Education Commons^™

Changing Families, Different Views Can Test Holiday Traditions, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

Who's on the guest list for the traditional family holiday dinner this year? Let's see. There's Grandpa and his bride, Aunt Lilly and her significant other, Cousin Ned and his stepchildren, plus all the other former and present husbands, wives and partners that comprise today's changing families. The different relationships and new people represented at family gatherings span generations and cause tension and uncertainty that call for extreme flexibility and generous accommodation, according to a University of Maine professor.