources like movies, books, historical events, or personal interviews to bring your ideas to life.
  • Explore Cultural Diversity: Consider the diverse array of family structures across different cultures. Compare traditional values, extended family systems, or the unique hurdles faced by multicultural families.
  • Take a Stance: Engage with contentious topics such as homeschooling, reproductive technologies, or governmental policies impacting families. Ensure your arguments are supported by solid evidence.
  • Delve into Psychology: Explore the psychological underpinnings of family dynamics, touching on concepts like attachment theory, childhood trauma, or patterns of dysfunction within families.
  • Emphasize Positivity: Share uplifting stories of families overcoming adversity or discuss strategies for nurturing strong, supportive family bonds.
  • Offer Practical Solutions: Wrap up your essay by proposing actionable solutions to common family challenges, such as fostering better communication, achieving work-life balance, or advocating for family-friendly policies.

Family Essay Topics

When it comes to writing, essay topics about family are often considered easier because we're intimately familiar with our own families. The more you understand about your family dynamics, traditions, and experiences, the clearer your ideas become.

If you're feeling uninspired or unsure of where to start, don't worry! Below, we have compiled a list of good family essay topics to help get your creative juices flowing. Whether you're assigned this type of essay or simply want to explore the topic, these suggestions from our history essay writer are tailored to spark your imagination and prompt meaningful reflection on different aspects of family life.

So, take a moment to peruse the list. Choose the essay topics about family that resonate most with you. Then, dive in and start exploring your family's stories, traditions, and connections through your writing.

  • Supporting Family Through Tough Times
  • Staying Connected with Relatives
  • Empathy and Compassion in Family Life
  • Strengthening Bonds Through Family Gatherings
  • Quality Time with Family: How Vital Is It?
  • Navigating Family Relationships Across Generations
  • Learning Kindness and Generosity in a Large Family
  • Communication in Healthy Family Dynamics
  • Forgiveness in Family Conflict Resolution
  • Building Trust Among Extended Family
  • Defining Family in Today's World
  • Understanding Nuclear Family: Various Views and Cultural Differences
  • Understanding Family Dynamics: Relationships Within the Family Unit
  • What Defines a Family Member?
  • Modernizing the Nuclear Family Concept
  • Exploring Shared Beliefs Among Family Members
  • Evolution of the Concept of Family Love Over Time
  • Examining Family Expectations
  • Modern Standards and the Idea of an Ideal Family
  • Life Experiences and Perceptions of Family Life
  • Genetics and Extended Family Connections
  • Utilizing Family Trees for Ancestral Links
  • The Role of Younger Siblings in Family Dynamics
  • Tracing Family History Through Oral Tradition and Genealogy
  • Tracing Family Values Through Your Family Tree
  • Exploring Your Elder Sister's Legacy in the Family Tree
  • Connecting Daily Habits to Family History
  • Documenting and Preserving Your Family's Legacy
  • Navigating Online Records and DNA Testing for Family History
  • Tradition as a Tool for Family Resilience
  • Involving Family in Daily Life to Maintain Traditions
  • Creating New Traditions for a Small Family
  • The Role of Traditions in Family Happiness
  • Family Recipes and Bonding at House Parties
  • Quality Time: The Secret Tradition for Family Happiness
  • The Joy of Cousins Visiting for Christmas
  • Including Family in Birthday Celebrations
  • Balancing Traditions and Unconditional Love
  • Building Family Bonds Through Traditions

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Family Essay Example

For a better grasp of the essay on family, our team of skilled writers has crafted a great example. It looks into the subject matter, allowing you to explore and understand the intricacies involved in creating compelling family essays. So, check out our meticulously crafted sample to discover how to craft essays that are not only well-written but also thought-provoking and impactful.

Final Outlook

In wrapping up, let's remember: a family essay gives students a chance to showcase their academic skills and creativity by sharing personal stories. However, it's important to stick to academic standards when writing about these topics. We hope our list of topics sparked your creativity and got you on your way to a reflective journey. And if you hit a rough patch, you can just ask us to ' do my essay for me ' for top-notch results!

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FAQs on Writing an Essay about Family

Family essays seem like something school children could be assigned at elementary schools, but family is no less important than climate change for our society today, and therefore it is one of the most central research themes.

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions on family-related topics. Before you conduct research, scroll through them and find out how to write an essay about your family.

How to Write an Essay About Your Family History?

How to write an essay about a family member, how to write an essay about family and roots, how to write an essay about the importance of family.

Daniel Parker

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

how to start a essay about your family

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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How to Write About Your Family

Last Updated: March 18, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Alexander Peterman, MA . Alexander Peterman is a Private Tutor in Florida. He received his MA in Education from the University of Florida in 2017. This article has been viewed 91,686 times.

Writing about your family can be a daunting task, especially if you are worried about getting your family’s story just right. You may be writing about your family history for a class or for personal reasons. Or you may decide to write about your family and create a personal memoir for publication. You may be writing about your family to practice your English. No matter the method, writing about your family can be a rewarding venture when done right.

Writing a Family History

A sample of a family tree.

  • There are also several online tools you can use to build a family tree. You may then print out the family tree and use it as a guide when writing about your family.

Step 2 Let your family know you are writing about them.

  • For example, you may say to your family, “I want to write about our family because I think we have a valuable story to share with others, a story about perseverance, sacrifice, and joy. I feel like a story like ours is not represented properly right now and I want to try to do it justice.”

Step 3 Ask your family members if you can interview them.

  • Make a point of talking to the older generation in your family, such as grandparents, great aunts, or old family friends. Often, the older generation will have more information on your family history.
  • You may need to interview your family members several times. At first, they might not know what parts of their past are important for your work. Over time, they will get a better sense of what kind of information you're looking for.

Step 4 Look up information about your family in the public records.

  • If you are not sure how to search for your family in the public records, you may ask a reference librarian at your local library for guidance. You may also be able to speak to a representative at the city records office for advice on how to search for information.

Step 5 Create character profiles based on your family members.

  • For example, you may write a character profile for your father by writing, “60 year old Chinese-American man who came to America in the 1920s with his mother. Has a fascination with Chinese culture. Tends to speak up only when spoken to.”
  • Keep in mind that you can share your impressions of your family members when you write about them. Make sure you clarify that you are writing from your perspective and try not to embellish any aspects of your family. You are writing non fiction, after all, not fiction.

Step 6 Identify a conflict or theme in your family history.

  • For example, you may realize that you have always wondered why your father is so estranged from his family and why your grandmother left China in the first place to come to America. You may then use this question to structure and organize your story. You may also research your family with this question in mind.

Step 7 Compile the family history.

  • You may also have several major conflicts throughout the story, such as the time your grandmother ran off to marry your grandfather, or the moment your great-grandmother stepped on the boat to America. Use these conflicts and successes to propel the story forward and make the story engaging.

Step 8 Revise the draft.

  • Keep in mind your family members may have more edits or opinions on the draft than others. Try to accommodate their feedback, as you are writing their family history too. But you should also be willing to argue against their feedback if you think it will be detrimental to the overall story or not in keeping with the facts of the family history.

Writing a Personal Memoir

Step 1 Do research on your family.

  • As you do your research, you should talk to your family about your plans to write a memoir. Let them know that you are researching your family for a book. Discussing the book with them will make the memoir more compelling and give you more information to work with.
  • Keep in mind your family may not all be thrilled at the idea of the memoir at first, especially if they are nervous or worried about certain family details coming to light. Be tactful and patient with your family. Explain to them that you are writing a memoir from your perspective and that there is never one side to any story. Assure them that you'll let them read the final draft before you share it with anyone else.

Step 2 Read examples of personal memoir.

  • Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
  • The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
  • Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
  • Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
  • The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Step 3 Focus on an issue you feel is important in your family.

  • For example, perhaps you notice the theme of assimilation keeps coming up in your research of your family. Or maybe there is the common issue of the women in your family overcoming obstacles to raise their children in America.

Step 4 Make a plot outline

  • A plot diagram contains five parts: the exposition, the inciting incident, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.
  • You can also try using the snowflake method, where you write a one sentence summary of the story, followed by a one paragraph summary, character synopses, and a spreadsheet of scenes.

Step 5 Write about a family memory or experience from your perspective.

  • If you are writing about a memory or experience that is difficult to confront, such as a memory of abuse or neglect from a family member, you may need to write several drafts of the memory. Take your time and try to focus on sensory details in the memory. Be honest about how you feel about the memory on the page and don't be afraid to dig deep.

Step 6 Revise your first draft.

  • You should ask yourself several questions as you revise, including: Do the characters in the story feel like fair representations of my real family? What's the conflict or theme of the story? Is it conveyed in a meaningful way? Do I need to include more reflections on my family from my perspective?

Step 7 Get feedback on the draft from family and colleagues.

  • Depending on what you write, some of your family members may be upset or unsettled by your story. This may occur if you are writing about a family secret or a difficult period in your family’s history. You should be prepare to defend or explain the choices you made in your story to your family members.
  • You may also get feedback on the draft from close family friends or colleagues that you are close to. If you are looking for professional guidance on your draft, you may enroll in a writing workshop that focuses on non fiction and memoir writing. You may then get valuable feedback on your draft from other writers who are also exploring their family history.
  • You may be able to find non fiction writing groups online or at your local college or university. If you have friends or colleagues who have experience writing memoir, you may approach them and ask if they’d be willing to start a writing group.

Writing About Your Family to Practice English

Step 1 Use a writing prompt.

  • For example, you may use a prompt like: “Think about your favorite family memory. Why is it your favorite? How did your family members make that moment special?”
  • As part of the prompt, you could pretend you are talking to someone you just met who asked you to tell them about your family.

Step 2 Create a first draft.

  • For example, you may write: “Let me tell you about my family. I have a mother, a father, two brothers, and one sister. We also have a dog named Pepper. We all live together in a house in Reno, Nevada. We have lived in the house since I was born. After they were married, my mother and my father moved to the house to start a family.”

Step 3 Show the draft to others and revise it.

  • You may end up adding in more details into the draft based on your teacher’s feedback. By the end of the revision process, you should have a strong, completed draft that showcases your English skills.

Community Q&A

Tom De Backer

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  • ↑ https://thewritepractice.com/tell-stories-and-keep-families/
  • ↑ https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Writing_Your_Family_and_Personal_History
  • ↑ https://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jul02/writing-a-non-boring-family-history-7024
  • ↑ https://www.genealogy.com/articles/research/74_sharon.html
  • ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-nonfiction/3-rules-on-writing-about-your-family
  • ↑ https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/a1-writing/about-my-family

About This Article

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essay about family

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A family essay falls under the category of personal essays. Teachers assign these types of essays to see how well students can share their family stories. When writing this type of essay, students should find the right words to convey their perspectives on family values and traditions. The goal is to voice the thoughts on the love that exists within a family. Here, you can  talk about the strong bonds tha  exist between close relatives or share your favorite memories of spending time with your parents and siblings. The main purpose of writing family essays is to tell how it is important to people today to create a unit of society building it on good values. An A-grade essay should include the information about the culture of a family as a separate unit and a family as a part of the society. This isn’t a piece of cake, is it? Crafting this kind of theme essay , it is necessary to have a clear understanding of how to present all topics related to family living. Do you find it difficult to tell about your family on 1-2 pages? Study the effective tips and samples before you get started.  

The Effective Tips for Writing an Essay on Family Topics

Most students think that writing an essay about family is easy. It is not! The topic that may seem simple may turn out to be enough complex; keep in mind that such personal essay has its own structure you should stick to. As with any other academic assignment, it consists of three parts: an introduction, the main body, and the conclusion. Before you start composing your essay, you are recommended to check the tips below. Only being well-informed of all peculiarities and distinctive features of this kind of work, you will be able to make the process of writing really effective. So, let's get started!  

  • Start with the interesting fact about your family. Your task is to attract the reader's attention. Brainstorm several introduction ideas and choose the one that sounds really eye-catching.
  • Write a strong thesis statement. You should write a couple of sentences, which would reflect the main idea of your work. Make it powerful in order for the reader to have a wish to find out what you are going to tell about. It states the major points of your paper that have a great influence on the evaluation of your essay.
  • Conduct research and provide the background information on your family; this kind of essay requires sharing some background information that really matters.
  • Write 3 paragraphs of the main body. This part is the development of actions and ideas; you should explain what a family means to you personally and what the importance of a family to the group or society is. Don't forget to provide arguments to every point.
  • Write a strong essay conclusion . Finally, summarize all ideas provided in your work and support the thesis that you have written in the introductory part.
  • Proofread the finished paper before you submit it. Don't just close your paper. It is not time to relax! You need to take the final step - check whether there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. Reread your essay and edit it with our Grammar Corrector , if necessary. While reading loudly, you are likely to have a wish to make some changes. Don't hesitate to make them as only the well-written paper that sounds creative and original deserves an A-grade.

Family Definition Essay

The family is the closest and most loved people. To my mind, the family plays the most important role in the life of every person. Since birth, we are surrounded by the most beloved people - this is Mom and Dad; they teach us everything. Walking, talking, dressing, etc. They take care of our health, teach to be kind and positive. In a good family, relationships are based on trust. Here, everyone loves one another, all members respect one another, try to understand and are always ready to help, whatever happens. It seems to me that all people dream of a happy family. Each family member should take a lot of efforts; you need to be able to listen. Without mutual understanding, there will never be a good relationship between a wife and a husband, kids and parents. You can never take one another in the family for granted. Often, there are quarrels and conflicts, and we hurt our relatives and offend them. We are not in a hurry to apologize, because they are the relatives - they will understand; it should never be like this. In a family, you should never forget about the meaning of politeness and try to always be kind and gentle with your loved ones. A family is a joint cooperation. Parents are those people who are ready to give advice. Mom helps me in any life situation. They will help with the choice of profession, and with the choice of attire for the first date. “Family” - this is a special world, where everything is dear and beloved. This is the best and most comfortable place on earth where the love of close people is stronger than any nuclear power, regardless of the hard times.

If it seems too difficult and you are lloking for someone who will " write my essay for me cheap ", there is no better academic service than StudyCrumb. Our proficient writers are always ready to complete your family essay following your requirements. 

Family Traditions Essay

My family is very friendly, that's why we have long established excellent family traditions, which we all love. Common traditions are interesting and fascinating actions that are taken from year to year. They may vary from family to family. We have a very good and interesting tradition in the peculiarities of celebrating the New Year. For the whole month, my parents and I draw cards with the dates of the last month of the outgoing year: from the first of December to the thirty-first of December. We hang these cards on a long rope in the living room, having previously decorated each of them with original drawings. We draw various winter plots: snowflakes, snowmen, Christmas toys, frosty windows and so on. All bright cards with dates are in a place of honor and the fun begins. Each card is a specific task, which must be performed on that day, the number of which is marked on it. On the 1st of December, we draw a traditional picture on winter themes, make homemade Christmas toys on December 2, and play New Year games on the 3d of December. We have the following interesting tasks. Mother and grandparents cook a holiday cake, I and my sister decorate our room for the holiday, cut out snowflakes and paste them on the windows. There are tasks that need to be done outside: to make a snowman, to walk in the winter forest on skis, to go to the ice rink for the whole family, to make a snow fortress, and play snowballs. And so we spend every day of the outgoing month. We are very fond of such an interesting tradition and we follow it every year. And the expectation of the New Year becomes for us a fabulous, unusual and wonderful holiday. Such warm and good traditions have always united families.

Family Values Essay

In the modern world, the institution of family values is often distorted. Previously, the family was valued above all, being the basic one to every human. It was built on respect and mutual assistance, on the transfer of life principles and experience to the younger generation. Now, unfortunately, many families fall apart because of small things. People do not know how to listen to each other. Personal interests are higher than family ones. To family values, it is possible to carry the general outlook, that is the point of view on life, death, life, religion, rights, community, etc. The distribution of roles in the family - everyone should be in his/her own place: father, mother, children. No one of the family should shift their responsibilities to other members. Family values include traditions and rules of behavior. So, we can conclude that family values are everything that unites us in the family, everything that we are ready to defend. The family is called a social cell. The purpose of a family, a part of a society, is to educate worthy members of the society. Every family has its own values, they cannot be the same. I think that if a family is healthy and strong, it will 100% give its members everything necessary for a decent life and will always be a support in difficult life situations.

College Essays About Family

The family is the foundation of our society. Once, my parents fell in love with each other and decided to get married. And in a few years after their marriage, my mom gave birth to me and my sister. We will become adults ourselves and create our own families. A real family is more than just being relatives. This is a special relationship to each other, love, mutual respect, help. Each person is unique and indispensable. These are grandmother's tales and tasty pies, it's my mother's care, Dad's help, and attention. Your house is a home where your family lives and where you want to come back always. In a family, even your pet is considered a full member. Everyone dreams of a happy family. But it depends on us, on how much we are willing to invest our efforts in it, on our daily impact. After all, this is a personal relationship between people of different generations, views, and beliefs, which are forced to constantly resolve everyday issues together. There are conflicts and disputes. But I think the most important thing is to respect each other. The main mistake of people in family relations, in my opinion, is that they begin to take each other for granted. They stop being afraid to offend, to hurt. I love all my relatives, including cousins, and those who live far from me. Native people are a gift of destiny, which we must appreciate. And the family is our reliable shelter in a big, not always friendly world. And each of us must necessarily contribute to the happiness of his or her family.

Essay About Family Love

I would like to tell you about my loving family where everyone admires and respects one another. My parents have a very romantic story of the first meeting. They still laugh when reminding of that day. My mom was working as a nurse in the hospital and my dad was her patient. She said that he was very shy but he offered her to have a cup of coffee. How do you think she replied? Sure, she said “Yes” because she fell in love with my dad from the first sight as he was a very handsome young man. She wasn’t single long and became his wife in a year. He was from another country but stayed with mom and didn’t go away. Now, he is still handsome and sporty. He goes to the gym, works a lot, and regardless of all the things to do, he always finds time for his family, me, mom, and my younger sister who is a middle-school student. I love both parents very much as thanks to their love I got such a great opportunity to live this beautiful life and give life to the future generation. I think that we need to show our close people how we love them not only on the Thanksgiving Day and on Christmas. We need to do this daily to form a happy family.. I do my best to demonstrate my love to my dad, mom, and my sister, who is my best friend. We have a lot of family traditions, among which is spending all weekends and summer holidays together, dining at one table, and sharing the great family experience. I think that there is no stronger affection than the love you feel for your family members. This is the love that never ends! Doesn't matter what may happen, I will always love my dear mom, my best dad, and my kid sister.

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Write an Essay about Family: From Introduction to Conclusion

Write an Essay about Family: From Introduction to Conclusion

Essay about the Family

Essay about the Family

Students have to write essays for a variety of goals. Often, students fail when asked to write about simple topics such as a friend, a hobby, or even their family.

It is due to a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of essay writing. Furthermore, few people anticipate that they may have to write such essays.

how to start a essay about your family

However, college is not all about research and analysis. Occasionally, students have to write easy essays to evaluate their mastery of the fundamentals. When it comes to style and arrangement, a family essay shares the same characteristics as other essays.

People Also Read: Essay Writing Topics with Answers:21 Examples in English

Why is Family a Good Topic for An Essay

a family

Writing a family essay should be straightforward, but you must be well-prepared with the necessary material. Know what to put in your body.

Decide how much personal information about your family you are willing to share.

However, a family essay is both a personal and a narrative essay and can also be challenging. 

On a personal level, you talk about your family, and on a narrative level, you briefly narrate your family to your audience.

When writing a family essay, it is important to determine what facts to include and what information to leave out. It keeps you from boring your audience by going into further detail. You should avoid revealing a lot of information about your family.

Think about your place in the family when writing a family essay. Are you the oldest, youngest, or somewhere in between? What this means to you and how it affects your family.

You have fun while explaining the family traditions that make you unique. Each family has a tradition that they enjoy observing and enhances their closeness.

Touch on the responsibilities or functions of each member of the family. You primarily discuss the kind of obligations that each family member has based on their age. Finally, explain how the responsibilities are handled and who is in charge of ensuring their fulfillment.

You can bring up family issues such as incompatible marriages and other disagreements that arise in any family.

