Oak Knoll Mom Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 What does the term immediate family mean to you? Is there a legal definition for immediate family? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unscripted Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Spouse, kids, parents, siblings... In that order. Spouse and kids are most immediate and family of origin after that- if married. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 To me it means parents, siblings, husband, and children. Don't know what the legal definition is though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 To me, it's the family I live w/, the family I created. Wolf and kids. Parents are extended family now, as are sibs, or family of origin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 To me, it's the family I live w/, the family I created. Wolf and kids. Parents are extended family now, as are sibs, or family of origin. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 The reason I ask is that my DH's grandfather's obit says, "He was the last surviving member of his immediate family." I think it should read "family of origin," but no one asked me for my opinion. The funny thing is the next paragraph is the one that lists all his surviving family members. Just curious how most people who read his obit would interpret that phrase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Legally, it depends on jurisdiction, but in most jurisdictions based on English common law, "immediate family" includes first- and second-degree relatives. Your first-degree relatives are your parents, your siblings, your spouse, and your children. Second-degree relatives adds your grandparents and grandchildren, mother-in-law and father-in-law, brothers- and sisters-in-law, and your daughters- and sons-in-law. Step-, half-, and adopted family members with those relationships are included in immediate family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 The reason I ask is that my DH's grandfather's obit says, "He was the last surviving member of his immediate family." I think it should read "family of origin," but no one asked me for my opinion. The funny thing is the next paragraph is the one that lists all his surviving family members. Just curious how most people who read his obit would interpret that phrase. When I read your first post, my answer was: myself, my spouse, our kids, anyone I shared a womb with and our parents. Once I marry and breed, I fold those new additions (spouse, kids) into my existing immediate family (siblings, parents); I don't replace them :confused: I just make room for more :D. But when I read your second post, quoted above, to read the term "immediate family" in an obiturary I'd assume it meant his family of origin (parents, siblings) and it wouldn't/didn't/doesn't seem that odd to me. I'm not sure why LOL. I'd assume if the obit was that detailed, he did have surviving family members outside of his family of origin "immediate" family. There's just something interesting and maybe worthy of sharing that someone is the end of their generation/family of origin ... even if he/she has descendants, I think "immediate family" is a more commonly used and recognized go-to word. ("Family of origin" isn't a phrase I heard prior to the internets. I still don't hear it IRL, only online. Is this regional? Do others say this IRL?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 To me, it's the family I live w/, the family I created. Wolf and kids. Parents are extended family now, as are sibs, or family of origin. :iagree: My husband and children are my immediate family right now. When my kids marry, then their new spouse will be their immediate family and I will become extended family. Legally, I think all first-degree relationships are considered immediate family (parents, siblings, spouse, children). Although, those are generally ranked by degree: spouse, then children, then parents, last siblings. I often see obituaries that describe the parents and siblings as the immediate family of the deceased individual, even though said individual has been married with children for many years. I just read an obituary yesterday that described all the immediate family that had survived an elderly gentleman and they were all his parents and siblings. As an afterthought, it mentioned that he was "also survived by his wife of 52 years" and several children and grandchildren. I thought that was strange, but when I see obits like that I tend to assume that either the parents or siblings wrote the obituary in order to "help" the grieving spouse out. I can't imagine the spouse of 52 years writing the obit that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 My dh and kids are my immediate family right now. My parents, siblings, mil , etc are extended family. When I was young , my immediate family was my parents and siblings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 Papa was the youngest of nine children. He outlived all of his siblings by at least 20 years (he was 100--he outlived lots of people!). He was always fond of saying, "I'm the only one left." I think that is why my in-laws wrote the obit the way they did. Still, it sounds strange to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 To me, it's the family I live w/, the family I created. Wolf and kids. Parents are extended family now, as are sibs, or family of origin. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueinNC Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 The reason I ask is that my DH's grandfather's obit says, "He was the last surviving member of his immediate family." I think it should read "family of origin," but no one asked me for my opinion. The funny thing is the next paragraph is the one that lists all his surviving family members. Just curious how most people who read his obit would interpret that phrase. At first thought, he outlived his parents and siblings. But, since you mentioned he is a grandfather, then he had to have a family (unless unmarried or divorced), so the writers are saying he outlived his wife and children. Yet, they proceeded to list these family members as survivors. So, I agree with you that they should have said family of origin. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I'm surprised that some people don't consider their own parents to be "immediate family". Maybe it depends on the relationship. I consider my immediate family to be my kids, my parents and my spouse, in that order (I don't have any siblings). My kids came forth through my body, so to me that is the closest relationship, followed closely by the people who brought me into this world. As much as I adore my spouse, commit my life to him and cannot imagine living without him, our relationship is a choice that we could choose to dissolve. For that reason, my bio-relations rank ever-so-slightly above him. He is equally loyal to his "family of origin", and both our families have meshed together lovingly and respectfully. Now, if you had asked about "nuclear family", I would say that clearly consists of spouses and their children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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