Families Are All Different

I wrote the following, with some editing by Suzanne Belliveau, in hopes of having it published as a children's picture book. It still needs some work. I feel very strongly that children need to be educated about all of the different types of families in society and not just to "tolerate" them, but to accept and embrace them all.

Families Are All Different

Families are all different

As you can plainly see

One Mommy or two Daddies

Who makes up your family?

                

I have lots of different people

On my family tree

I have a Daddy and a Mommy

Two sisters and then there’s me

I even have five grandparents

They go by different names

Nana, Grandpa, Grandma, Grammy

 I love them all the same.

I also have 5 cousins

Plus 6 Uncles and 3 Aunts

They may not live nearby me

But they visit every chance

There are many different people

Who can take good care of you

Two Mommies or one Daddy

And Foster Families too

Sometimes there are step-parents

Or step-sisters and step-brothers

They are special family members

Who grow to love each other

There are also half siblings

Half -sisters or half-brothers

Where one parent is shared between you

Either the father or the mother

Sometimes there are special people

Who are on your family tree

That may not be related

But they’re very important indeed

All of my friends’ families

Are made up in different ways

Some of my friends spend time

With each parent on different days

Other friends were adopted

From countries far away

Their parents couldn’t have babies

So they chose them special one day

Families don’t always look related

Sometimes not at all

Maybe you’re 6 foot 2

And your brother’s 5 foot small

Maybe you have brown hair

And your sisters are all blond

But don’t worry about your hair colour

It’s love that makes you bond

Love is what makes a family

Come together and be strong

As long as you’ve got love

No combination can be wrong

So next time you see a family

And think, “They look different than me”,

Remember: Families are all different

As you can plainly see