Explain how your family handles such situations and how you restore communication within the family in a few words. This is a challenging topic to broach, but it is critical to your essay’s success. Do you have any family members of a different ethnicity or some who are not your blood relatives? Do you communicate with your relatives?

Explain your extended family’s relationship with you and what brings you together the most.

Consider your family bonding time. When do you spend time as a family bonding?

Describe how you and your family work together to make special occasions memorable. You can highlight family when writing about people who inspire you.

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How to Write an Essay About Family

1. explain your topic about family.

writing about a family

Provide a brief background, context, or a narrative about your topic.

Describe where your subject is right now. Compare and contrast the past with the present. You can also tell a bad story or one that is based on gossip.

Retell the tale or the definition or explanation you provided with an uplifting end.

2. Craft your Thesis About the Family

 Begin your paper with a compelling hook, such as a thought-provoking quotation. It serves to attract the audience’s attention and pique interest in your essay.

You should also come up with a thesis statement that is appropriate for your target audience. The thesis statement serves as a fast summary of your essay’s contents.

The introduction allows you to provide the reader with a formal presentation of your work. The section should stand out to grab the attention of your readers. Alternately, you may give a brief, straightforward explanation of the problem you have will discuss throughout your family essay.

This section also summarizes the approach you use to study the issue.

Moreover, it lays out the structure and organization of the body of the paper and the prospective outcomes. You never have a second chance to make a good first impression, so a well-written introduction is critical.

Your readers form their first perceptions of your logic and writing style in the first few paragraphs of your work.

This section helps in determining whether your conclusions and findings are accurate. A sloppy, chaotic, or mistake-filled introduction will give a poor first impression.

A concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will get the audience to respect your analytical talents, writing style, and research approach. Close with a paragraph that summarizes the paper’s structure.

3. Write your Arguments About Family

 Expand the major themes into individual paragraphs to form the body of your essay. The thesis statement establishes the foundation of your argument. Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that includes a clear and concise explanation as well as details about your family.

This will allow your audience to learn more about you and your family.

Use transition sentences to let your readers know when you are introducing a new point in your argument. Cover each facet of your argument in a different paragraph or section, if your essay is lengthy. You should also logically discuss them, making connections where possible. Support your case by referencing previous studies.

Depending on your topic, you may use existing studies or experimental data, such as a questionnaire for evidence to support each claim. Without proof, all you have is an unsupported allegation.

4. Recognize Counter-Arguments

 Consider the other side of the argument. It enables you to anticipate objections to your perspective, which bolsters your case. Your objective is to persuade the reader to accept the recommendations or claims made in your essay.

Knowing what you are suggesting and how your arguments support it will make it easier to express yourself appropriately.

Make a strong conclusion based on what you have learned so far. It is crucial to conclude your essay by explaining how the evidence you have presented backs up your claim. Also, illustrate how each point adds to the broader argument.

Everything in your paper must support your main point, from the literature review to the conclusion.

family members

5. Cite and Reference

 Many academically approved citations forms exist, including MLA, APA, Chicago, and others.

You can choose from the popular styles or ask your institution which one they prefer. There is no need to quote information that is commonly known.

Facts and common knowledge have no copyright protection; thus, you can use them freely. Each citation in the text should correspond to the bibliography or reference list at the end of your essay.

What Do You Think About Family

What is your side.

Family should signify a unity of acceptance, joy, love, unconditional sacrifices, and support. It rests on a continuum of resilience and humility from previous, current, and future generations.

what is the other people’s side

Family means something different to each of us, yet it is one of the core values. It starts with respect for and appreciation for others, regardless of their age, where they are, where they came from, how capable, who they love, their experiences, how healthy they are, etc.

Community, sisterhood, and brotherhood are all aspects of family.

People Also Read: Writing a 400 Word Essay: Length and How to write it Well

9 Examples of Essay Topics About Family

  • The American Family: Decrease in Family Size and Its Historical Factors
  • The Impact of Divorce and Separation on Family Relationships
  • Building Family and Community Relationships
  • Family`s Factors Shaping Children`s Behavior
  • Healthy Marriage and Family Relationships
  • Family History Role in Primary Health Care
  • Family Happiness Definition and Aspects
  • Changing Gender Roles in Families
  • Divorce and Single-Parent Families

Josh Jasen

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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620 Family Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Explore a wide variety of topics about family members, love, values, and more.

👨‍👩‍👦 Family Essay Structure

🏆 best family topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on family.

  • 🎓 Simple & Easy Family Essay Titles

📌 Family Writing Prompts

  • ⭐ Interesting Topics to Write about Family
  • 🥇 Most Interesting Family Topics to Write about

❓ Essay Questions About Family

As a student, you are likely to get an assignment to write about the importance of relationships. That’s why you can be in need of a good friends and family topic. In this case, you’ve found the right page. Our experts have prepared a list of ideas related to the subject.

Writing a family essay is an easy way to boost your grade and explore the things that matter to you. However, to get a high grade on this assignment, it is essential to structure your paper well. Essays that are organized logically will help you to stand out from the crowd and earn your tutor’s appreciation. Here are some tips on structuring family essays:

1⃣ Narrow down the topic

If your professor didn’t provide a set of topics to choose from, you would need to decide on the focus of your essay. The concept of family is too general, and failing to narrow it down might cost you marks. Think about your interests and experience. Do you want to write about what family means to you? Or would you rather write an essay on family problems? Whatever your interests are, choose a subject that can be explored in-depth within the specified page limit.

2⃣ Check samples online

This is an excellent way to prepare for writing your essay because you can examine how other people structured their work. Luckily, there are many family essay examples and sample papers online that you could use. While reading those, note the key points and how they follow one another in a sequence. Consider how the structure of each paper can be improved to make it more coherent. Did the writer miss some points? Did they provide examples in support of each argument? Write out your notes to keep them in mind while working on your essay.

3⃣ Start by writing one to three titles at the top of the page

Family essay titles tend to be very generic, so you need to choose one that suits the intended content of the paper. Examine each title to see if it is precise and can catch the reader’s attention immediately. For example, if you would like to write about a family relationship, you could use a quote about the importance of family as a title.

4⃣ Create an outline based on your key points

There are typically three parts in an essay: introduction, main body, and conclusion. The first part should contain the most basic information about the topic, as well as your purpose or thesis statement. A family essay body is where you present the main ideas and arguments in a logical sequence. The conclusion should be the last part you write, so you don’t need to plan it along with the other two components. After writing the outline, go through each point again to see if they link together nicely. If not, see if you could move some points around to make them fall into a logical sequence.

5⃣ Add evidence to support each point

Once you’ve completed the outline, add more details to each section. You could use the evidence gathered as part of secondary research, as well as your thoughts and personal experience. For instance, if you have a section about what a happy family means, think whether you know any families that fit the description or explore statistics on happiness among married couples with children.

Following the tips above will help you to create a backbone for your paper, making writing a hundred times easier! If you need any more assistance with your essay, search our website for family essay topics, writing advice, and more!

  • The Role of Family in the Process of Socialization Although each parent in a family has a role in the upbringing of a child, in many cases, the mother initiates the socialization process in a child.
  • Family as an Agent of Socialization Essay The family regardless of its nature and size is the fundamental factor in socialization. The family is a storehouse of warmth and compassion and stands in resistance to the aggressive world of trade.
  • Importance of Family in Society The central family values include, for example, internal ones: the unity of culture and faith in the family, mutual understanding, love, and support between parents and children.
  • Importance of Family Communication Essay Furthermore, the only efficient way of passing family information from the elder generation to the younger generation is effective communication between the source of the information and the recipient of the information.
  • Small Family and Big Family Differences and Similarities – Compare & Contrast Essay Small families Children in small families have all the chances and resources to cater for their education, up to the highest levels of education they deserve.
  • Family and Its Structure Classification The main function of the father in this structure is to provide and cater to the family’s needs as well as provide protection of its members.
  • Comparison and Contrast: The Nuclear Family vs. the Traditional Family As it can be seen, although the nuclear family and the traditional family are very different from each other, there are many ways in which they also remain the same.
  • Cybernetics and Social Construction in Family Therapy A family is a form of a system, and Cybernetics is the study of systems of all kinds. Also, the theorist noted that every patient is a therapist to another member of the family and […]
  • Family Genogram Analysis Factors This essay presents a summary and analysis of my family’s genogram by assessing the interaction and the impact of environmental factors, genetics, and heredity on my family and me.
  • Family in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” by Hallstrom The story is narrated by Gilbert Grape, who is the second eldest son of the family. In the Grape family, a triangle is formed between Gilbert, his mother Bonnie, and Arnie.
  • Single-Parent Families The chief materials that are to be used in the proposed experiment are the measurement scale to evaluate changes in adolescents’ attitudes towards single-parent families and the source of information about single-parent households.
  • Family Tree and Its Importance This is the basis upon which such variances of family tree as family medical tree have been suggested and used in the medical field for keeping medical information for specific families. Knowledge of this medical […]
  • Balancing work and family A balance of work and family can be attained and managed if both negative dimension of the conflict and positive dimension of the employee effort of balancing work and family are considered to facilitate a […]
  • Bali Island in Family Trip Experience The inhabitants of this island are warm and very receptive and it is no surprise that the island has been nicknamed ‘The Island of God in Paradise.’ This descriptive essay is going to capture the […]
  • Dream Family Vacation and Its Benefits Vacation also benefits the family as a whole in that it makes it easier to understand one another as there is a close involvement hence allowing for the learning of what each person likes and […]
  • A Family Supper The relationship between the author and the parents is strained because of the author’s decision to move to California, as explained in the story where the author states, “My relationship with my parents had become […]
  • Defining Characteristics of a Healthy Family A healthy family is a family where its every member is happy and lives in harmony with its other members. The given family is considered an unhealthy family, as one of its members is unhappy […]
  • Family Therapy: Ethical Dilemmas One of the ethical dilemmas in the case is that of deciding whether or not to disclose the information about Breen’s relationship with her boyfriend to her parents.
  • What is the Family? The aim of the paper is to give a concise definition of family, and the context of family structures such as the traditional family; single parent family, blended family and cohabiting relationship families.
  • A House Divided: Structural Therapy With a Black Family. Case Conceptualization The present paper focuses on the family of three, including the father of the family, Carl, the mother of the family, Rosalind, and their ten-year-old son.
  • “Children of Heaven”: The Children’s Focus on Family Relation In spite of the fact that Ali and his sister Zahra live in poverty in the poor Tehran neighborhoods and their struggles are associated with impossibility to satisfy their basic needs, the film is not […]
  • Balancing Studies, Work, and Family Life As result of the numerous responsibilities that may come with these three aspects of life, it is advisable for an individual to set small, realistic, and attainable targets, be it in their work, studies, or […]
  • Family Analysis in the “Stepmom” by Chris Columbus The aim of this essay is to describe the family relationships in one of the families portrayed by the media. I recommend watching this film to everyone who is interested in the theme of family […]
  • Statement for Marriage and Family Therapist Applicant My personal experience in marriage, long-term work with families within the framework of my occupational duties, and the desire to help people through life’s difficulties motivate me to become a Marriage and Family Therapist.
  • Drug Abuse & Its Effects on Families Focusing on the family seems to be by far, the most known and effective way of finding a solution with regards to the “war on drugs” since it more promising to end the vicious cycle […]
  • Cultural Differences Among Families in the “Hotel Rwanda” Film Arguably, the existence of cultural differences between families across the lifespan is the most significant problem affecting the family of Rusesabagina as he attempts to play the role of a corporate manager and a family […]
  • Bowen family system theory The Family Projection Process This is an extension of the previous concept and points to the fact that the family member who has a ‘problem’ is triangulated and works to stabilize a dyad in the […]
  • “Public and Private Families” by Andrew J. Cherlin One advantage of the observational method is its ability to form the basis for further scientific inquiry, but its biggest drawback is the interference of too many external factors in the observation.
  • Wonder Movie: A Miracle of Family In addition, the mother always acts as the peacemaker: during the dinner on the first day of school, she is the one to start the conversation to comfort others.
  • Jamaican Family Cultural Practices The history of the Jamaicans in the United States began in 1619 when some blacks from Jamaica, as well as from the Caribbean islands migrated to the United States.
  • Marriage and Family Challenges As a rule, one of the principal reasons for a difficult adaptation is the initially inflated requirements of one of the spouses or even both of them.
  • Various Issues in Modern Family The age of initial sexual encounter is getting lower; this has led to unupsurge of teenage pregnancies and abortions in the short term and terminal illnesses in the long term.
  • African American Family in the “Soul Food” Movie The family in the movie, called Joseph’s family, consists of Big Mama, the head of the family, who has three daughters: Terri, Bird and Maxine.
  • Reflecting on “The Family Crucible” The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of selected passages in the book and the application of these passages in understanding family relationships and dynamics in the context of family therapy.
  • Significance of Family in Self-Development What we are going to discuss in this session is the importance of family in the development of an individual. Why we are focusing on this topic is to realize and recognize the role that […]
  • Social Factors in the Families Cherlin also says the three-status groups of people in the society comprise of college-educated, high school educated, and no high school-educated groups. The poverty limit is a measure of income that represents the product of […]
  • Family Therapy Model and Application: Structural Family Therapy The applicability of the structural family therapy to the case is based on the assertion that a family comprises a system, which is a part of a social grouping.
  • Family Life Definition and Identification The lack of a modern and conventional definition of a family has been linked to dynamism of culture and the different form that the family has assumed.
  • The Trip of a Lifetime for a Family of Four: Project Plan The project implies planning the trip of lifetime for a family of four during three weeks with a budget of $35,000.
  • The Family as the Basic Social Unit Furthermore, liberals, such as Archard, argue that the family is characterized by the roles and responsibilities that are evident in family privacy and the protection of intimacy.
  • My Belief About Family Relationships I have chosen to discuss my belief about family relationships instead and how my father and family play an important role in shaping that belief. That is my belief in life and I know that […]
  • Consumerism: Affecting Families Living in Poverty in the United States Hence, leading to the arising of consumerism protection acts and policies designed to protect consumers from dishonest sellers and producers, which indicates the high degree of consumer’s ignorance, and hence failure to make decisions of […]
  • The XYZ Family W, who doubles as the head of the family, is a local merchant and has a relatively small food kiosk within the Saddle Lake town.
  • Representation of Family in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” According to Bandy, the selfish nature of the grandmother and her disregard to her family is evidenced when she seems to care the safety of the other family members.
  • Family and Child Development Milestones Peter is the decision-maker and plays the role of the primary breadwinner. Cathy is the person who looks after the health of the children and family members.
  • Elements of Strong Family In addition to the element of attention, there are other important parts to be considered in a strong and healthy family, like respect and discipline.
  • Growing Up in a Broken Family: “Found Objects” by Jennifer Egan This clearly shows that the genesis of Sasha’s behavior is linked to her missing father. In the story, the leaving of Sasha’s father has made her to mistrust all the people she is dealing with.
  • The African Family This article seeks to analyze the African family by assessing the life of Mpho ‘M’atsepo Nthunya as an African woman in the family context. The father who is the head of the family is in […]
  • Children of Heaven: Family Values and Norms While credit to the quality of the piece of work has been noted to embed the scriptural work and the high performance of the characters who interpreted the story, it has been argued that the […]
  • The Future of Families: Four Discoveries That Change Everything George describes the shift in the family decision-making process and how children have been involved in decision-making on issues affecting the entire family.
  • Cybernetics and Parenting Styles in Family Therapy This concept will be very helpful in my future work since I will be able to notice negative behavior in children that is the result of the parenting style adopted by the parents.
  • Family Therapy: Bowenian and Narrative Approaches This is one of the issues that should be considered by a therapist. This is one of the aspects that can be distinguished.
  • How the Glass Menagerie Illustrates the Breakup of Family Structures Debusscher, in this respect states that, the mention of “a double life,” could be the mask that Tom Wingfield wears to meet the world, in particular the “world of his mother and that of the […]
  • Effects of Internet Addiction on Family Relationships Among Teenagers In the modern society, cyber bullying refers to the instances where the individual uses the internet to interfere with the rights and freedoms of others.
  • The Family from a Sociological Approach The family is the simplest form of social interaction; it forms the base of a society. The case above of dominance and unconscious division of power is seen as social stratification in the family.
  • Collaborating With Families and Community Members Effective school administrators and principals collaborate with community members, families, and the business community to mobilize community resources in order to meet the diverse community needs and interests.
  • Kinship of Family In the above mentioned scenario it is certain that links that are based on blood are stronger and cannot be compared to links based on the marriage because the partners in marriage are united by […]
  • Family Categories Schema: Family Strengths Analysis Because family prosperity and family strengths are closely related, the specialists may use Family Categories Schema in order to identify and cultivate the advantages of the family.
  • Gender Roles and Family Systems in Hispanic Culture In the Hispanic culture, amarianismo’ and amachismo’ are the terms used to determine the various behavioral expectations among the family members.
  • Women: Their Careers and Family Lives Importantly, she pertains to the group of women who are not regarded as less productive as she is more than 28 and she does not have children.
  • Roles of Education & Family in Frankenstein In the story, the family serves as one of the major socializing agents in society. The role of love in the family is an additional theme that can be depicted in the story.
  • Defining Extended Family as a Phenomenon It is the role of early teachers to be aware of who constitutes a child’s family and not to define the child’s family for them.
  • Family Communication Overview This presentation aims to discuss the impact of family relations on the process of children’s and parents’ socialization and methods of improving family communication.I.
  • Structural Family Therapy A chance to work with children and their families proved the idea that family therapy had to be based on trust and loyalty to the ideas; and the role of a therapist should not be […]
  • Family Systems: Past and Present The type of change that happens to the institution of the family is gradual that is, various components that constitute the family have amble time of adjusting according.
  • Personal Interests vs. Family Needs Let me first write the definition of the purpose and course of my life.”I am totally committed to fulfill the needs of my family and ensure their happiness and security, even if I have to […]
  • The Huxtable Family from the Cosby Show His wife, Clair Huxtable, is the matriarch of the family and a lawyer. For her, the main challenge in the family is to balance being a wife, a mother, and a professional.
  • Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy Finally, a comprehensive review of the self of the therapists, empirical support, and the intricacies of the therapeutic alliance will end the discourse on CBFT.
  • “Family Supper” by Ishiguro: Eastern and Western Family Attitudes Cultural Differences The Japanese people are well known for their martial arts and the writer describes his father as “the proud of the pure samurai blood that ran in the family”.
  • Definition of the Family For me, a family can be simply defined as the people whom I come home to when I need to feel loved and wanted. Who is to say what the real definition of a family […]
  • Family Versus Individual Therapy Whereas individual therapy lays focus on changing the individual only, family therapy considers the needs of the whole group and actually integrates the whole family in the recovery process of the affected individual. It is […]
  • Reasoned Decision-Making in a Family Business Jane, as the head of the Payroll Department, is obligated to make choices and take actions that will contribute to the welfare and interests of the community as well as the company.
  • The Concept of Strategic Family Therapy SFT approach rests upon the notion that families possess enduring power to change teenagers. The approach normally targets families with children possessing antisocial behaviors.
  • Communicating and Collaborating With Families The idea is to have an increased presence of parents of families of the children at the school. Hence, communication is critical to the success of children, both in school and beyond.
  • Surrogacy and How It Affects Families Further, the use of a medical practitioner in the entire process of surrogacy considerably reduces the above events and other factors that may promote destruction of the institution of the family.
  • Marriage and Family Therapy Even though she is the one instigating therapy, she is suggesting that the therapist speaks to Leon and not her. This case, the problems is Marceline’s indecision and lack of set goals of what she […]
  • Marriage and Family: Life Experience When we got married, a man was perceived to be the head of the family, and in his absence the wife was expected to guide the family.
  • Family Relationship Analysis with Use of Genogram When we look at John and Mary’s relationship, we see that they have a close and stable relationship, which may have influenced their children’s and grandchildren’s communication patterns.
  • Understanding and Addressing Family Stress: Parental Responses and Impact on Children The spousal relationship, employment, a lack of structure in the household, and psychological suffering all contribute to stress. They are regarded as potent mediators, and therefore, offending elders indicates disrespecting the father and may lead […]
  • The Story of Us (1990): A Happy Family? In The Story of Us Katie and Ben try to maintain the facade of a happy family for their children sending them to the summer camp while they understand what goes wrong in their family.

