Home Sweet Home with the Harpers: Children & Family
The television series "Two and a Half Men" depicts a different image of family. From sons who have serious mommy issues, to divorce, and a kid growing up in the ultimate bachelor pad with Mr. Single himself as an uncle family takes a very different twist in this show.
"When relatives such as aunts, uncles, parents, children, and grandparents live together in a common household, the result is an extended family" (7). This extended family of Charlie, Allen, and Jake living together is just one of the many family styles we see in "Two and a Half Men." Jake also falls into many other family styles besides his extended family. Jake will find himself in a lesbian family when his mother, Judith, swears off men after her divorce from Allen. He will also be a part of a blended family when his mother remarries Herb. He will become used to living in a co-habitating family from many fronts of the parental untis in his life. He will also come back to more often than not living in a single parent family with his father. |
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Clearly, who and what is a part of Jake's family is something that changes drastically and regularly throughout the show. One thing is for certain, he has a lot a family. The first episode of the series showcases what potential problems may come, and inevitably do, with this mixture of family and parenting styles. This video shows just the beginning of the journey ahead for this family.
Besides the lack of conformity to one definition of the word family, Jake also does not conform to the standards of being an only child. Some of the characteristics that are associated with being an only child are that they are organized, dependable, and worriers. This is very different from the care free, fun loving, and lazy Jake Harper. The very title of characterizing an only child in The Birth Order Effect: How to Better Understand Yourself and Others is "Leave me alone; I'd rather do it myself" (8). But this is far from the reality of Jake Harper. Instead Jake fits more into the category of a third born, fitting the qualities of, "You hate to be bored so you keep busy... You change direction at a moments notice...You are often late...You are offended when others do not listen to your ideas. You try not to let anything bother you" (10).
Besides the lack of conformity to one definition of the word family, Jake also does not conform to the standards of being an only child. Some of the characteristics that are associated with being an only child are that they are organized, dependable, and worriers. This is very different from the care free, fun loving, and lazy Jake Harper. The very title of characterizing an only child in The Birth Order Effect: How to Better Understand Yourself and Others is "Leave me alone; I'd rather do it myself" (8). But this is far from the reality of Jake Harper. Instead Jake fits more into the category of a third born, fitting the qualities of, "You hate to be bored so you keep busy... You change direction at a moments notice...You are often late...You are offended when others do not listen to your ideas. You try not to let anything bother you" (10).
This video of an older Jake attempting to avoid his homework, as Allen tries to lay down the law shows this divergence from the general "Only Child" personality.
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