Raising children in nuclear families consists of being a form of a conjugal family. THe common conjugal family in our western society usually contains a mother, father, and their off-spring. In this ideal setting the father will go to work and provide for the family, while the mother stays at home to raise the children. In modern times the roles have been reversed or both parents go to work leaving the children with an alternative care- giver. The mother is expected to be their main care-giver and nurturer. She is also often the the child's teacher until he or she is of school age. However, once the child is of the age eighteen the parents have no legal obligation to them and nor do the children to their parents.
In extended families a household may contain grandparents, a mother, a father, children, aunts, uncles, and other blood related or marriage related relatives. Some of these families exist in Maya or Guatemala, where their houses are built together with a small plaza in the middle of them. While the men may be recieving guests and the women weaving, the children will play together. All members of the family cooperate in order to keep their small community in good working order. The children not only play together, they eat together and attend school together. Unlike the western children of nuclear families, the children of extended families grew up and competed for attention with their sisters, brothers, and cousins. I am not sure which type of environment gives children a bette quality of life, but it seems that each society has a way of adapting their children to continue on their traditions and ensuring the endurance of their culture.