🎓 Simple Topics about Family

  • Family’s Heritage of Liberian Family There is the Mela group which is compromised of the Kissi and Gola and they are considered the oldest in the region.
  • Fujiwara Family: Japan’s Most Powerful Clan The family of Fujiwara was one of the most powerful clans in the history of Japan. No matter whether the chief of the clan was in the government or not, he had all the necessary […]
  • Bowen Family Systems Theory – Psychology In this context, the theory is relevant in demonstrating that the level of stress prevalent in the family due to alcoholism and irresponsible behavior of the family head is directly responsible for the development of […]
  • Race, Ethnicity, Family and Religion Religion on the other hand, is important as it forms the basis of ideologies that a given people would ascribe to family. This occurrence shows how religion is dear and important to the lives of […]
  • Assessing in the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Through assessment, the family therapist can influence the outcome of the conversations in a consultative meeting between the troubled individual and the therapist.
  • Changing Notion of Nuclear Family as Portrayed in Television Shows The Simpson displays frustrations and irritations in a family and how sometimes it suffers lack of money and other important effects and it portrays nuclear family which is a very important image of the family.
  • The Role of Family in Political Socialization When children grow up they try to find out the political parties their parents prefer and investigate the issues that make them to be members of these parties.
  • Money or Family Values First? Which Way to Go As such, family values becomes the epicenter of shaping individual behavior and actions towards the attainment of a certain good, while money assumes the position of facilitating the attainment of a certain good such as […]
  • Patient Education, Psychosocial Factors, and Family Roles in Making Decision This essay discusses patient education and how it is related to other factors, including psychosocial factors, personality styles, adjustments to illness, and the role of the family in patient education and influence to the patient’s […]
  • Family Concept in “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams The play ‘The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams focuses on the life of Amanda along with her son Tom, and “weakling” daughter Laura during the year 1937 at St.
  • Strategic Family Therapy In this regard, all the family members are considered to have unique experiences and behaviors that affect the experiences of the other members of the family.
  • Family Theories in Advanced Nursing Practice At the developmental level, the model allows for evaluating the lifecycle of the family and the level of its development as a whole, and if each member is separately.
  • A General Description of the Family The purpose of this paper is to give a general description of the family, list its main characteristics, and relate them to my family.
  • Families, Gender Relations and Social Change in Brazil The first theory applicable to the problem of domestic violence in Brazil as per the article is feminism, and its importance is defined by the controversy regarding the evolving roles of men and women.
  • Jewish Family Cultural Perspective In the Jewish culture – both in the classical and the ancient time – the family formed and still is a basic unit of the society and whose role in the sustenance and development of […]
  • Blended Families and Crises The interviewed members were the husband and the wife, and the crisis they had had was the loss of employment by the husband.
  • Feminist Theory of Family Therapy The purpose of this paper is to review and evaluate the feminist theory based on its model, views on mental health, goals, and the role of the counselor in the process.
  • The Modern Day Family It is the opinion of this paper that the changing nature of the present day social environment, in the form of work constraints and perceived social obligations, causes the problems that American society faces today.
  • Structural and Experiential Family Therapists Differences A structural family therapist could view the problem of the child by understanding relationships within the family of the child. For example, a structural family therapist could focus on deciphering how the child interacts with […]
  • Social Issues of Families in Poverty With the tightened budget, parents of the families living in poverty struggle to make ends meet, and in the course of their struggles, they experience many stresses and depressions.
  • Psychoanalytic Approach to Family Counselling Williams adds that in the second phase of the therapy, a client is assessed based on the relationship so far existent with the therapist to determine reaction against the prevailing conditions on the influence of […]
  • Divorce and its Impacts on Family Members The effects of divorce are experienced by each and every member of the family regardless of who was at fault.”The effects of divorce can change virtually every aspect of a person’s life including where a […]
  • TV Shows v. The Common View of Nuclear Families In the traditional view of a nuclear family, it is the woman who is supposed to be patient with the man. It challenges the model of a happy and perfect family which was and is […]
  • Non-Traditional Families and Child Behaviorism Affects The study revealed that men have a tendency to be more homo negative than women and the society’s negative attitude towards gay and lesbian parenting could be partly attributed to external forces prevalent in society […]
  • Family Model: Stephanie Coontz’s “What We Really Miss About the 1950s” Needless to say, the values and beliefs of the US society changed immensely, though the main question still has to be answered ‘what the family model will be like in several decades?’ I think answering […]
  • Family Systems Theory and Psychosocial Assessment The focus is therefore on family members and not the individuals in a given family. In this case, therefore, the theory is used to study a particular system which is the family.
  • Family Trend Change and Disease Factor The hastening of our customs and the organization of the family as the leading structure has led to a new family trend.
  • Disintegration of Family and Societal Relations in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” In the example of the Samsas’, the author depicts how perceptions and feelings of family members change, revealing the illusory character of seemingly unshaken family bonds and relations within society at large.
  • A Choice of a Family Vacation Destination This essay aims to assess which one of the two locations presents a better choice for a family who seeks a diverse assortment of engaging activities for all ages and has the potential for a […]
  • Challenging the “Standard North American Family” In a family, as seen by the proponents of structural functionalism, each member of the family tries to contribute to the development of their household by following some rules and ensuring the acceptance of the […]
  • Caring for a Family Member Last but not least is the psychological toll that caregiving takes on individuals due to social isolation, lack of privacy, and sleep deprivation.
  • Family Issues and Adolescence in Crazy/Beautiful The film Crazy/Beautiful is a vivid example of relationships between teenage children and their parents: The problems and situations shown in the film are typical and timeless.
  • Chicago School Theory and Family Studies In order to understand the nature of crime and the concept of social disorganization, one needs to perform a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon and study it from different angles.
  • Sticking Together: Family Relations Analysis The conflict is solved by the decision to take the whole family along but since they have no money, they decide to bundle in the Volkswagen van and drive to the venue.
  • Family Is a Universal Social Institution The core objective behind this study is to talk about the theory of family Universal Social Institution that erects on the progressions made in the field of the schematic illustration of relational acquaintance in human […]
  • African American Family Cultural Background They have a unique culture that is characterized by a unique parenting style, structure of the family, the role of gender in the family, and their views on marriage.
  • Conflict Communication in Family Relationships People in conflict have to be ready to analyze their situations and problems to achieve the goals and come to a certain conclusion.
  • Family Conflict in Unigwe’s, Kwa’s, Gebbie’s Stories Coincidentally, “The kettle on the boat” seems to communicate the same theme that Dipita illustrates in the “honor of a woman”.
  • Minuchin Family Therapy of Eating Disorders It is for this reason that the family-based treatment was conceived and implemented to involve the family in the recovery of adolescents.
  • Family and Marriage Therapy The theory explains clearly how change is brought about because it suggests that the main objective of the therapist is to advice the client on how to achieve the best results in the future using […]
  • Family in US and Saudi Arabia There are differences between family composition and notion in the United States and Saudi Arabia such as choosing a partner, polygamy, and the size of family.
  • How Religion and Family Produces the Idea of Gender Susan and Janet asserts that, from the studies to bring materials and perspectives from Women’s studies into the rest of the curriculum, they noticed men’s unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged in the […]
  • “Eat Drink Man Woman”: Confucian Ethics and Traditional Chinese Family Life The daughters are always afraid of him but in the film, the father can tell stories in different circumstances and this makes the daughters to have the urge to eat and have a deeper relationship […]
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Its Impact on the Family Manning, Wainwright and Bennet argue that children with autism are faced with a big challenge because of the nature of the symptoms the disorder.
  • Patricia and Her Family Maybe, it is high time to help Patricia to demonstrate that her past mistakes should be forgiven, and relatives are one of the first people, who have to give this forgiveness.
  • Family Health: Three-Generation Genogram Analysis Judy’s maternal grandfather died from a Heart Attack at 60 years and older and had a Stroke at 60 years and older.
  • Family Life Effects on Human Health The family’s relationship, financial status, and the type of food they take are essential factors that impact people’s health. Furthermore, family structure and the stability of relationships can positively or negatively affect a person’s health.
  • How Families Have Changed The children who find themselves in such a family set up most often en up with a very different view of how a family works when compared to a child who came from a nucleus […]
  • Family and Its Sociological Perspective First, it allows me to experience the sensation that I am not alone in the universe, as the individualities of my parents and siblings are inseparably fused with that of my own.
  • Second Child Effects on the Family The interferences to personal schedules of parents, with the responsibility of taking care of children, affects personal concentration and productivity of the parent and may lead to cases of high stress that further complicate their […]
  • The Human Family Tree Development Thus, the investigation of the existing lines of descent in a human family tree allows scientists to determine the worth of connection dots and differences and similarities between the ancestors.
  • How Marginalization Affects the Health Care of Women and Families with Children Three things an advanced practice nurse can do to lessen the societal effects on less fortunate women are to build a trusting relationship with the patients, refer the patients to local support services, and keep […]
  • Changing Gender Roles in Families Over Time The division of labor and traditional gender roles in the family usually consists of men doing the work while women take care of the children, other relatives, and housekeeping.
  • The Concept of Family Health Although over the years of nursing practice, family intervention in the process of treatment has been recognized as a mandatory attribute, the scope of the family’s influence on the patient has been significantly modified.
  • Family Intervention Strategies at a National and Local Level The social and historical background of changing patterns sufficiently explains the reasons for the contemporary family crisis in the United Kingdom.
  • Family-Cultural Assessment As part of the Friedman Family Assessment Model, the strengths and weaknesses of the family will be assessed, along with the developmental stages and risk factors.
  • Celebrating Easter in the Family During the Covid-19 Pandemic Our family has a tradition associated with this holiday, which we practice from year to year – this is a family visit to the church.
  • Family Concept in “The Story of Us” Movie Overall, the film appears to be a great piece of film-making art representing the themes of love and affection along with a number of difficulties marriages may face after years of coupledom.”The Story of Us” […]
  • The Role of Family in Treating Juvenile Offenders Because of lack of communication, sometimes parents believe that their child is a victim of prejudice and has been wrongfully accused. This method is highly individualized and allows parents and community to help with the […]
  • “Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family’s Triumph Over Autism” by Catherine Maurice The book was published in 1994, and it was a success as parents of autistic children were waiting for someone to prove that autism was not an incurable disorder.
  • Family and Culture: Major Problems Facing Families Around the World Many of these family changes have come because of the result of globalization, which has occurred mainly due to the sophisticated technology available in the current world.
  • Family Assessment and Care Plan Some of the family members become victims of family, domestic, or sexual violence, which forces them to leave the household and live in the streets. In short, the child and family health nurse is to […]
  • How Does Addiction Affect Families The sober fact is that the health of all members of the family is a key aspect of the improvement of relations between all individuals belonging to it and the evolution of this institution.
  • Family Traditions and Values in the United States The preservation of individual family traditions is an important component of the cultural heritage, and the desire to follow certain customs and pass them from generation to generation emphasizes attachment to family values.
  • Family Business: R&S Electronic Service Company The main issue in this company that needs to be resolved is the abuse of office by the general manager. In addition, Eddie threatens managers at the payroll department for questioning the illegal commissions awarded […]
  • Family Types, Relationships and Dynamics In the case of a consanguine family, the relationship with the family is more absolute in that expenses, food, and other aspects related to living within the same “roof” are shared.
  • Family Relationships Role in the Business It seems that Barry Jr, as well as the other shareholders, failed to implement family talents and skills in an effective way.
  • Marital and Parental Subsystems in Family In a conventional family system, these members include the husband and wife, the siblings, and the relatives who make up the extended family.
  • Marriage and Alternative Family Arrangements In the selection of the marriage partners, individuals are required to adhere to the rules of endogamy as well as the rules of exogamy.
  • A Typical Household Family A nuclear family is understood to mean a unit consisting of the father, mother and the children, while an extended family is comprised of the nuclear family together with the rest of the family members, […]
  • The Cherokees’ Family Historical Analysis Cherokees had a system of governance and security where the soldiers were trained on different methods of war, they were expected to protect the community.
  • Genogram in Couple and Family Therapy In addition, the patient had a close relationship with her grandmother, and her death was a traumatic event that could negatively affect Marie’s psychological state.
  • Narrative Family Therapy: Adolescent Mental Health In the Video, the primary contributors are the couple and the narrative therapist. The narrative therapist tries first to comprehend the viewpoint of a patient on their lives and the dominant plot and changes that […]
  • Modern Families: Intimate and Personal Relationships Since Queen’s family lived in the United States and my family resided in England, this paper presents an integrated comparison of household aspects in the two countries.
  • Family Crisis Issues and Solving Them The husband becomes the only person to work and feed the family. The death of a family member is also an unpredictable source of stress and crisis within the family.
  • Family Legacies It should be noted that the primary metaphor which is used in Walker’s work is the old quilts, made by previous generations of the family.
  • Family System in “The Kids Are All Right” by Lisa Cholodenko Nic, who is an obstetrician, seems to be the father in the family because she caters to all the family needs, while Jules is the mother of the home.
  • Psychodynamics Family Systems Model The maintenance of the sequence is because the new female generations adopt the roles of their coinciding gender. The level of aggression relates to the past experience of a person.
  • Family Budget: How to Live With Annual Income 15300$ Having the information about the annual income of the family and the list of the obligatory costs, it is possible to calculate the expenses of the family, the cloths they can buy and the number […]
  • Nuclear Family and British Social Breakdown A brief description of nuclear family is that it be defined as a family that is composed of two sets of family members, parents and children, living together in the same home.

⭐ Engaging Titles about Family to Write about

  • Family Communication in the Captain Fantastic Film
  • Dharker’s Postcards From God Book and Carter’s Family Photograph
  • Home Visits and Families Empowerment
  • School Family Community Partnership and Its Benefits
  • The Couple and Family Map and Its Main Concepts
  • Analysis of How Australian Families Spend Their Time
  • The Impact of Incarceration in the African American Family
  • “Oresteia” by Aeschylus and “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles: Family Tragedies
  • Incomplete Families: “The Drover’s Wife,” “The Chosen Vessel,” and “Good Country People”
  • The Stages of the Family Cycle
  • Extended Family System
  • Military Families and Their Sacrifices
  • The Modern Family Concept
  • Nuclear Family vs. Single Parenting Effects on Child
  • Genograms Role in Family and Marriage
  • To What Extent Do Families Shape Children’s Lives?
  • The Nature of Aristocratic Marriage and Family in the Mid-Heian Period
  • Sociology and the Family
  • Role of Marriage/Family & Singlehood
  • The Ukita Family and the Skeen Family
  • A Beautiful Mind: Understanding Schizophrenia and Its Impact on the Individual and the Family
  • Analysis of Alice Walker’s Essay “Everyday Use” in Reference to the Idea of Power and Responsibility Within Family
  • Family is One of the Most Powerful Influences on an Individual’s Development
  • Two Communication Rules in My Family
  • The Roles of Families in Virtual Learning
  • Families and Social Class: Chapter 4 of “The Family” by Philip N. Cohen
  • Origins of the American Family
  • Stay-At-Home Mother’s Contribution to the Family Economy
  • Pornography and Its Influence on Families
  • Family Communication: A Professional Journal Article
  • The Family From a Social Institution Perspective
  • Chapter 3 of “The Family” Book by Philip N. Cohen
  • Leadership, Family, and Community Collaboration Project
  • Navigating the Ambiguity of Family
  • Family Health Assessment: Child Poverty, Toxic Stress
  • Families from a Sociological Perspective
  • Mental Health Nurse’s Communication With Patients and Families
  • The Shared Table as a Family Tradition
  • Family Artifact and Ethnic Identity
  • Traditional Family Roles’ Impact on Haitian Teens in New Jersey
  • Newark Emergency Services for Families’ Marketing Plan
  • Challenges and Approaches to Family Counseling
  • Unforgiveness in Marriages and Families
  • The Role of Family in American Poems and Short Stories
  • Home, Work, and Relationships in Modern Families
  • Developmental Psychology of an Immigrant Family
  • Exploring the Interplay of Family, Philosophy, and Politics
  • Mental Disorder: Treating a Family Member
  • The Early Learning Child Care Act: Family Impact Analysis
  • Family Counseling: Resolving Conflict and Promoting Wellness
  • The Role of Nurses in Family-Based Interventions
  • A Family-Centered Cesarean Birth: Experience and Bonding
  • A Mexican Family Health Assessment
  • Family-Centered Health Assessment and Promotion
  • Diversity and Its Impact on Family Form and Function
  • The Family-Centered Care Principles
  • Conference: Family System and Support
  • Counseling for Family Conflicts Resolution
  • Feminist Perspective on Family Counselling
  • College Education and Family Foundation
  • Discussion: Career and Family Roles
  • Workplace Discrimination: Impact of Family-Friendly Policies
  • Family Business Succession in Asian Countries
  • Non-Traditional Family Case Study
  • Family Diversity: Asian-Pacific Islander
  • Family Hui Hawaii: A Non-Profit Supporting Families
  • LGBTQ+ Families: Discrimination and Challenges
  • Health Intervention among Patients and the Families
  • Family Behavioral Therapy: Case Analysis
  • Second-Grade Class Family and Community Engagement Plan
  • Analysis of Family Hui Hawaii
  • Biomedical Technologies and Natural Family Planning
  • Screening Interventions and Family Factors in Improving Patient Health
  • Engaging Mobile Apps in Family Planning
  • Paid Family Leave Policy Analysis
  • The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act’s Role
  • Healthcare and Family Diversity
  • The Contemporary Racist Realities in American Families
  • Family Education for Valuing the Elderly
  • South African-American Family Cultural Assessment
  • Managing Interpersonal Relationships in Family
  • Schools and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • The Ethical Dimension of Family Therapy
  • Social Determinates of Health of a Family
  • Discussion of Family Education Aspects
  • The Effect of Gentrification on Low-Income Families
  • Family Diversities and Demographics in the USA
  • Case Study: A Multi-Problem Appalachian Family
  • Modern Day Families and Homesickness
  • Lobo Family: The Case of Migration
  • Classroom Strategies and Family Involvement
  • Holidays, Schools, and Family: Family Language Policy on Holiday
  • Initiative on Protecting Child and Family Well-Being
  • Social Changes and the Development of Family, Education, and Religion
  • Role of Family in Reducing Juvenile Delinquency
  • The Healthcare Cost Interview with a Family Member
  • Challenges of Families with Down Syndrome Children
  • Stable Radicals Families: Synthesis and Properties
  • Family Behaviors, Inequality, and Outside Childbearing Marriage
  • How Understanding of Family Influenced Assessment
  • How the Pandemic Has Stressed Families
  • Paid Family Medical Leave in America
  • Hayman-Woodward’s Paid Family Medical Leave
  • Modern Parenthood and Family Instability
  • Resource Availability for Low-Income Families in New York
  • Inter Families’ Football Competition Event
  • Therapeutic Intervention in Families
  • The Family Voices Organization’s Mission & Services
  • Communities Supporting Families
  • Social Mobility and Family Occupation Tree
  • The Family Institution and Impact of Polygamy
  • The Stress of Working with Families
  • Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies”: The Issues Surrounding Families Today
  • Sexual Functioning and Family Life-Cycle Stages
  • Obesity Risk Factors: Impact of Family Background
  • Family Relationship: Life-Span Development
  • Conservatism and Liberalism: Discussion of the Decline of Nuclear Families
  • Relationship: Communication Between Family Members
  • Delivering Care to Culturally Diverse Families
  • Family in America and Its Most Common Types
  • How Social Programs and Policies Impact the Family
  • Sociology of the Family: Gender Roles
  • “Family Relationships in What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona” by S. Alexie
  • Family Ties and Obligations as the Driver of Antigone’s Actions in Sophocles’ Play
  • Stress as a Result of Combining Work and Family
  • Determining the Applicable Law on Family Matter
  • Sociology of the Family: Love and Relationships
  • Beowulf Defeats Grendel: Relationships With Family, Women, and His Own Gender
  • Aspects of Marriage and Family Life
  • Family Development Center Program’s Improvement
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Families’ Issues
  • Gender Theory and the Division of Labor in Families
  • Consequences of Pandemic COVID-19: The Psychological Climate in the Family
  • Parenting Models in Modern Family Unit of Emigrants in the USA
  • The Life Model Helping Immigrant Families
  • Family Unit Structures Comparison
  • Explaining of Theories of Family Science
  • Navigating the System For Families Experiencing Homelessness
  • Social Constructionism in Couple and Family Therapy
  • Family Stratification Overview
  • Research on Families and Inequality
  • Ambiguous Loss: Immigration and Separation of Families
  • Infidelity as the Main Cause of Family Divorce
  • Family and Work Patterns in Contemporary British Society
  • Family-Centered Health and School Age and Adolescent Development
  • Family-Centered Health and Development: Pediatric Nurses’ Role
  • Impact of Chronic Illness on Families
  • Theories of Family Science Overview
  • Families Recovery From Substance Abuse
  • Comparing the Level of Comfort of Registered Nurses Related to Family Presence During Resuscitation
  • Asian Americans and Latino Families: Race and Ethnicity
  • The Blucare Family Organization’s Interventions
  • Clayton County Division of Family and Children Services
  • New York’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
  • Why the Theories Matter in Child and Family Health Practice
  • Impactful Policy for Child and Family Health Practitioners
  • Programs in Family Sleep Institute
  • The Family’s Health Status: The Social Determinants of Health
  • Federal Guidelines on Procedural Safeguards of Special Needs’ Children and Families
  • Family Literacy Night
  • The Implementation of Family-Based Therapy to Manage Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Nation’s Health
  • Vulnerable Families: Problems With Access to Healthcare
  • Family Support and Family Psychoeducational Models
  • Family Planning Individual Case Critique
  • A Loss of a Family Member and Counseling
  • Telehealth Communication Between Family and Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Social Policy and Family Resilience
  • Developing an App for Building a Financial System for a Family
  • Children’s Corner: Family and Community Engagement Plan
  • Family Health Promotion Strategies
  • “How Home Hospice Care Facilitates Patient and Family Engagement”: Article Analysis
  • Dual-Earner Families and Issues Within Them
  • Two Families Social Comparison
  • The Modern Perception of Family
  • Child Development and Family Resources
  • “Three Years After Family Separation…” by Dickerson
  • The Topic of Complex Family Relations
  • How Family Affects Criminal Behavior: Hatred Murders
  • Families With a Chronically Ill Child: Issues and Techniques
  • Researching of Family Demographics
  • Disaster Planning for Families: Is Your Family Prepared?
  • Psychic Effects of Detached Family and Social Relations
  • Genogram and Genomap: Family Group Analysis
  • Immigrant Families and English Acquisition
  • Future of the Family Business in World
  • Family Mediation: Advantages and Disadvantages
  • Diversity Analysis in Families
  • Family Relationship in the Thappad Film
  • Resiliency: Community, Family, and Individual Needs
  • Family Style Meals in the Childcare Setting
  • Psychometric Evaluation of the Family-Centered Care Scale
  • Palliative Care: What Constitutes the Best Technique for Technicians Communication With Patients and Families?
  • Family/Patient-Centered Care: A Letter
  • Different Cases on Family Law
  • Family Law: Presumptions
  • The Importance of a Family Facilitator During Resuscitation
  • Providing Holistic Care to the Family Members: Palliative Care
  • Family Relationship, Childhood Delinquency, Criminality
  • Analysis of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
  • Genetic Family Historical Analysis
  • Conger’s Stress and Family With Children
  • Defining the US Family
  • Food Work in the Family and Gender Aspects of Food Choice
  • Family Nursing and Stress Theory
  • Debate on Effect of the Environment on Family
  • Family Health Assessment by Gordon
  • Family Plan For Specific Hazards and Risks
  • The Effectiveness of ICU Nurses in Reducing Stress among Family Members
  • Family Law: Succession and Probate Practice
  • Patients Lawsuits and Their Families Against Hospitals
  • Family Law and Matrimonial Practices
  • Critical Appraisal on the Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders on the Family: A Qualitative Study of Mothers’ Perspectives
  • Family Health History. Nursing Practice
  • Crime and Family Background Correlation

🥇 Most Interesting Family Essay Topics

  • Family Health Assessment: Health Promotion Strategy
  • Should Family-Witnessed Resuscitation Be Allowed in the Emergency Department?
  • Gender Bias in Family Court
  • Modality of Family Faith and Meanings and Relationships in Family Life
  • Family Health Care: The Morrison Family
  • Cultural Aspects While Assessing the Family
  • Family History Project
  • Definitions and Discussions of the Family Leave Act
  • Family Values in Nursing
  • The Twinning Process: Biological and Family Aspects
  • Evaluation of the Sound Families Initiative
  • “Family Law Fifth Edition” by William P. Statsky
  • Family and Community Violence Exposure Among Youth
  • Family Theory Use With Dementia
  • Evolution of the Caregiving Experience in the Initial 2 Years Following Stroke
  • Family Health Assessment Proforma
  • Nursing Care of a Family With a Stillborn
  • Self-Health Assessment With Reference to Family Genogram
  • The Issues Influencing Contemporary Australian Families
  • The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  • The Williams’ Family Story
  • Family Violence in “Story of a Girl” by Zarr
  • Family Professional Collaboration
  • Homeless Families Analysis
  • Feasibility of Developing a Family Business
  • A Phenomenological Study of Families With Drug-Using Children
  • The Essence of Family Nursing Theories
  • No Respect Given to Military Family
  • The MacMaster Model Family: The Williams Assessment
  • “Gender Differences in Work-Family Guilt in Parents of Young Children”: Quantitative Research Critique
  • Social Distancing: Communication With Patients Families
  • Family Factors and Youth Suicide
  • Family and Domestic Violence: Enhancing Protective Factors
  • Tuareg Community Family Life
  • Family Systems Theory: Parenting and Family Diversity Issues
  • Same‐Sex Couples, Families, and Marriage
  • PSDM Model Usage in Solving Family Conflicts
  • Who Does Protect Poor Families Living in the Districts of Street Gangs?
  • Family Medical Leave Act and it’s Effect on Organisational Policies
  • Gender, Family, and Unemployment in Ontario’s Great Depression
  • How Did the Movie “Life as We Know It” Demonstrate the Conflict in a Family Institution?
  • Features of Marital and Family Therapy
  • Family Structure, Family Process and Father Involvement
  • Religion, Family and Culture
  • Choices and Theories: Theoretical Perspectives of the Family and Mate Selection
  • Genograms in Family Assessment
  • Important Values of Family, the Financial Question
  • Competing in Preposterousness: Analyzing Barbara Bergman’s Feedback to Gary Becker’s Theory of Family
  • Developmental Psychology: The Impact of Family-Of-Origin on Adulthood
  • Women, Men, Work, and Family: An Expansionist Theory
  • Obesity as a Family Issue in the Community
  • “Family Partnerships” by Jobeth Allen
  • A Family Anticipating: Young Children
  • How Slavery Has Affected the Lives and Families of the African Americans?
  • “The Military Family” by James Martin
  • Communication Amongst Military Families
  • The Family Commons at Cabrillo: A Case Analysis
  • The Film “Avalon” by Barry Levinson and Points of View of Changes Inside American Family
  • The Depiction of Family Ties and Their Strong Significance in the World Mythology
  • Family Concepts and Traditional Values for Women
  • Marriage and Family Systems: Western Society and Kadara of Nigeria
  • First Language Acquisition in a Multilingual Family
  • Postpartum Psychosis: Impact on Family
  • Canadian and American Families: Comparative Analysis
  • “The Essentials of Family Therapy” by Nichols
  • Malay Muslim Traditions and Cultural Identity
  • Home-Start Family Supporting Program: Supporting Program for Children and Their Families
  • Family Relationships in Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper
  • Family Planning: Hospital Birth or Home Birth?
  • Family Tutoring Program Design
  • The American Family: Current Problems
  • In What Ways Did the Movie “American Beauty” Portray the Typical Family Values?
  • Price Discrimination in Healthcare and Family Health Care Insurance
  • American Family: Where We Are Today
  • Therapeutic Interventions in Family Therapy
  • Human Communication and Conflict Management in Family
  • Family Interaction: Psychology Reactions
  • Family Life as a Stage in the Preparation of a Genogram
  • Psychology and Sociology in Families
  • Family Interaction: Description of a Dysfunctional Family
  • Family Therapy for Treating Major Depression
  • Why Are Families in the World-Changing?
  • Universal Concept of Family: Future Perspectives
  • Recovering From a Traumatic Brain Injury: Cognitive Rehabilitation
  • The Concepts and Methods of Family Therapy
  • Jewish Family’s Experiences During the Holocaust
  • The Institution of Family Analysis
  • Family and Medical Leave Act in the Workplace
  • Adulthood and Aging. Family Contacts and Support
  • Health, Social Behavior and the Study of the Family
  • Marriage and Family Problems as Social Issues
  • Family Therapy With Cultural Groups
  • Cohabitation: Family Environment and Life
  • Autism. Child and Family Assessment
  • Family in the Revolutionary Asia
  • “Decline of the Family” by Janet Z. Giele Review
  • “The Ecology of the Family” by Prophete A.
  • What Makes a Step Family a Real Family?
  • Marriage and Family: Women as Love Experts and Victims
  • Schizophrenia: The Role of Family and Effect on the Relations
  • Family Assessment in a Problem Oriented Record
  • Trends in Nursing of Families
  • Underground Railroad and African American Families
  • Romanian Families: Comparison to Canadian Ones
  • The Value of Families for Nurses
  • Television Families: What Do They Tell Us About Race Relations?
  • Domestic Violence in Marriage and Family
  • Foster Care Crisis in Georgia: Children in Substitute Families
  • Families in ”A Rose for Emily” and ”Yellow Wallpaper”
  • Psychology: Child Couple Family Therapy
  • Indigenous Australian Families in Health and Community
  • Dysfunctional Behavior Within a Family
  • Engaging Families in Early Childhood Learning
  • Family Communication Patterns and Interventions
  • Family as a Source of Health Beliefs and Behaviors
  • Genogram: Family History and System Theory
  • Family Factors: Gender, Religion, and Education
  • Family Services and Community Resources
  • Family Stress and Crisis: We Got Through It
  • Federal Welfare Policy: Assistance for Needy Families
  • Feelings of Families Regarding Drug Dependence: In the Light of Comprehensive Sociology
  • Housing Families Inc. Addressing Homelessness
  • Stepfamily Relationships: The Blended Family Interview
  • Step-Grandparents from Family Counselor’s Perspective
  • Family Law in South Africa and Saudi Arabia
  • Single Mother Families in Changing Economic Times
  • Family Business, Its Philosophy and Strategy
  • American Family Relationships: Dynamics Alterations
  • Children’s Psychological Issues: Abusive Behavior in Families
  • Family Violence in History and Nowadays
  • Family, Marriage, and Parenting Concepts Nowadays
  • Pregnancy, Parentage and Family Development
  • Counseling Interview in Family and Relationship Therapy
  • Ways of Families Construction
  • The Quality of Family Planning Programs
  • Family and Work Politics
  • Adapting Family Network Issue
  • Major Trends in the Paradigm of Family Life
  • Sociology of Family: Control and Violence in Relationships
  • Substance Abuse and Family in “The Corner” Series
  • Family Role Switching: Pros and Cons
  • Las Vegas as a Family Tourist Destination
  • The Roles in the Bringing up of Children: Family Therapy
  • Helping Families in Need: Concepts of Child and Youth Care
  • Teacher’s Communication With Families
  • Family Life Cycle: The Institution of Marriage
  • Child, Youth and Family Intervention
  • Family Issues: Divorce and Family Mediation Process
  • Family Formation and Assisted Reproductive Technologies
  • Families in the Media Portrayal
  • Family Studies and Research Approaches
  • Asian Women and Families Today and 50 Years Ago
  • Disaster Planning for Families
  • Spirituality Application in Family Therapy
  • Family and Consumer Education Methodologies
  • Traditional Family, Its Definition and Future
  • Family Law: Spousal Support After Divorce in Canada
  • Psychoanalytic, Existential, and Family Therapies
  • Sunshine Laws and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
  • Early Childhood in Family Environment
  • Food Insecurity and Depression in Poor Families
  • Poverty in American Single-Parent Families
  • Family Unit and Gender Roles in Society and Market
  • The Politics of Theorizing African American Families
  • Depictions of Family Life
  • Family Issues in the United States of the XXI Century
  • Re-Assessing Family Valuables
  • Family as a Social Institution
  • Sociological Significance of Family
  • Child Clinical Interviewing and Family Involvement
  • Grandparents as Parental Figures in Modern Families
  • Family Welfare and Divorce Policies
  • Counseling and Therapy for Couples: Family Resilience
  • Telehealth Tools to Support Family Caregivers
  • Social Media and the Family
  • Interpersonal Communication Skills: Closeness in Families
  • Family Systems and Relationship Development
  • Child Neglect Index for a Boy and His Family
  • Family and Domestic Violence Legislation in the US
  • Wellness and Counseling in Family Systems Therapy
  • Family and Childhood Sociology and Changes
  • Family-School Partnerships in the United Arab Emirates
  • Family Aggresion and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
  • Ethical Responsibilities and Families Support
  • Family and Relationships: New Tendencies
  • The Graham Family and the Washington Post Company
  • Religion, Family and Their Social Aspects
  • Long Deployment for Military Families
  • Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods
  • Family Versus Societal Needs Priority
  • Family Support for Patient with Kidney Failure
  • Family Food and Meals Traditions in Dubai History
  • Family Laws in the UK, South Africa, Saudi Arabia
  • Family Business: Success or Challenge?
  • Cultural Influences on Family Values and Habits
  • Individualized Family Service Plan vs. Education Program
  • Work and Family: Institutional Logic
  • Family Relationships in Media and Theories
  • Family Assessment in Payne’s Film “The Descendants”
  • Parental Care and Its Role in Poor Families
  • Presence of Family Members during Resuscitation
  • Complementary Conflict Patterns in Families
  • Family Planning in “Letters to Catherine” Blog
  • Disney’s Representation of Couples and Families
  • Black Families’ Issues in the “Soul Food” Series
  • Family Reaction to a Child Loss and Intervention
  • Fresh Food Provision for Low-Income Families
  • Strengthening Families Program and Its Benefits
  • Chronic Disease Impact on Patient’s Family
  • Child Abuse and Neglect and Family Practice Model
  • Breaking Structure of Modern Families
  • The Family Systems Theory: Mahaley’s Case
  • Capellaville Early Childhood Family Education: School Readiness
  • Family Involvement in a Child’s Learning Process
  • Households and Family Decision-Making
  • What Impact Does Family Size Have On Conformity?
  • What Makes Family Values From Regular Values?
  • What Makes Friends Different From Family?
  • What Role Does Family Play in Children’s Education?
  • What Role Does Love Play in Family Relationships?
  • Are Traditional Family Games a Thing of the Past?
  • Balancing Work and Family: Be a Working Mother or a Housewife?
  • Can Family Caregiving Substitute for Nursing Home Care?
  • Can Old Family Structures Meet New Economic Challenges?
  • Can Parental Time Commitment and Family Economic Status Influence Child?
  • Are Family Members More Important Than Friends?
  • Is Family the Most Important Agent of Socialisation?
  • Are Single Parent Homes a Dysfunctional Model of Family?
  • Did the Industrial Revolution Disrupt the American Family?
  • Does Changing Gender Role Affect Family Relationship?
  • Does Custody Law Affect Family Behavior in and Out of Marriage?
  • Does Family Composition Affect Social Networking?
  • Does Family Planning Help the Employment of Women?
  • Does Gay Marriage Threaten the Family?
  • Does Publicly Provided Home Care Substitute for Family Care?
  • Does Taxation Affect Marriage and Family Planning Decisions?
  • Does Technology Ruin Family Life?
  • Does the American Family Have a History?
  • Does the Student-Loan Burden Weigh Into the Decision to Start a Family?
  • Does the Welfare State Destroy the Family?
  • Does Work-Time Flexibility Improve the Reconciliation of Family and Work?
  • Family Dinners Cause Well Behave Children?
  • Are Social Network Sites Affecting the Family?
  • How Does Family Size Directly Affect Family Relationships?
  • How Does Family Status Affect Education?
  • Parenting Research Topics
  • Childbirth Titles
  • Divorce Research Ideas
  • Conflict Management Ideas
  • Dependency Theory Research Ideas
  • Domestic Violence Paper Topics
  • Family Businesses Questions
  • Emotional Development Questions
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

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IvyPanda . "620 Family Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/family-essay-examples/.

How to Write an Essay About My Family History

A family comprises of people living together that form a social group within a community. The people creating this group are subject to relationships either by birth or blood, and it comprises at least two adults as parents and grandparents, together with young children. The family members have a mutual connection between them. Therefore, an essay about family history is a synopsis of an individual's social identity and the reciprocal relationship(s) he/she shares with the people living together. Learning family history is vital to understand our social status, humanity, and diversity. History keeps our memories for generations to understand who they are and their geographic origin. Having a good knowledge of family background lets you appreciate the things or sacrifices made before by grandparents to experience better things in life. An individual's roots and origin bring a sense of self-discovery. Also, writing about your family history is one way of preserving its heritage for future generations.

how to start a essay about your family

How to Start A Family History Essay

Outline writing, tips concerning writing a family history essay introduction, how to write body paragraphs, how to write a conclusion for a family history essay, essay revision, essay proofreading, make citations, catchy titles for an essay about family history, short example of a college essay about family history.

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When writing an essay, there is a logical structure you must follow in giving out your arguments. A proper outline will produce an exciting presentation of every section, and it will fascinate the reader. The standard structure of an essay has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is an excellent example of an outline for a family history essay:

  • Introduction
  • Short family background information
  • Importance of writing about the family
  • Body (paragraphs)
  • Family members; grandparents, parents, and children
  • The community in which family resides
  • Form of livelihood
  • Conclusion (a summarizing paragraph)
  • Restating your contention
  • Summarize your key ideas
  • Provide a final comment or reflection about the essay

When writing a presentation about family history, you need to provide a hook to the readers, to make them interested to know much about the family. You can start with facts or anecdotes about grandparents; for example, how they met on the first date and opted to make a family together, you can as well describe the circumstances. You can also provide an insight into a situation by your ancestors that impacted your life experience—the other thing to include in the short background information about your family. Remember to provide a clear and debatable thesis statement that will serve as the roadmap for your discussion in the paper.

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The body paragraphs contain the arguments one needs to discuss the subject topic. Every section includes the main idea or explanatory statement as the first sentence; the primary purpose is a debatable point that you need to prove. The length of a paragraph depends on the accurate measurement of ideas. In most cases, a section has about five sentences; but it can be as short or long as you want, depending on what you discuss. A paragraph has the main statement, supporting sentence(s) with evidence, and concluding sentences. When crafting the body, ensure a clear flow of ideas, connecting from one argument to the other. Transitional words, when used accordingly, can provide a nice transition and flow of ideas from one paragraph to the other. The commonly used transitional words or phrases include moreover, also, therefore, consequently, hence, thus, finally, etc.

A conclusion is as crucial as the introduction; it is the final recap of what your essay entails. The ending paragraph contains three main parts that form a full section. First, remind the audience of your thesis statement and show its relation to the essay topic. Second, provide a summary of the key arguments that you discussed in the body paragraphs. Third, it is advisable to add a final comment or general reflection about the essay. It's important to state that you should use different wording in the conclusion when restating statements and arguments. Also, remember to use signal words at the start of concluding paragraphs like in conclusion, finish, etc.

Revision is an opportunity for a student to review the content in his/her paper and identify parts that need improvement. Some students start revising as they begin drafting their essays. During revision, you need to restructure and rearrange sentences to enhance your work quality and ensure the message reaches your audience well. Revising gives you a chance to recheck whether the essay has a short main idea and a thesis statement, a specific purpose, whether the introduction is strong enough to hook the audience and organization of the article. Also, you check if there is a clear transition from one paragraph to another and ascertain if the conclusion is competent enough to emphasize the purpose of the paper.

Nothing is more frustrating than submitting an essay to earn dismal grade due to silly common mistakes. Proofreading is an essential stage in the editing process. It is an opportunity for reviewing the paper, identifying and correcting common mistakes such as typos, punctuation, grammatical errors, etc. Since proofreading is the final part of the editing, proofread only after finishing the other editing stages like revision. It is advisable to get help from another pair of eyes; you can send the paper to your friend to help you in the same process. There are online proofreading tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway, which you can use to proofread, but you should not only rely on grammar checkers. Remember to proofread the document at least three times.

Making citations is an essential way of keeping references for the sources of content you used. As you are editing, you may make several changes to the document. Do not forget to correctly provide citations for every fact or quote you obtained from other sources. There are different citation formats such as APA, MLA, etc.; therefore, you need to ensure correct usage of quotes depending on the requirement by your professor. The sources you cite present the list of references or bibliography at the end of your essay for easy reference.

  • Generation to Generation
  • The Origin of My Family
  • Our Circle and Family Heritage
  • A Lifetime of Love
  • Because of Two Lovebirds, I Am Here
  • The Family Archives
  • The Family Ties
  • Branches of The Family Tree
  • The Generational Genes
  • Forever as a Family
  • It All Started with a Date
  • Bits of Yesteryears

short essay about my family history

Would you want to know how it all started until here? My grandpa told me that he met my grandma at a concert where one of the greatest artists was performing during one of the summer holidays in New York City. As he was dancing alone, my grandpa approached a beautiful lady (who would become his soulmate) to ask her to dance together. They later agreed to meet for a dinner date. Our family lives in New York. Undoubtedly, this is the best family, and it's an honor to be part of it.

Every person has two sides within his/her family; my paternal side originates from Canada, while the maternal side is from America. Although my great grandfather comes from Canada, my grandpa and grandma live in New York. My grandfather is Afro-American who worked as a bartender, no wonder he loved concerts! My father works as a conservationist for aquatic fauna while my mother works in the bakery. My mother and father met in a supermarket when they were both doing shopping.

Although we live in the same city, my grandparents have their apartment, a distance from ours. We live as a family of five; dad, mum, and three children. As we all live in the same city, we (me and my two sisters) occasionally visit our grandparents during the weekends to spend some time with them; grandpa and I were doing some gardening while my sisters and grandma do cook and other house chores. The bond between our great parents and ours is very excellent.

At Christmas, all my children, mum, and dad travel to our grandparents for a whole week. During the new year, we get together at our house, my parent's house, to welcome the year as an entire family. Sometimes during the weekends, we usually spend most of our time on the beach swimming, except on church days. As a family, our favorite food is deep-fried fish, rice, and vegetables. However, my grandpa likes chicken hash.

In conclusion, the social co-existence between us is excellent, which has created a robust mutual bond for the family. From visiting each other, spending time on the beach, having to get together meals to usher the new year, and celebrating Christmas as a family, the bond keeps growing. I am privileged to be part of such a great family.

How to Get the Best Family History Essay?

Every student would want to produce the best essay possible to earn a better grade. One way of getting information is through previously written materials such as essay samples. Pre-written essay samples have become popular recently among college students due to the vital information they offer. There are several sites, such as Essay Kitchen, that provide pre-written essays on family history at affordable prices. Students can use the essay samples to obtain enough content and idea about paper outline the professor expect; thus, producing a quality article.

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how to start a essay about your family

Knowing your family history is very important. It enables one to self-discover himself within the society and appreciate the lineage. When you learn about your family's past, you will understand the things you see and experience today. Writing an essay on family history requires a lot of understanding and attention to the aspects you need to describe. The critical factor being family background, then understanding how you need to structure and jot down your ideas.

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Memoir: How to Write About Family

Writing a memoir is one of the best gifts you can give to your family, especially future generations. Think about it: How much do you really know about your grandmother? What about her grandmother— Do you even know the name of your grandmother's grandmother? If we're lucky, we'll know the basic outline of our ancestry but very few of us know the rich stories that make up the lives of our family members.

If you've ever been curious about your family's past, think of the future generations who also will be interested in their lives and yours, too. Knowing the paths of our ancestors helps us better navigate our own.

Writing a memoir isn't just a gift for posterity. It's also a gift for you presently. In the process of chronicling your family history or your own personal triumphs, you can discover recurring themes and universal truths that can guide the rest of your life.

But how do you do it? Where do you begin writing a memoir about your family? How do you make the mostly uneventful lives of your family members interesting? How do you catalog random events into one book? How do you tell the truth and not get sued?

In this guide, we'll answer all of those questions and more. Let's get started.

Here’s a list of 10 legal tips to remember when writing a memoir. Subscribe to receive this extra resource.

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Memoir About Your Family

When you're deciding who or what to chronicle in your memoir, remember this little fact: A memoir is not an entire autobiography. It captures one moment of your life. It may cover the span of several weeks, months, or years, but the totality of your life is so much bigger than what you can record in a single memoir.

Find a specific theme that you'd like to tackle in your memoir, such as the benefit of hard work or the trials and triumphs of parenthood.

Then find a moral to your memoir (that's right— morals aren't just for fables). Your memoir should also reflect a life lesson or universal truth that you or your family member discovered over the course of the events.

When trying to figure out where to begin with a family memoir, focus on a lesson that you've learned from your family. Who taught you that lesson? How did he or she learn that lesson? What's the story there? After exploring their story, then show how you applied that same lesson in your own life.

One of the hardest parts of telling your own story is being vulnerable. If you're accustomed to writing fiction, you know it's pretty easy to deposit different elements of your personality or your own history into the fictionalized story. Change a few details here and there, and no one will know that the protagonist in your sci-fi romance novel is based on you.

But in a memoir, everyone knows that your story is your story. It can be excruciating to look at yourself in black and white without flinching. There will be moments where you'll have to stop yourself from pushing the delete button. You'll definitely cringe. You'll want to justify your actions or soften the blow. But that doesn't make for honest storytelling, which is the only type of story your memoir reader wants to explore.

It can also be difficult to tell the truth when you're including the acts and deeds of others that you know, especially close family members. You may wish to shield them from criticism.

But don’t. Be honest with the most important (non-identifying) details and you’ll have a superior story.

How to Make the Boring Exciting

When I relay certain events about my life to others, I often get this response: Your life is so exciting. I could never write a story about my own life— it's so boring.

Here's the truth: My life is boring, too. Approximately 99 percent of my life is spent doing the same thing day in and day out. I don't write about that 99 percent, I focus on the 1 percent, and you should, too.

No one's life is exciting 100 percent of the time, but every one of us has a compelling story to tell. I've never met one person that I couldn't find an interesting story about, and you're not going to stump me.

With a memoir, you don't have to catalog every single day, week, or even year. You can skip over the boring parts to get to create a story that makes sense for your theme and moral.

Remember to Write Whole Characters

When we're looking at family members, we have a tendency to only see one part of them. You may know Rosalee as your grandma but you don't know her as the young woman who had an affair on her husband and ended up pregnant with another man's baby. If you limit your characterization to wise Grandma Rosalee, you won't have an accurate portrayal of young, naive Rosalee.

If you're going to tell an honest story, you must see and write Rosalee as a whole person— with faults— and not in the limited capacity of grandma.

What Happens if Your Family Threatens to Sue?

Memoir About Your Family

Are you afraid to write a memoir that involves family members because it may expose you to future litigation?

This idea stops a lot of would-be memoirists from sharing poignant stories.

If you've ever been threatened by a hotheaded family member who claims that you're defaming their character, remember that truth is always the best defense to defamation. If it's true, it's not defamation (which is hurting someone's reputation with a false statement of fact).

This is why it's so important to be completely honest in your memoirs, especially if you're bringing in the acts and deeds of others into your story.

You may also have to defend yourself against claims that you've invaded the privacy of your family members. If you're sharing sensitive information about family members that they don't want to become public, you can't use truth as a defense. In this case, and to avoid triggering certain family members altogether, it's best to explore one of the following options:

  • You can write under an assumed name or pseudonym. This is the go-to option for those of us who want to tell our personal truths with exposing actual people in the process.
  • Alter key details. Turn a brother into a cousin. Move from Poughkeepsie to Aurora. Transform a brunette into blonde. You can make changes to your memoir and throw sleuths off of the scent. But remember that switching out certain details can negatively affect your story and dilute your theme. Keep the changes superficial so as not to expose the secrets of your family members.
  • Talk to a lawyer. They know more about the law than you or I do (unless you're actually a lawyer). It makes sense to consult with a lawyer before publishing a book with real names that can expose your family members to real embarrassment or potential legal issues.

Remember to treat your family members as you would like to be treated. Put yourself in their place. Give them the same dignity and respect that you want for yourself.

Hold on to Your Perspective

Others in your family will not remember events in the same way that you do. This can create tension. Be prepared.

You should tell the truth as you see it. Write the first draft without allowing self-doubt to have a voice. After your first draft is out of the way, start to edit with this caveat: You're writing from your perspective— not the perspective of your other family members. You don't have to alter your memories or storytelling to accommodate your mother's, brother's, aunt's, grandpa's feelings.

In fact, many authors don't ever share their memoirs with their family for obvious reasons. You're not obligated to do so and you may feel better if you don't. Just make sure that you're okay with what you've written and that it lines up to the truth as you see it.

Avoid Asking Your Family to Read Your Work

If you do share your memoir with your family, don't ask them to help you edit it.

Generally speaking, family members make poor editors. When you ask a family member to critique your work, it usually goes one of two ways:

1) They tell you what they think you want to hear because they don't want to hurt your feelings and they want to be supportive.

2) They have a negative emotional response and may tell you that your memoir is horrible simply because they're too close to the events in your story.

In the case of a memoir, it's almost impossible to get an objective reaction from your family members. If your perspective doesn't line up with their perspective, they'll think you're telling the story wrong and they'll judge you and your writing unfairly as a result.

You can't afford to have that happen.

Instead, get a professional editor to look over your work via a manuscript critique. This kind of critique focuses on the story as a whole, including plot structure, narrative voice, characterization, and pacing. This type of objective critique will help you clarify the theme and tell the best story possible. It can also safeguard against creating flat characters that don't honestly represent your family members.

Learn more about our manuscript critique services here.

Additional Resources

Before you go, check out these related posts on writing memoirs:

  • Writing a Memoir? Avoid These 7 Mistakes
  • How to Write a Memoir That People Care About

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Essay on My Family

List of essays on my family, essay on my family – short essay for kids in english (essay 1 – 250 words), essay on my family – for children (essay 2 – 300 words), essay on my family – paragraph (essay 3 – 400 words), essay on my family –topics (essay 4 – 500 words), essay on my family (essay 5 – 500 words), essay on my family – why i love my family (essay 6 – 500 words), essay on my family – for school students (class 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 standard) (essay 7 – 500 words), essay on my family (essay 8 – 750 words), essay on my family – long essay (essay 9 – 1000 words).

A family is one of the greatest gift god has given to all living creatures on the earth including humans. It is a privilege to have a happy family as not everyone in the world has it.

The joy of living with your parents, fighting with your siblings over petty can just make you smile the moment you think of it. In order to inculcate the values of a family in the students, we have composed some short essays for students.

These essays are suited for students of all ages and classes. Not only these essays shall give an insight on how a family should be but shall also enrich the students with the moral values of a family.

Audience: The below given essays are exclusively written for kids, children and school students.

Family is important to every one of us and we all love our family. Wherever we go in this world and whatever we may achieve, our heart and soul will always be in our home because it is where our beautiful family is. Nothing in this world can be stronger than the bonding of the blood . The members of the same family may have differences of opinions, may quarrel often for silly things but in spite of all these it is our family that supports us during our ups and downs.

As the saying goes, “ Family is the best thing you could ever wish for. They are there for you during the ups and downs and love you no matter what”.

Contrary to this saying, we cannot choose our family as we choose our friends. But I can say that I’m blessed with a wonderful family. My family is very small with four members – my mother, my father, my elder sister and me. My family is a middle class family and my father is officially the bread winner of our family. My mother supports him financially by taking tuitions for school children.

We do not have much money or wealth but what my family has in abundance is love for each other which cannot be replaced by anything else in this world. My father and my mother are the role models to my sister and me. They struggle a lot to give us a better life. More than anything they have taught us discipline and morals of life which is helping us to lead our lives in a righteous path even today.

I cannot ask anything more to God since he has already showered me with my family which I treasure the most every second and will safeguard even in the future.

The family is a valuable god gift which plays a most crucial role in every individual’s life. I love my family very much because all of my family members stand in my good as well as bad times. From moral teachings to love and support, my family has always helped me without any demand. There is no doubt that we experience our biggest triumphs when we really connect to them.

My family is like a strong pillar for me, on which I can rely blindly anytime I require support. From my family, I have learned the social graces of loyalty & cooperation.

My family consists of my grandfather, my grandmother, my mother, my father, two young sisters and myself. My grandparents are the pillars of my family and my grandfather is the head of my family. He is the one whose decision relating to any matter is final and all of us do respect it.

Right from my childhood, my family members have prepared me for the challenges that I’ll face in the years ahead. In addition to this, all of my family members help and serve each other at times of need. These qualities that I have learnt from my family has helped me to shape my adult life in a right manner.

I am really very attached to my grandfather. He holds an excellent life experience because he has already faced so many ups and downs. My Grandfather has helped me to build my perception & vision towards society.

My family has always been there to motivate and encourage me to overcome all difficulties in life and achieve success. The role of every member in my family is unique and important in their own way. I thank God that I have grown up in a family full of love and discipline. My family values will definitely help me in becoming a better person.

A person without family and its love never becomes completely happy in his/her life. I am complete and happy with my family that includes five members. My family is a group of five including me, father, mother, brother, and sister. Family bonding is a unique type of love that gives you every lesson needed to live a harmonious life.

Growing under the supervision of a caring and loving family will increase our social values and overall well-being. Each member of my family carries out equal responsibility in sculpting the strong bonding needed for a better future and develop moral importance in each other.

My father owns a successful business of office stationery store. He uses the money to cover all our expenses and give a better lifestyle to the family. He works hard day and night to get us better education, food, home, etc. He hides all his tiredness when he comes home after a long day to spend quality time with us.

My mother is a talented homemaker who also does a part-time tailoring at home. She does all her duties with at most interest, from taking care of us to all the household chores and finds time to pursue her passion as well. She is a multi-tasker and does all the tasks from helping us in our studies to preparing delicious healthy foods to sculpt us into a better human being.

My brother is an engineering graduate and does a job in a well-known company. He is my best well-wisher and helps me in all ups and downs. My sister is also an engineering graduate and an employee in an IT company. She always finds time to help me with all my difficulties and she is my secret keeper too.

My family is a lifeline to whom I can run to, whatever may be the situation I am facing. My family guides me to be a good person and help me in nurturing good values. We, humans, are animals that live together spreading love and care for each other, and this togetherness is called family. The absence of such a divine bonding make us equal to animals.

Family value and growing in such a caring surrounding helps me to pass all the struggles and hardships that I face in my daily life. Whatever be the situation we are facing, our family will never leave us alone. My family is a blessing for me and I value everyone in my family with equal respect and love.

Most of the people in the world are blessed with having a family. A family, with whom you can share all your joys and sorrows, who is there to guide you through your growing years, who stands by you in the toughest of the situations. I too am blessed to have such a family.

My family is one the most bizarre family in the world. We are four people, my mother, my father, my younger brother and me. While my father is the one who does work for a living, it is my mother who is the boss of the house. My father is a humble person. He is an officer in a government department. My mother is a housewife. It is our mother who takes care of our studies as our father is often busy with his official assignments and even travels for days together. We just miss him when he is not at home.

He never scolds us. But, our mother is just the opposite. She wants us to remain disciplined and we often get scolded by her. However, our father comes to our rescue most of the times. My brother, still in school is the one with whom I love to spend my time the most. Not because I love to play with him, but because, being the elder sister, I enjoy instructing him and showing him who is more powerful at home. He, at a time, seems so helpless when our mother says to obey his sister. I just love that moment. But not all days are the same. I hate having to study all along while he gets to play more than me.

The Atmosphere in my Family:

We largely have a peaceful atmosphere at home. After school, our time is spent on studying, playing and watching television, which of course our mother does not like. Unlike other couples, my mother and father seldom have a fight. In fact, as soon we see an argument brewing up, one of them just withdraws and it is just rare to see a heated conversation between them. This is what I like the most about them as I feel that my parents are so cool. It is only me and brother who love to fight with each other.

However, we know that behind those fights, it is actually our love for each other which binds us together. I just enjoy being at home spending time with my parents and my brother. I just feel how bad it would be when tomorrow I and my brother shall move on for our professional lives and we shall not be able to spend much time together. However, it is the memories of today which shall be with me forever and will bring a smile on my face anytime when I feel low.

The Importance of a Family:

A family is said to be the first school of a child. It is from here you start to learn how to speak, walk and interact with the world. It is important to value the importance of a family in one’s life. At times, people feel that they are grown-ups and that their parent’s advice does not matter anymore, but that is not true. It is the elders of the family who at any given of time would know the world better than us and we should all respect our family members and love our siblings as well. It is the family who builds our character and we should feel fortunate to have a family around us.

Introduction

My family values are what I take so dear to my heart because they have made me what I am today and I plan on passing these great values to my children in future. Every family has those things, acts and values that they hold in high esteem and they cherish so much. These vales have become a part of them: most times, it is what distinguishes the traits in each family and in some ways it makes or mars the future of the family members. Same applies to my family, we have some set values that has become a part of us and it has made my life a lot better because I have become a better person who is not only valuable to himself but also to the society at large. I will be sharing some of these values with you.

My Family Values:

Some of my family values include:

1. Honesty:

This is a principle that is highly protected in my family. My dad has this saying that, “honesty is the best policy.” Ever since I was little, my family has taught me how to be honest and the benefits that lie within. Sometimes, my parents even test us in ways we were not expecting and a reward is given to the person that comes out honest. This is one of my family values that I cherish so much and I am proud that it is what my family hold in high esteem.

2. Kindness to Others:

This is not a common trait to all. My mom has this belief that if the world and everybody in it shows love and kindness to one another, there will be no hatred and wars will be eradicated. This is a family value that we cherish so much. I learnt to show love to everybody. Even when we did not have much, my parents will still give to those who are needy. My dad says that the world is like a river, we would eventually flow into one another later and you do not know the future, the person you helped today might eventually be of help to you tomorrow.

3. Education:

This is a value that has been passed from generation to generation in my family. My dad would say that education is the best legacy you can give to a child. My family does everything in their capacity for you to get a sound and benefitting education. The acquisition of knowledge is also quite important. All of us try to gain more and more knowledge because we all have a family slogan that says “knowledge is power and that power makes me a hero.”

4. Dress and Appearance:

This is a religious value we cherish in my family. My dad would say that you are addressed the way you dress. I do not want to be address wrongly and give out a wrong impression. So, our appearance really matter a lot to us and the way we dress.

Conclusion:

Every family has one thing or the other that they hold in high esteem and tend to pass on from generation to generation. This is what makes a family a united sect not because we are related by blood but because of we share the same values.

Introduction:

Why I love my family is a question that has been floating through my mind for a very long time because no matter how hard I try to pin out a reason why I love them, I just can’t find one. This can be due to fact that they mean the whole world to me and I will do anything for them. I love my family a lot and I would like to share some of the reasons why I love my family and will never trade them for anything.

Why I Love My Family:

I have a family that consists of 6 people: my father, my mother and four children which includes me. For you to understand why I love my family I will tell you a little about each of them and why I love them so much.

My father is the best father in the world: well, that’s what I say. He is a business manager. I look up to my father a lot because I will like to take a lot of his behaviours and make it mine. He taught me to be contented with whatever I have. We did not have much when I was growing up; my dad lost his job and still did not allow anything of the pressure change how he behaved to us at home. He is caring, gentle, accommodating and disciplined.

My mum is the best cook in the world. I do not know where I would be today without my mum. I owe her a lot. She is a teacher by profession and this fascinates me a lot because not only is she inculcating knowledge in the young minds of tomorrow, she is also building the future of our society at large. I want to be like my mum. I remember those times when she had to sacrifice when the most precious of her things just to make me happy. She is loving, caring, understanding, accommodating. In fact, she is everything you can ever wish for in a mother.

My elder sisters are the best. Although they can be frustrating sometimes but that is mostly because of my stubbornness. They pretend they do not really care but deep inside they do. The things they do even subconsciously say otherwise. I remember a day in elementary school, I was being bullied a boy in class. On this particular day, he hit me. Unknowing to me, my sister heard about it and she beat the boy and made him apologise to me, I felt so happy that day because I had someone who had my back.

My brother is one of the best gifts I have received. He is the last child and this gives him an opportunity to be annoying if you know what I mean. He is joyful and always ready to heed correction. There was this day, I heard him bragging to his friends about how awesome I am, and I was the happiest that day.

We all have one reason or the other on why we love our family. I love mine because they are the best gift I could ever ask for and the fact that they have been there for me through the good, bad and funny times.

Importance of family is something that is greatly overlooked and underrated in the world we live in today. The definition that the family had about one hundred years before now was very clear. Back then, a family was believed to be a unit that consisted of the father that was in charge of the finances of the family, a mother whose primary duty was to look after the home and take care of the children and then there were the children. Largely based on the region you are from, a family can also include members of the extended family like aunts, uncles and grandparents. This type of family system is referred to as joint family.

Family Importance:

A family that is important is one that is very strong. If a family is going to be very strong, there is a need for the bond between them to be very strong. Bonds that help in keeping the members of a family with each other are relationships. If there are very strong relationships among all the members of a family, there is going to be stronger commitment between all of them and the family as a unit will be very important.

Better communication is also a result of family relationships that are very strong. If all the family members can take time out to talk and know each other well, the bond between them is bound to be very strong. Even if the conversations are about big things or small things, it does not really matter. The most important thing is that all family members stay connected to one another. It is very important that they all list to each other and understand every member.

How to make Family Bonds Very Strong:

We have various things that can help our family bond to improve.

A few of them include:

1. Love: love is the most important thing we need for our bonds as a family to improve. When we love the members in our family, we will also be able to know all about privacy, intimacy, caring, belonging and sharing. When there is love in a family, the family will prosper.

2. Loyalty: loyalty is something that comes as a result of love. Family members should stay devoted to each other. It is important that we are able to count on our family to have our back anytime we are facing problems.

The importance of family can never be overstated even though we live in a different time now and our attitudes to relationships, marriage and what a family should be has changed. The family is something that we need to help share our problems and be there for us anytime we have issues. A lot of the things that were not acceptable in the past and we now see as normal. Even with all the changes that the society has effected on our family system, the family still remains the major foundation of our society and this will remain the same.

My family is the best gift I have got. A family can be simply said to mean a social group of different people in our society that includes one or more parents and also their children. In a family, every member of the family commits to other members of the family in a mutual relationship. A family is a very important unit and the smallest unit in the society. A family whether a big one or a small one is of very great importance and use to all of its members and is believed to be the unit of our society that is strongest because the society is formed from the coming together and culmination of various families.

In many cultures, the family serves a child’s first school where the child learns all about their traditions and cultures more importantly learn about all the rudimentary values in life. A family is very essential in the teaching of healthy habits and good manners to all the members of the family. It gives the members of the family the opportunity to become people with better character in our society. I feel very lucky to be born into a small and lovely family; I learnt a lot of things from my family.

I am from a middle class and average family with six members (my father, my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather, my younger brother and me). My grandfather is the head of the family and we all respect and listen to him. He is really wise and tries to advise each and every one of us using his many life experiences. He has been involved in many interesting and adventurous activities that he tells me about all the time. Most of the time, he has the final say on all of our family issues and he does his best to make all his decisions impartial.

Any time we are eating today as a family, he sits at the top of the table; we all have designated seats at the dining table. When my brother and I are available, my grandfather teaches us about our traditions and cultures. My grandfather is very friendly and has a cool and great personality and tries to talk nicely and calmly to everyone passing across his message without being rude. He helps my brother and sometimes me with our assignments. He majorly teaches us about all of the tools we need to be successful in life including punctuality, discipline, moral, cleanliness, continuity, honesty, hard work and trustworthiness.

My lovely grandmother is one of the nicest people I know, she tells my brother and I lovely stories every night. My father is a civil engineer and he is very hardworking, sincere and punctual. He is the breadwinner of the family and does his best to provide for every member of the family even if that means he has to work extra hours. My mother is very sweet and takes care of every member of the family even though she works as an accountant at a firm. She wakes up very early in the morning to make preparations for the day. My brother is a funny and jovial person that enjoys sporting activities and I love him so much.

Sometimes I wish my cousins, uncles and aunts lived with us, I love having them around. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of having everyone around. I have highlighted some below.

Some advantages are:

1. It gives a better routine of living that can contribute to a proper growth.

2. Having a joint family helps in following the numerous principles of an equitable economy and helps teach discipline and respect. It also teaches us how to share the burden of other family members.

3. There is the understanding of having to adjust to the needs of other family members.

4. The children in a large family get to grow up in a happy environment because they have children of their age around that they can play with.

5. All the members of a joint family are usually very disciplined and responsible as everyone has to follow the instructions of the family head.

Some of the disadvantages include:

1. There is always the chance of a rift or fight between the family members because of the possible imbalance of feelings of oneness, brotherly love and feeling of generosity.

2. There is a chance of the members of the family that earn very high looking down on members of the family that do not.

The concept of family is important in India for every individual. Family defines an individual background in terms of social relations and growth. Families influence the lives of individuals from childhood to adulthood especially in decisions concerning life milestones like marriage and career paths. Indian families live together for up to four generations under one roof and they manage to maintain lose family relations compared to other families across the globe. Indian families tend to stick to their cultural practices as a family and they maintain religious practices that cut across the family. Elders in Indian families are respected by the members of the family and their opinions are considered during decision making.

What Family Really Means :

Basic knowledge defines a family as a group of people who share genetic and legal bonds. However, the concept of family means a lot more for other people than just the bond and it incorporates the concepts of culture and religion. In India, the concept of family differs from what the rest of the world perceives as family.

Families in India go beyond nuclear and extend to wider circles, whereby the extended family lives together and are closely related. The relationships in the family are strong such that cousins are considered siblings and aunts and uncles are considered parents. Family also means the unconditional love among the members of the family whereby there is support in terms of finances and emotions.

Why the Family is so important:

The family plays a central role in lives of individuals in teaching of moral values. Parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents have been known to teach the children on morality and disciplinary issue s in most cultures. Both spiritual and moral values are instilled through family. Family give a sense of belonging to individuals because they are over by the family and supported at all times.

A family will always support its members with needs including financial and emotional needs. In a family, there has been established levels of satisfaction and happiness from the joy of being together. Families also helping community development through contributions and participating in activities in the community. The family is important in the society in maintaining order, discipline and peace.

I come from a big family. My family has not moved to an urban area and so we still live as a wider circle together with the extended family. In my nuclear family, I am the first born of four children. I have one sister and two brothers who are still at school. I have three aunts and two uncles. My cousins are twelve in number and most of them are at school except for the youngest ones.

My grandparents are very old and they do not get out of the house much and are being taken care by my parents and aunts. Most of the children are always at school and the house gets quiet but during holiday, we all unite together as a full house. My family is of the middle class in terms of wealth. Our religion is Hindu and we all practice the Indian cultures and traditions. What I love about my family is that everyone is a good cook and the food is always amazing. Members of my family are kind and respectful and that is why we rarely have disputes. The family support is strong and we all love each other.

Why I love My Family:

Having a big family is interesting because the house always feels warm. As I had earlier mentioned, my family is made of good cooks, which makes me love them. There is always teamwork within the family and good relationships are maintained. I like the adventurous nature of my family because we always have fun whenever we go for holiday vacations or have a family event.

Moral cultural and spiritual values are highly cared for in the society. My family is oriented in good moral values and believe we make a good role model for the society. Despite the influence of education, the family has been able to maintain the culture and traditions of Indian people. The love that exists in my family is precious and that is the most important value of all times because what family without love?

Our Weekend Outings and House Parties:

We do not have many of these in our family because of the different schedules among the members. We only have weekend outings and house parties during holidays. Birthday parties are and weddings are the parties that we frequently have as a family. I love parties at home because the food is usually exceptionally good. Also, the dancing and happy faces. Weekend outings are usually in form of picnics and they are usually full of games.

Cousins Visit during Summer:

My family is young and only three of my cousins are in college. The rest are in high school or elementary schools. Whenever my cousins come home from school, it is a happy moment for the whole family and we host parties to welcome them home. Whenever my older cousins are at home, I enjoy their company and I love to hear stories about college because that is where I will be in a few years’ time.

In the spirit of holidays, we have a vacation or two in a year. During these vacations, plans begin early and when the time comes, it is enjoyable and relaxing. Vacations for us as children tend to be more enjoyable because we have an environment away from home and with minimal parental supervision and we tend to explore and talk among ourselves. Team building during vacations strengthens the bond in families.

Family is a blessing to individuals because that is where they belong and it is what defines them. A good family is built through moral values and team effort. Having family events and parties or vacations re important is strengthening the relationships within a family. A happy individual is definitely from a happy family.

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About my family.

how to start a essay about your family

Look at the email and do the exercises to practise and improve your writing skills.

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From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: My family

Let me tell you about my family. I live with my mum, my dad and my big sister. We live in California. My mum’s name is Carmen. She’s Mexican and she speaks English and Spanish. She’s a Spanish teacher. She’s short and slim, she’s got long, brown hair and brown eyes. My dad’s name is David. He’s American. He’s tall and a little fat! He’s got short brown hair and blue eyes. He works in a bank. My sister Shania is 14 and she loves listening to music. She listens to music all the time! She’s got long brown hair and green eyes, like me. I’ve got long hair too. We’ve got a pet dog, Brandy. He’s black and white and very friendly.

Write soon and tell me about your family.

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College Essays

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If you've been sitting in front of a blank screen, unsure of exactly how to start a personal statement for college, then believe me—I feel your pain. A great college essay introduction is key to making your essay stand out, so there's a lot of pressure to get it right.

Luckily, being able to craft the perfect beginning for your admissions essay is just like many other writing skills— something you can get better at with practice and by learning from examples.

In this article, I'll walk you through exactly how to start a college essay. We'll cover what makes a great personal statement introduction and how the first part of your essay should be structured. We'll also look at several great examples of essay beginnings and explain why they work, how they work, and what you can learn from them.

What Is the College Essay Introduction For?

Before we talk about how to start a college essay, let's discuss the role of the introduction. Just as your college essay is your chance to introduce yourself to the admissions office of your target college, your essay's beginning is your chance to introduce your writing.

Wait, Back Up—Why Do Colleges Want Personal Statements?

In general, college essays make it easier to get to know the parts of you not in your transcript —these include your personality, outlook on life, passions, and experiences.

You're not writing for yourself but for a very specific kind of reader. Picture it: your audience is an admissions officer who has read thousands and thousands of essays. This person is disposed to be friendly and curious, but if she hasn't already seen it all she's probably seen a good portion of it.

Your essay's job is to entertain and impress this person, and to make you memorable so you don't merely blend into the sea of other personal statements. Like all attempts at charm, you must be slightly bold and out of the ordinary—but you must also stay away from crossing the line into offensiveness or bad taste.

What Role Does the Introduction Play in a College Essay?

The personal statement introduction is basically the wriggly worm that baits the hook to catch your reader. It's vital to grab attention from the get-go—the more awake and eager your audience is, the more likely it is that what you say will really land.

How do you go about crafting an introduction that successfully hooks your reader? Let's talk about how to structure the beginning of your college essay.

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How to Structure a Personal Statement Introduction

To see how the introduction fits into an essay, let's look at the big structural picture first and then zoom in.

College Essay Structure Overview

Even though they're called essays, personal statements are really more like a mix of a short story and a philosophy or psychology class that's all about you.

Usually, how this translates is that you start with a really good (and very short) story about something arresting, unusual, or important that happened to you. This is not to say that the story has to be about something important or unusual in the grand scheme of things—it just has to be a moment that stands out to you as defining in some way, or an explanation of why you are the way you are . You then pivot to an explanation of why this story is an accurate illustration of one of your core qualities, values, or beliefs.

The story typically comes in the first half of the essay, and the insightful explanation comes second —but, of course, all rules were made to be broken, and some great essays flip this more traditional order.

College Essay Introduction Components

Now, let's zero in on the first part of the college essay. What are the ingredients of a great personal statement introduction? I'll list them here and then dissect them one by one in the next section:

  • A killer first sentence: This hook grabs your readers' attention and whets their appetite for your story.
  • A vivid, detailed story that illustrates your eventual insight: To make up for how short your story will be, you must insert effective sensory information to immerse the reader.
  • An insightful pivot toward the greater point you're making in your essay: This vital piece of the essay connects the short story part to the part where you explain what the experience has taught you about yourself, how you've matured, and how it has ultimately shaped you as a person.

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How to Write a College Essay Introduction

Here's a weird secret that's true for most written work: just because it'll end up at the beginning doesn't mean you have to write it first. For example, in this case, you can't know what your killer first sentence will be until you've figured out the following details:

  • The story you want to tell
  • The point you want that story to make
  • The trait/maturity level/background about you that your essay will reveal

So my suggestion is to work in reverse order! Writing your essay will be much easier if you can figure out the entirety of it first and then go back and work out exactly how it should start.

This means that before you can craft your ideal first sentence, the way the short story experience of your life will play out on the page, and the perfect pivoting moment that transitions from your story to your insight, you must work out a general idea about which life event you will share and what you expect that life event to demonstrate to the reader about you and the kind of person you are.

If you're having trouble coming up with a topic, check out our guide on brainstorming college essay ideas . It might also be helpful to read our guides to specific application essays, such as picking your best Common App prompt and writing a perfect University of California personal statement .

In the next sections of this article, I'll talk about how to work backwards on the introduction, moving from bigger to smaller elements: starting with the first section of the essay in general and then honing your pivot sentence and your first sentence.

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How to Write the First Section of Your College Essay

In a 500-word essay, this section will take up about the first half of the essay and will mostly consist of a brief story that illuminates a key experience, an important character trait, a moment of transition or transformation, or a step toward maturity.

Once you've figured out your topic and zeroed in on the experience you want to highlight in the beginning of your essay, here are 2 great approaches to making it into a story:

  • Talking it out, storyteller style (while recording yourself): Imagine that you're sitting with a group of people at a campfire, or that you're stuck on a long flight sitting next to someone you want to befriend. Now tell that story. What does someone who doesn't know you need to know in order for the story to make sense? What details do you need to provide to put them in the story with you? What background information do they need in order to understand the stakes or importance of the story?
  • Record yourself telling your story to friends and then chatting about it: What do they need clarified? What questions do they have? Which parts of your story didn't make sense or follow logically for them? Do they want to know more, or less? Is part of your story interesting to them but not interesting to you? Is a piece of your story secretly boring, even though you think it's interesting?

Later, as you listen to the recorded story to try to get a sense of how to write it, you can also get a sense of the tone with which you want to tell your story. Are you being funny as you talk? Sad? Trying to shock, surprise, or astound your audience? The way you most naturally tell your story is the way you should write it.

After you've done this storyteller exercise, write down the salient points of what you learned. What is the story your essay will tell? What is the point about your life, point of view, or personality it will make? What tone will you tell it with? Sketch out a detailed outline so that you can start filling in the pieces as we work through how to write the introductory sections.

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How to Write the First Sentence of Your College Essay

In general, your essay's first sentence should be either a mini-cliffhanger that sets up a situation the reader would like to see resolved, or really lush scene-setting that situates your audience in a place and time they can readily visualize. The former builds expectations and evokes curiosity, and the latter stimulates the imagination and creates a connection with the author. In both cases, you hit your goal of greater reader engagement.

Now, I'm going to show you how these principles work for all types of first sentences, whether in college essays or in famous works of fiction.

First Sentence Idea 1: Line of Quoted Direct Speech

"Mum, I'm gay." ( Ahmad Ashraf '17 for Connecticut College )

The experience of coming out is raw and emotional, and the issue of LGBTQ rights is an important facet of modern life. This three-word sentence immediately sums up an enormous background of the personal and political.

"You can handle it, Matt," said Mr. Wolf, my fourth-grade band teacher, as he lifted the heavy tuba and put it into my arms. ( Matt Coppo '07 for Hamilton College )

This sentence conjures up a funny image—we can immediately picture the larger adult standing next to a little kid holding a giant tuba. It also does a little play on words: "handle it" can refer to both the literal tuba Matt is being asked to hold and the figurative stress of playing the instrument.

First Sentence Idea 2: Punchy Short Sentence With One Grabby Detail

I live alone—I always have since elementary school. ( Kevin Zevallos '16 for Connecticut College )

This opener definitely makes us want to know more. Why was he alone? Where were the protective grown-ups who surround most kids? How on earth could a little kid of 8-10 years old survive on his own?

I have old hands. ( First line from a student in Stanford's class of 2012 )

There's nothing but questions here. What are "old" hands? Are they old-looking? Arthritic? How has having these hands affected the author?

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. (Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre )

There's immediately a feeling of disappointment and the stifled desire for action here. Who wanted to go for a walk? And why was this person being prevented from going?

First Sentence Idea 3: Lyrical, Adjective-Rich Description of a Setting

We met for lunch at El Burrito Mexicano, a tiny Mexican lunch counter under the Red Line "El" tracks. ( Ted Mullin '06 for Carleton College )

Look at how much specificity this sentence packs in less than 20 words. Each noun and adjective is chosen for its ability to convey yet another detail. "Tiny" instead of "small" gives readers a sense of being uncomfortably close to other people and sitting at tables that don't quite have enough room for the plates. "Counter" instead of "restaurant" lets us immediately picture this work surface, the server standing behind it, and the general atmosphere. "Under the tracks" is a location deeply associated with being run down, borderline seedy, and maybe even dangerous.

Maybe it's because I live in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where Brett Favre draws more of a crowd on Sunday than any religious service, cheese is a staple food, it's sub-zero during global warming, current "fashions" come three years after they've hit it big with the rest of the world, and where all children by the age of ten can use a 12-gauge like it's their job. ( Riley Smith '12 for Hamilton College )

This sentence manages to hit every stereotype about Wisconsin held by outsiders—football, cheese, polar winters, backwardness, and guns—and this piling on gives us a good sense of place while also creating enough hyperbole to be funny. At the same time, the sentence raises the tantalizing question: maybe what is because of Wisconsin?

High, high above the North Pole, on the first day of 1969, two professors of English Literature approached each other at a combined velocity of 1200 miles per hour. (David Lodge, Changing Places )

This sentence is structured in the highly specific style of a math problem, which makes it funny. However, at the heart of this sentence lies a mystery that grabs the reader's interest: why on earth would these two people be doing this?

First Sentence Idea 4: Counterintuitive Statement

To avoid falling into generalities with this one, make sure you're really creating an argument or debate with your counterintuitive sentence. If no one would argue with what you've said, then you aren't making an argument. ("The world is a wonderful place" and "Life is worth living" don't make the cut.)

If string theory is really true, then the entire world is made up of strings, and I cannot tie a single one. ( Joanna '18 for Johns Hopkins University )

There's a great switch here from the sub-microscopic strings that make up string theory to the actual physical strings you can tie in real life. This sentence hints that the rest of the essay will continue playing with linked, albeit not typically connected, concepts.

All children, except one, grow up. (J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan )

In just six words, this sentence upends everything we think we know about what happens to human beings.

First Sentence Idea 5: The End—Making the Rest of the Essay a Flashback

I've recently come to the realization that community service just isn't for me. ( Kyla '19 for Johns Hopkins University )

This seems pretty bold—aren't we supposed to be super into community service? Is this person about to declare herself to be totally selfish and uncaring about the less fortunate? We want to know the story that would lead someone to this kind of conclusion.

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. (Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude )

So many amazing details here. Why is the Colonel being executed? What does "discovering" ice entail? How does he go from ice-discoverer to military commander of some sort to someone condemned to capital punishment?

First Sentence Idea 6: Direct Question to the Reader

To work well, your question should be especially specific, come out of left field, or pose a surprising hypothetical.

How does an agnostic Jew living in the Diaspora connect to Israel? ( Essay #3 from Carleton College's sample essays )

This is a thorny opening, raising questions about the difference between being an ethnic Jew and practicing the religion of Judaism, and the obligations of Jews who live outside of Israel to those who live in Israel and vice versa. There's a lot of meat to this question, setting up a philosophically interesting, politically important, and personally meaningful essay.

While traveling through the daily path of life, have you ever stumbled upon a hidden pocket of the universe? ( First line from a student in Stanford's class of 2012 )

There's a dreamy and sci-fi element to this first sentence, as it tries to find the sublime ("the universe") inside the prosaic ("daily path of life").

First Sentence Idea 7: Lesson You Learned From the Story You're Telling

One way to think about how to do this kind of opening sentence well is to model it on the morals that ended each Aesop's fable . The lesson you learned should be slightly surprising (not necessarily intuitive) and something that someone else might disagree with.

Perhaps it wasn't wise to chew and swallow a handful of sand the day I was given my first sandbox, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. ( Meagan Spooner '07 for Hamilton College )

The best part of this hilarious sentence is that even in retrospect, eating a handful of sand is only possibly an unwise idea—a qualifier achieved through that great "perhaps." So does that mean it was wise in at least some way to eat the sand? The reader wants to know more.

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina )

This immediately sets readers to mentally flip through every unhappy family they've ever known to double-check the narrator's assertion. Did he draw the right conclusion here? How did he come to this realization? The implication that he will tell us all about some dysfunctional drama also has a rubbernecking draw.

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How to Write a Pivot Sentence in Your College Essay

This is the place in your essay where you go from small to big—from the life experience you describe in detail to the bigger point this experience illustrates about your world and yourself.

Typically, the pivot sentence will come at the end of your introductory section, about halfway through the essay. I say sentence, but this section could be more than one sentence (though ideally no longer than two or three).

So how do you make the turn? Usually you indicate in your pivot sentence itself that you are moving from one part of the essay to another. This is called signposting, and it's a great way to keep readers updated on where they are in the flow of the essay and your argument.

Here are three ways to do this, with real-life examples from college essays published by colleges.

Pivot Idea 1: Expand the Time Frame

In this pivot, you gesture out from the specific experience you describe to the overarching realization you had during it. Think of helper phrases such as "that was the moment I realized" and "never again would I."

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation. ( Stephen '19 for Johns Hopkins University )

This is a pretty great pivot, neatly connecting the story Stephen's been telling (about having to break into a car on a volunteering trip) and his general reliance on his own resourcefulness and ability to roll with whatever life throws at him. It's a double bonus that he accomplishes the pivot with a play on the word "click," which here means both the literal clicking of the car door latch and the figurative clicking his brain does. Note also how the pivot crystallizes the moment of epiphany through the word "suddenly," which implies instant insight.

But in that moment I realized that the self-deprecating jokes were there for a reason. When attempting to climb the mountain of comedic success, I didn't just fall and then continue on my journey, but I fell so many times that I befriended the ground and realized that the middle of the metaphorical mountain made for a better campsite. Not because I had let my failures get the best of me, but because I had learned to make the best of my failures. (Rachel Schwartzbaum '19 for Connecticut College)

This pivot similarly focuses on a "that moment" of illuminated clarity. In this case, it broadens Rachel's experience of stage fright before her standup comedy sets to the way she has more generally not allowed failures to stop her progress—and has instead been able to use them as learning experiences. Not only does she describe her humor as "self-deprecating," but she also demonstrates what she means with that great "befriended the ground" line.

It was on this first educational assignment that I realized how much could be accomplished through an animal education program—more, in some cases, than the aggregate efforts of all of the rehabilitators. I found that I had been naive in my assumption that most people knew as much about wildlife as I did, and that they shared my respect for animals. ( J.P. Maloney '07 for Hamilton College )

This is another classically constructed pivot, as J.P. segues from his negative expectations about using a rehabilitated wild owl as an educational animal to his understanding of how much this kind of education could contribute to forming future environmentalists and nature lovers. The widening of scope happens at once as we go from a highly specific "first educational assignment" to the more general realization that "much" could be accomplished through these kinds of programs.

Pivot Idea 2: Link the Described Experience With Others

In this pivot, you draw a parallel between the life event that you've been describing in your very short story and other events that were similar in some significant way. Helpful phrases include "now I see how x is really just one of the many x 's I have faced," "in a way, x is a good example of the x -like situations I see daily," and "and from then on every time I ..."

This state of discovery is something I strive for on a daily basis. My goal is to make all the ideas in my mind fit together like the gears of a Swiss watch. Whether it's learning a new concept in linear algebra, talking to someone about a programming problem, or simply zoning out while I read, there is always some part of my day that pushes me towards this place of cohesion: an idea that binds together some set of the unsolved mysteries in my mind. ( Aubrey Anderson '19 for Tufts University )

After cataloging and detailing the many interesting thoughts that flow through her brain in a specific hour, Aubrey uses the pivot to explain that this is what every waking hour is like for her "on a daily basis." She loves learning different things and finds a variety of fields fascinating. And her pivot lets us know that her example is a demonstration of how her mind works generally.

This was the first time I've been to New Mexico since he died. Our return brought so much back for me. I remembered all the times we'd visited when I was younger, certain events highlighted by the things we did: Dad haggling with the jewelry sellers, his minute examination of pots at a trading post, the affection he had for chilies. I was scared that my love for the place would be tainted by his death, diminished without him there as my guide. That fear was part of what kept my mother and me away for so long. Once there, though, I was relieved to realize that Albuquerque still brings me closer to my father. ( Essay #1 from Carleton College's sample essays )

In this pivot, one very painful experience of visiting a place filled with sorrowful memories is used as a way to think about "all the other times" the author had been to New Mexico. The previously described trip after the father's death pivots into a sense of the continuity of memory. Even though he is no longer there to "guide," the author's love for the place itself remains.

Pivot Idea 3: Extract and Underline a Trait or Value

In this type of pivot, you use the experience you've described to demonstrate its importance in developing or zooming in on one key attribute. Here are some ways to think about making this transition: "I could not have done it without characteristic y , which has helped me through many other difficult moments," or "this is how I came to appreciate the importance of value z, both in myself and in those around me."

My true reward of having Stanley is that he opened the door to the world of botany. I would never have invested so much time learning about the molecular structure or chemical balance of plants if not for taking care of him. ( Michaela '19 for Johns Hopkins University )

In this tongue-in-cheek essay in which Michaela writes about Stanley, a beloved cactus, as if "he" has human qualities and is her child, the pivot explains what makes this plant so meaningful to its owner. Without having to "take care of him," Michaela "would never have invested so much time learning" about plant biology. She has a deep affinity for the natural sciences and attributes her interest at least partly to her cactus.

By leaving me free to make mistakes and chase wild dreams, my father was always able to help ground me back in reality. Personal responsibilities, priorities and commitments are all values that are etched into my mind, just as they are within my father's. ( Olivia Rabbitt '16 for Connecticut College )

In Olivia's essay about her father's role in her life, the pivot discusses his importance by explaining his deep impact on her values. Olivia has spent the story part of her essay describing her father's background and their relationship. Now, she is free to show how without his influence, she would not be so strongly committed to "personal responsibilities, priorities and commitments."

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College Essay Introduction Examples

We've collected many examples of college essays published by colleges and offered a breakdown of how several of them are put together . Now, let's check out a couple of examples of actual college essay beginnings to show you how and why they work.

Sample Intro 1

A blue seventh place athletic ribbon hangs from my mantel. Every day, as I walk into my living room, the award mockingly congratulates me as I smile. Ironically, the blue seventh place ribbon resembles the first place ribbon in color; so, if I just cover up the tip of the seven, I may convince myself that I championed the fourth heat. But, I never dare to wipe away the memory of my seventh place swim; I need that daily reminder of my imperfection. I need that seventh place.

Two years ago, I joined the no-cut swim team. That winter, my coach unexpectedly assigned me to swim the 500 freestyle. After stressing for hours about swimming 20 laps in a competition, I mounted the blocks, took my mark, and swam. Around lap 14, I looked around at the other lanes and did not see anyone. "I must be winning!" I thought to myself. However, as I finally completed my race and lifted my arms up in victory to the eager applause of the fans, I looked up at the score board. I had finished my race in last place. In fact, I left the pool two minutes after the second-to-last competitor, who now stood with her friends, wearing all her clothes.

(From "The Unathletic Department" by Meghan '17 for Johns Hopkins University )

Why Intro Sample 1 Works

Here are some of the main reasons that this essay's introduction is super effective.

#1: It's Got a Great First Sentence

The sentence is short but still does some scene setting with the descriptive "blue" and the location "from my mantel." It introduces a funny element with "seventh place"—why would that bad of a showing even get a ribbon? It dangles information just out of reach, making the reader want to know more: what was this an award for? Why does this definitively non-winning ribbon hang in such a prominent place of pride?

#2: It Has Lots of Detail

In the intro, we get physical actions: "cover up the tip," "mounted the blocks," "looked around at the other lanes," "lifted my arms up," and "stood with her friends, wearing all her clothes." We also get words conveying emotion: "mockingly congratulates me as I smile," "unexpectedly assigned," and "stressing for hours." Finally, we get descriptive specificity in the precise word choice: "from my mantel" and "my living room" instead of simply "in my house," and "lap 14" instead of "toward the end of the race."

#3: It Explains the Stakes

Even though everyone can imagine the lap pool, not everyone knows exactly what the "500 freestyle" race is. Meghan elegantly explains the difficulty by describing herself freaking out over "swimming 20 laps in a competition," which helps us to picture the swimmer going back and forth many times.

#4: It Has Great Storytelling

We basically get a sports commentary play-by-play here. Even though we already know the conclusion—Meghan came in 7th—she still builds suspense by narrating the race from her point of view as she was swimming it. She's nervous for a while, and then she starts the race.

Close to the end, she starts to think everything is going well ("I looked around at the other lanes and did not see anyone. 'I must be winning!' I thought to myself."). Everything builds to an expected moment of great triumph ("I finally completed my race and lifted my arms up in victory to the eager applause of the fans") but ends in total defeat ("I had finished my race in last place").

Not only that, but the mildly clichéd sports hype is hilariously undercut by reality ("I left the pool two minutes after the second-to-last competitor, who now stood with her friends, wearing all her clothes").

#5: It Uses a Pivot Sentence

This essay uses the time expansion method of pivoting: "But, I never dare to wipe away the memory of my seventh place swim; I need that daily reminder of my imperfection. I need that seventh place." Coming last in the race was something that happened once, but the award is now an everyday experience of humility.

The rest of the essay explores what it means for Meghan to constantly see this reminder of failure and to transform it into a sense of acceptance of her imperfections. Notice also that in this essay, the pivot comes before the main story, helping us "hear" the narrative in the way she wants us to.

Sample Intro 2

"Biogeochemical. It's a word, I promise!" There are shrieks and shouts in protest and support. Unacceptable insults are thrown, degrees and qualifications are questioned, I think even a piece of my grandmother's famously flakey parantha whizzes past my ear. Everyone is too lazy to take out a dictionary (or even their phones) to look it up, so we just hash it out. And then, I am crowned the victor, a true success in the Merchant household. But it is fleeting, as the small, glossy, plastic tiles, perfectly connected to form my winning word, are snatched out from under me and thrown in a pile with all the disgraced, "unwinning" tiles as we mix for our next game of Bananagrams. It's a similar donnybrook, this time ending with my father arguing that it is okay to use "Rambo" as a word (it totally is not).

Words and communicating have always been of tremendous importance in my life: from silly games like Bananagrams and our road-trip favorite "word game," to stunted communication between opposing grandparents, each speaking a different Indian language; from trying to understand the cheesemonger behind the counter with a deep southern drawl (I just want some Camembert!), to shaping a script to make people laugh.

Words are moving and changing; they have influence and substance.

From an Essay by Shaan Merchant ‘19 for Tufts University

Why Intro Sample 2 Works

Let's take a look at what qualities make this essay's introduction particularly memorable.

With the first sentence, we are immediately thrust into the middle of the action —into an exciting part of an argument about whether "biogeochemical" is really a word. We're also immediately challenged. Is this a word? Have I ever heard it before? Does a scientific neologism count as a word?

#2: It Shows Rather Than Tells

Since the whole essay is going to be about words, it makes sense for Shaan to demonstrate his comfort with all different kinds of language:

  • Complex, elevated vocabulary, such as "biogeochemical" and "donnybrook"
  • Foreign words, such as "parantha" and "Camembert"
  • Colorful descriptive words, such as "shrieks and shouts," "famously flakey, "whizzes past," and "hash it out"
  • "Fake" words, such as "unwinning" and "Rambo"

What's great is that Shaan is able to seamlessly mix the different tones and registers these words imply, going from cerebral to funny and back again.

#3: It Uses a Pivot Sentence

This essay uses the value-extraction style of pivot: "Words and communicating have always been of tremendous importance in my life." After we see an experience linking Shaan's clear love of his family with an interest in word games, he clarifies that this is exactly what the essay will be about—using a very straightforward pivoting sentence.

#4: It Piles On Examples to Avoid Vagueness

The danger of this kind of pivot sentence is slipping into vague, uninformative statements, such as "I love words." To avoid making a generalization the tells us nothing, the essay builds a list of examples of times when Shaan saw the way that words connect people: games ("Bananagrams and our road-trip favorite ‘word game,'"), his mixed-language family ("grandparents, each speaking a different Indian language"), encounters with strangers ("from trying to understand the cheesemonger"), and finally the more active experience of performing ("shaping a script to make people laugh").

But the essay stops short of giving so many examples that the reader drowns. I'd say three to five examples is a good range—as long as they're all different kinds of the same thing.

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The Bottom Line: How to Start a College Essay

The college essay introduction should hook your reader and make her want to know more and read more.

Good personal statement introductions will contain the following features:

  • A killer first line
  • A detailed description of an experience from your life
  • A pivot to the bigger picture, in which you explain why and how this experience has shaped you, your point of view, and/or your values.

You don't have to write the introduction first, and you certainly don't have to write your first sentence first . Instead, start by developing your story by telling it out loud to a friend. You can then work on your first sentence and your pivot.

The first sentence should either be short, punchy, and carry some ambiguity or questions, or be a detailed and beautiful description setting an easily pictured scene. The pivot, on the other hand, should answer the question, "How does the story you've told connect to a larger truth or insight about you?"

What's Next?

Wondering what to make of the Common Application essay prompts? We have the complete list of this year's Common App prompts with explanations of what each is asking as well as a guide to picking the Common App prompt that's perfect for you .

Thinking of applying to the University of California system? Check out our detailed guide on how to approach their essay prompts and craft your ideal UC essay .

If you're in the middle of the essay-writing process, you'll want to see our suggestions on what essay pitfalls to avoid .

Working on the rest of your college application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?   We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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how to start a essay about your family

Written by Diane Haddad, unless otherwise noted.

Once you’ve been doing genealogy research for a while, and you have a family tree or a computer hard drive or a filing cabinet with a bunch of notes and old records, you might wonder what to do with it all. Or perhaps you’ve always harbored the dream of sharing your family history, and you’re not sure how.

It’s a hard truth: Few people have much use for an unstructured assortment of documents and computer files. Even folks who are curious about their family history—and that describes most I’ve met—aren’t likely to sort through your research and rebuild the store of knowledge you’ve amassed over years.

how to start a essay about your family

If your family research is to live beyond you, you’ll need to do the work of putting it into some shareable, lasting form. That usually means summarizing your finds in writing, maybe enhanced with photos and images of interesting documents. Whether you go all-out with a self-published hardback or just pass out stapled pages at the next family reunion, you’ll create a legacy—a framework others can use to understand your family’s story and the genealogical evidence you’ve gathered.

We can’t promise the project will be a breeze, but we can promise it’ll be easier when you follow these tips and use our handy organizing worksheet.

1. Know Your Purpose

Before you begin, it’s important to know what you hope to accomplish with this writing project. Do you want to summarize all your research, share your family legacy, pass down the stories Grandpa told, tell how your family fits into local history, share the story of an ancestor or family you admire, celebrate your ethnic heritage, or something else?

A strong focus makes the project more manageable, says Sunny Jane Morton, author of Story of My Life . “A small, finished project is better than a three-volume tome that exists only in your dreams.”

Need help narrowing the scope? Morton advises looking at your research for the most compelling story or interesting person. Author Sophia Wilson, who penned an 160,000-word history of her family, started her project by writing as many family stories as she could think of, then turning them into short biographies of the people involved. She wrote every day for at least 15 minutes, but sometimes for hours at a time. Taken together, those biographies served as the starting point for her project.

Alternately, you could choose a topic that commemorates an upcoming family milestone, such as your parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Or you might start with whatever is most doable.

Your audience is an important aspect of your goal. For a project just family will see, you might use a casual writing style, refer to relatives with familiar titles (“Great-grandpa Thornton”), and use in-text source information. If other genealogists will read your work in a newsletter, journal or published book, you’ll want a more authoritative style with an emphasis on your research process, and formal source citations in footnotes and source lists.

Think about your audience’s age (or level of maturity), too. Wilson recalls how her research turned up stories that might not be appropriate to a younger audience. “Instead of shifting the focus of my book, I decided that children could simply read the unvarnished truth once they were mature enough,” Wilson says. “Age-appropriate stories could be extracted and adapted for a younger audience, for whom I would also write at a lower reading level.”

“I kept coming back to what I wanted the project to accomplish (preserving and sharing memories for the younger generation) and letting that guide my decisions,” she says.

2. Make a Plan

An outline gives you a framework for building your project, especially if it involves multiple people or a long time span. Make a list of elements you want to include. Don’t worry about organizing the list yet.

Here’s an example for my maternal family history opus:

  • a family tree of Mom’s family
  • information about the places the family came from with a map, including why so many immigrated from each place
  • names and immigration details of all the immigrant ancestors: Henry Seeger, Eduard Thoss, Mary Mairose, Thomas Frost, Edward Norris, Elizabeth Butler, Henry Hoernemann, Anna Maria Weyer, and so on.
  • where these families settled in the United States, their jobs and their children
  • Eduard Thoss tavern in Northern Kentucky
  • info on Cincinnati Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, where so many settled
  • Dierkes boys in family cemetery plot
  • Henry Seeger’s cigar store, with photos and timeline, and two babies who died as infants
  • Thomas Frost/Mary Wolking divorce
  • Ade Thoss and the Covington Blue Sox
  • possible family connection to Windthorst, Kan.
  • death of Elizabeth Teipel Thoss and several of her children
  • Benjamin Teipel trap-shooting invention and death
  • Civil War service of Frank and Benjamin Thoss
  • firefighter Raymond Norris and Newton Tea & Spice Co. Fire
  • how Grandma and Grandpa met

Your list might cause you to rethink your project scope. For example, I’m seeing that I could divide up my project by family branches, breaking it down into smaller parts (and this is only part of my list).

When you know the topics you want to cover, arrange them in an order that makes sense to you. You could do chronological order, geographical order (group all information related to Germany, all immigration information, all second generation information), family branches one at a time, or some other arrangement. You could opt for a general overview then add several shorter profiles of specific ancestors or families.

Wilson shares how she thought about structure while planning her project:

One option would be maintaining individual biographies, organized in the book by birth year, generation or location. Or I could combine all biographies into a single narrative chronology, or even organize the stories by theme (women, farming, culture, etc.). I opted for the most straightforward and comprehensive order: chronological. With this approach, I gained a deeper understanding of how my ancestors’ lives developed over time, and how one event flowed into another.

Next, create an outline by organizing topics into sections or chapters. Read published family histories for examples. One of my favorites is Family by Ian Frazier.

3. Say It with Pictures

Pictures and graphs will engage your readers, help them follow complicated lineages and show what you’re talking about. “Plan as you go which pictures, documents, maps, charts and genealogical reports will best illustrate your narrative,” Morton advises.

Depending how many photos and documents you’ve found, you’ll want to winnow the options to those from key moments in your family history, selecting those that will reproduce well in the finished product. Consider adding transcriptions for hard-to-read or foreign-language documents.

Keep copyright in mind. If you plan to publish your work (including on a website), get permission from the copyright holder or owner of any images you didn’t create or that aren’t in your personal collection. For a quick read about understanding copyright laws, check out this article .

4. Get Organized and Utilize Apps

Now you’re ready to write. As you work, go over your records for families and people you’re writing about. Wilson developed a filing system that automatically sorted documents by individual. “I created a separate document for every event so I could easily insert new findings, titling each with the event, the date and the location,” she says. “I then grouped the documents into folders, one folder for each year.”

To help you organize source references, add in-text references with the title, author and page or record number in parentheses when you use information from a record, article, book or website. Also create a bibliography of sources as you go. This should include everything needed to find that source again: title, author, publisher or creator (such as the National Archives), publication date and place, website, etc.

Later, when your project is mostly complete, you can keep the in-text references, or number the references and create footnotes (short-form citations at the bottom of the page) or end notes (short-form citations at the end of a chapter). Include the bibliography at the end of your work. For help with source citations, use the book Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Genealogical Publishing Co.).

You might have a writing head start if you can pull together blog posts or short essays you’ve already written about your family history. Your genealogy software or online tree might offer a timeline you can follow, or even generate a narrative report for you. For an ambitious project or if you do a lot of writing, you might invest in software such as Scrivener . Additionally, writing apps can help you create an outline, organize and edit your story.

Read: How to Create a Genealogy Source Citation

5. Generate Ideas through Prompts and Research

If you’re still having trouble knowing what to write, try answering the family history writing prompts in a book such as Stories From My Grandparent or from Family Tree Magazine . These will help you flesh out ideas and take your family stories in new directions.

Revisit your research for story ideas, and let what you find in documents inspire you. Wilson consulted books (both digital and physical) about her ancestors’ location and ethnic group, as well as documents on genealogy websites like Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. One book on Ancestry.com contained all the church records for her ancestors, some written by her great-great-great-grandfather’s best friend.

Wilson also revisited local histories and newspapers she had found early in her project. “Now that I was further in my research, I recognized more names and better understood the relationships among them,” she says. “People I had dismissed as “townsfolk” turned out to be in-laws and close friends of my lineal ancestors.”

6. Seek Out Help

Look for writers’ groups and classes in your community. From online groups to friends and family members, having a community you can rely on for feedback and encouragement is essential.

Reaching out can also lead to new research finds, important for sourcing the details in your stories. Wilson connected with other family historians, as well as genealogical societies and libraries (who scanned entire chapters of reference books for her to consult). One cousin-in-law even sent her photos and a relevant family keepsake they found on eBay.

7. Begin in the Middle

Don’t let the “how to start” roadblock stall your project right out of the gate. If you don’t know how to begin, just start writing a story you like—maybe it’s about an ancestor’s immigration, military service or venture to the wrong side of the law. The words will flow from there.

“My goal wasn’t perfection, just to get memories on the page,” Wilson says about her first step of writing family biographies. “I didn’t waste time checking spelling and grammar—that would come later.” An interesting or dramatic event is often the best way to begin a story, anyway. Remember, you’re not carving in stone: You can always rearrange things later.

8. Write Naturally

If you’re writing for relatives, pretend you’re telling your family story to a friend. If you’re writing for a publication, tailor your work to that publication’s style.

Wilson had to wrestle with how to balance facts she found in her research with storytelling. “I thought of how much I hated history class growing up—all those names-places-dates to memorize, and no story to latch onto,” Wilson says. “I resolved to … strive for historical accuracy without resorting to the dry tone of a textbook.”

9. Take Your Time

A deadline can motivate you, but give yourself plenty of time. You want this project to add fulfillment to your family research, not cause stress. Start now and work on your writing project a little at a time, once a week or every evening if you can manage it. Imagine where you’ll be a year from now.

A version of this article appeared in the December 2018 issue of Family Tree Magazine , written by Diane Haddad. Sophia Wilson’s article on the steps she took to write her family history narrative appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Family Tree Magazine .

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How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)   

essay introduction

The introduction of an essay plays a critical role in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. It sets the stage for the rest of the essay, establishes the tone and style, and motivates the reader to continue reading. 

Table of Contents

What is an essay introduction , what to include in an essay introduction, how to create an essay structure , step-by-step process for writing an essay introduction , how to write an introduction paragraph , how to write a hook for your essay , how to include background information , how to write a thesis statement .

  • Argumentative Essay Introduction Example: 
  • Expository Essay Introduction Example 

Literary Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Check and revise – checklist for essay introduction , key takeaways , frequently asked questions .

An introduction is the opening section of an essay, paper, or other written work. It introduces the topic and provides background information, context, and an overview of what the reader can expect from the rest of the work. 1 The key is to be concise and to the point, providing enough information to engage the reader without delving into excessive detail. 

The essay introduction is crucial as it sets the tone for the entire piece and provides the reader with a roadmap of what to expect. Here are key elements to include in your essay introduction: 

  • Hook : Start with an attention-grabbing statement or question to engage the reader. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or a compelling anecdote. 
  • Background information : Provide context and background information to help the reader understand the topic. This can include historical information, definitions of key terms, or an overview of the current state of affairs related to your topic. 
  • Thesis statement : Clearly state your main argument or position on the topic. Your thesis should be concise and specific, providing a clear direction for your essay. 

Before we get into how to write an essay introduction, we need to know how it is structured. The structure of an essay is crucial for organizing your thoughts and presenting them clearly and logically. It is divided as follows: 2  

  • Introduction:  The introduction should grab the reader’s attention with a hook, provide context, and include a thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of the essay.  
  • Body:  The body should consist of focused paragraphs that support your thesis statement using evidence and analysis. Each paragraph should concentrate on a single central idea or argument and provide evidence, examples, or analysis to back it up.  
  • Conclusion:  The conclusion should summarize the main points and restate the thesis differently. End with a final statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Avoid new information or arguments. 

how to start a essay about your family

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write an essay introduction: 

  • Start with a Hook : Begin your introduction paragraph with an attention-grabbing statement, question, quote, or anecdote related to your topic. The hook should pique the reader’s interest and encourage them to continue reading. 
  • Provide Background Information : This helps the reader understand the relevance and importance of the topic. 
  • State Your Thesis Statement : The last sentence is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be clear, concise, and directly address the topic of your essay. 
  • Preview the Main Points : This gives the reader an idea of what to expect and how you will support your thesis. 
  • Keep it Concise and Clear : Avoid going into too much detail or including information not directly relevant to your topic. 
  • Revise : Revise your introduction after you’ve written the rest of your essay to ensure it aligns with your final argument. 

Here’s an example of an essay introduction paragraph about the importance of education: 

Education is often viewed as a fundamental human right and a key social and economic development driver. As Nelson Mandela once famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” It is the key to unlocking a wide range of opportunities and benefits for individuals, societies, and nations. In today’s constantly evolving world, education has become even more critical. It has expanded beyond traditional classroom learning to include digital and remote learning, making education more accessible and convenient. This essay will delve into the importance of education in empowering individuals to achieve their dreams, improving societies by promoting social justice and equality, and driving economic growth by developing a skilled workforce and promoting innovation. 

This introduction paragraph example includes a hook (the quote by Nelson Mandela), provides some background information on education, and states the thesis statement (the importance of education). 

This is one of the key steps in how to write an essay introduction. Crafting a compelling hook is vital because it sets the tone for your entire essay and determines whether your readers will stay interested. A good hook draws the reader in and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.  

  • Avoid Dry Fact : Instead of simply stating a bland fact, try to make it engaging and relevant to your topic. For example, if you’re writing about the benefits of exercise, you could start with a startling statistic like, “Did you know that regular exercise can increase your lifespan by up to seven years?” 
  • Avoid Using a Dictionary Definition : While definitions can be informative, they’re not always the most captivating way to start an essay. Instead, try to use a quote, anecdote, or provocative question to pique the reader’s interest. For instance, if you’re writing about freedom, you could begin with a quote from a famous freedom fighter or philosopher. 
  • Do Not Just State a Fact That the Reader Already Knows : This ties back to the first point—your hook should surprise or intrigue the reader. For Here’s an introduction paragraph example, if you’re writing about climate change, you could start with a thought-provoking statement like, “Despite overwhelming evidence, many people still refuse to believe in the reality of climate change.” 

Including background information in the introduction section of your essay is important to provide context and establish the relevance of your topic. When writing the background information, you can follow these steps: 

  • Start with a General Statement:  Begin with a general statement about the topic and gradually narrow it down to your specific focus. For example, when discussing the impact of social media, you can begin by making a broad statement about social media and its widespread use in today’s society, as follows: “Social media has become an integral part of modern life, with billions of users worldwide.” 
  • Define Key Terms : Define any key terms or concepts that may be unfamiliar to your readers but are essential for understanding your argument. 
  • Provide Relevant Statistics:  Use statistics or facts to highlight the significance of the issue you’re discussing. For instance, “According to a report by Statista, the number of social media users is expected to reach 4.41 billion by 2025.” 
  • Discuss the Evolution:  Mention previous research or studies that have been conducted on the topic, especially those that are relevant to your argument. Mention key milestones or developments that have shaped its current impact. You can also outline some of the major effects of social media. For example, you can briefly describe how social media has evolved, including positives such as increased connectivity and issues like cyberbullying and privacy concerns. 
  • Transition to Your Thesis:  Use the background information to lead into your thesis statement, which should clearly state the main argument or purpose of your essay. For example, “Given its pervasive influence, it is crucial to examine the impact of social media on mental health.” 

how to start a essay about your family

A thesis statement is a concise summary of the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, or other type of academic writing. It appears near the end of the introduction. Here’s how to write a thesis statement: 

  • Identify the topic:  Start by identifying the topic of your essay. For example, if your essay is about the importance of exercise for overall health, your topic is “exercise.” 
  • State your position:  Next, state your position or claim about the topic. This is the main argument or point you want to make. For example, if you believe that regular exercise is crucial for maintaining good health, your position could be: “Regular exercise is essential for maintaining good health.” 
  • Support your position:  Provide a brief overview of the reasons or evidence that support your position. These will be the main points of your essay. For example, if you’re writing an essay about the importance of exercise, you could mention the physical health benefits, mental health benefits, and the role of exercise in disease prevention. 
  • Make it specific:  Ensure your thesis statement clearly states what you will discuss in your essay. For example, instead of saying, “Exercise is good for you,” you could say, “Regular exercise, including cardiovascular and strength training, can improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.” 

Examples of essay introduction 

Here are examples of essay introductions for different types of essays: 

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:  

Topic: Should the voting age be lowered to 16? 

“The question of whether the voting age should be lowered to 16 has sparked nationwide debate. While some argue that 16-year-olds lack the requisite maturity and knowledge to make informed decisions, others argue that doing so would imbue young people with agency and give them a voice in shaping their future.” 

Expository Essay Introduction Example  

Topic: The benefits of regular exercise 

“In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of regular exercise cannot be overstated. From improving physical health to boosting mental well-being, the benefits of exercise are numerous and far-reaching. This essay will examine the various advantages of regular exercise and provide tips on incorporating it into your daily routine.” 

Text: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee 

“Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is a timeless classic that explores themes of racism, injustice, and morality in the American South. Through the eyes of young Scout Finch, the reader is taken on a journey that challenges societal norms and forces characters to confront their prejudices. This essay will analyze the novel’s use of symbolism, character development, and narrative structure to uncover its deeper meaning and relevance to contemporary society.” 

  • Engaging and Relevant First Sentence : The opening sentence captures the reader’s attention and relates directly to the topic. 
  • Background Information : Enough background information is introduced to provide context for the thesis statement. 
  • Definition of Important Terms : Key terms or concepts that might be unfamiliar to the audience or are central to the argument are defined. 
  • Clear Thesis Statement : The thesis statement presents the main point or argument of the essay. 
  • Relevance to Main Body : Everything in the introduction directly relates to and sets up the discussion in the main body of the essay. 

how to start a essay about your family

Writing a strong introduction is crucial for setting the tone and context of your essay. Here are the key takeaways for how to write essay introduction: 3  

  • Hook the Reader : Start with an engaging hook to grab the reader’s attention. This could be a compelling question, a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or an anecdote. 
  • Provide Background : Give a brief overview of the topic, setting the context and stage for the discussion. 
  • Thesis Statement : State your thesis, which is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be concise, clear, and specific. 
  • Preview the Structure : Outline the main points or arguments to help the reader understand the organization of your essay. 
  • Keep it Concise : Avoid including unnecessary details or information not directly related to your thesis. 
  • Revise and Edit : Revise your introduction to ensure clarity, coherence, and relevance. Check for grammar and spelling errors. 
  • Seek Feedback : Get feedback from peers or instructors to improve your introduction further. 

The purpose of an essay introduction is to give an overview of the topic, context, and main ideas of the essay. It is meant to engage the reader, establish the tone for the rest of the essay, and introduce the thesis statement or central argument.  

An essay introduction typically ranges from 5-10% of the total word count. For example, in a 1,000-word essay, the introduction would be roughly 50-100 words. However, the length can vary depending on the complexity of the topic and the overall length of the essay.

An essay introduction is critical in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. To ensure its effectiveness, consider incorporating these key elements: a compelling hook, background information, a clear thesis statement, an outline of the essay’s scope, a smooth transition to the body, and optional signposting sentences.  

The process of writing an essay introduction is not necessarily straightforward, but there are several strategies that can be employed to achieve this end. When experiencing difficulty initiating the process, consider the following techniques: begin with an anecdote, a quotation, an image, a question, or a startling fact to pique the reader’s interest. It may also be helpful to consider the five W’s of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how.   For instance, an anecdotal opening could be structured as follows: “As I ascended the stage, momentarily blinded by the intense lights, I could sense the weight of a hundred eyes upon me, anticipating my next move. The topic of discussion was climate change, a subject I was passionate about, and it was my first public speaking event. Little did I know , that pivotal moment would not only alter my perspective but also chart my life’s course.” 

Crafting a compelling thesis statement for your introduction paragraph is crucial to grab your reader’s attention. To achieve this, avoid using overused phrases such as “In this paper, I will write about” or “I will focus on” as they lack originality. Instead, strive to engage your reader by substantiating your stance or proposition with a “so what” clause. While writing your thesis statement, aim to be precise, succinct, and clear in conveying your main argument.  

To create an effective essay introduction, ensure it is clear, engaging, relevant, and contains a concise thesis statement. It should transition smoothly into the essay and be long enough to cover necessary points but not become overwhelming. Seek feedback from peers or instructors to assess its effectiveness. 

References  

  • Cui, L. (2022). Unit 6 Essay Introduction.  Building Academic Writing Skills . 
  • West, H., Malcolm, G., Keywood, S., & Hill, J. (2019). Writing a successful essay.  Journal of Geography in Higher Education ,  43 (4), 609-617. 
  • Beavers, M. E., Thoune, D. L., & McBeth, M. (2023). Bibliographic Essay: Reading, Researching, Teaching, and Writing with Hooks: A Queer Literacy Sponsorship. College English, 85(3), 230-242. 

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  • How to Cite Social Media Sources in Academic Writing? 
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I Sent My Daughter to Daycare Instead of a Nanny and I Couldn't Be Happier

Everyone warned me it would be difficult, but sending my baby to daycare was one of the best parenting decisions I've made.

Parents/Getty Images

When I was pregnant, I frequently met other pregnant people who could rattle off their philosophies on sleep training and secure attachment, and deliver TED Talk-worthy presentations on the merits of this crib versus that crib or this stroller versus that stroller. I wondered, "How did all these people seemingly already know how to raise children? How did they decide on a nanny vs. babysitter vs. daycare?"

I felt as if my recurring nightmare had come true, the one where I show up for a final exam only to realize I've missed an entire semester's worth of classes. Personally, I had no strong convictions about baby sleeping arrangements, no grand vision for our nursery—and no idea, I thought, about how to be a mother. When I was asked about my future parenting plans, my nonchalant shrug belied the panic I felt in the pit of my stomach.

But, when talk inevitably turned to child care, I was surprised to hear myself express a clear, confident opinion: "My daughter will go to daycare, definitely."

Of course she would. I knew I would keep working—I'd spent over a decade building my career, and I cared about my job, not to mention that it wasn't a financial option for me not to return to work. Daycare was a financial necessity too—it costs a fortune, yes, but a nanny costs two fortunes. Still, finances aside, I loved the idea of my kid spending her days hanging out with other kids and being cared for by a team of child care professionals, all in a setting designed for little ones to play and explore.

Why I Loved Our Daycare

I was sold on our daycare the moment my husband and I walked through the doors. In the bright, cozy playroom, a couple of babies were tucked into the lap of a teacher reading to them, a trio of toddlers was building a block tower, and the owner was playing the ukulele and singing, "She'll be coming around the mountain" to a cluster of kids dancing and rolling around the rug.

The space smelled like cinnamon oatmeal, which the group had eaten for breakfast. By the time we made it to the grassy backyard filled with playground equipment and a small garden, I was ready to hang up my coat on my own designated hook and enroll myself at the daycare. I was thrilled for my daughter—still nestled in my belly at the time—to learn and grow in this sweet environment.

I loved the idea of my kid spending her days hanging out with other kids and being cared for by a team of child care professionals, all in a setting designed for little ones to play and explore.

My maternity leave spanned a gorgeous summer. When autumn arrived and it was time to go back to work, I felt anxious about a dozen things: the commute, the breast-pumping, the challenging assignments I'd need to complete on very little sleep. But among my anxieties was not the fact of sending my daughter to daycare. I'd enjoyed several beautiful months as a full-time mother, but I didn't wish to keep at it permanently, and I didn't feel guilty about it.

When people inquired about my childcare plans, some told me they could never leave their kids like that—with strangers in a strange place. Others lamented the high cost of living, assuming that I'd be staying at home if I could. And many who'd sent their own kids to daycare responded with sympathy: A friend told me her child's first day there was the worst day of her life; she assured me it would get easier. A co-worker related that he felt so distraught after dropping off his daughter, he ended up picking her up 10 minutes later, never to return.

Most of these people meant well, and I respected their opinions and experiences. But I simply didn't share their fears, their worries, or their regrets. I believed to my core that it would be good for my daughter to have lots of caring, competent adults in her life. It takes a village, right?

As far as I was concerned, the more love and attention she received, the better. When I expressed these feelings to my therapist, she kept prompting me to dig deeper, to get in touch with the sadness or ambivalence I might feel about handing off my baby to other caretakers. I probed and probed my heart and mind, but I felt fine about it—really, truly.

The First Day of Daycare

When it came time to drop off my 4-month-old for day one of daycare, it was strange to watch her handling a rattle that wasn't ours and to see her being held by a woman whose name I'd just learned. I felt a twinge acknowledging the transition—the start of this new chapter, the end of the last one.

But as I waved goodbye, I felt confident my daughter was in fantastic hands—hands that had spent way more time than my own changing diapers and feeding bottles and singing lullabies to countless little ones. When I returned that evening, my daughter greeted me with a wide smile, and I felt a surge of happiness—this would become her place, her community.

Where We Are Today

One year later, my daughter has grown to love her teachers as much as they love her, and she has a slew of friends she eats and plays and naps with every day. When I drop her off and the aromas of bacon and eggs waft through the kitchen, she runs to grab her chair, says hello to her buddies, and gleefully waves me goodbye. She comes home each evening saying new words and demonstrating new skills (and sometimes wearing new clothes).

Most of motherhood still feels like trial and error to me. And I still find myself in conversations with parents who seem to have it all figured out, as they hold forth on screen time or discipline or school districts. But more and more I've realized that different things are important to different parents, and what's right for them isn't necessarily right for us, and vice versa. I feel strongly about this one big thing: Daycare is fantastic for our family. The rest we're figuring out as we go along.

Of course, there are days I would prefer to stay home and be with my daughter all day. And sometimes the weekday math strikes me as ridiculous: the two or three hours I have with my daughter versus the eight hours I spend in front of a computer screen in my office. But one consolation is that I've gotten to know other daycare parents who share my confidence in our childcare choice.

At pick-up the other day, a fellow mom turned to me and said, "Isn't this place amazing? Our kids are so happy here." She said it conspiratorially like we'd discovered some buried treasure. And really, I believe we have.

Lindsey J. Palmer is the author of many novels, including " Reservations for Six ," which came out in May 2022. A former magazine editor and high school English teacher, she's now a senior editor for the ed tech company BrainPOP. Find Lindsey at lindseyjpalmer.com .

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