The SuperTeacher II: Define Family

As I closed my last post, I had a radical idea...

How do you define family? Is it just a bloodline? Is it just the people that brought you into the world? But it can't be, because the state can assign a child to a foster or adoptive family just as easily, and it's still considered a family. So...

There's this gray-area definition that says a family is simply a group of persons who care for one another and love each other. And it makes me think...

If a child is in a "family" that neglects him/her... do they really love that child? I mean, when you ask the parents, most would say yes. Perhaps I asked the wrong question...

Let's be euphemistic and say, suppose a child's family is "unfit" to care for the child for whatever reason. Could a boarding school substitute as a legitimate family? I mean, supposing they had enough board-mothers and board-fathers right; could they not only substitute for a family, but actually BECOME a family? I mean, if a family is a group of people who love each other... If there are foster families and adopted families made of folk who aren't even blood related... Not to mention oftentimes foster families aren't even fit right? So why NOT have Boarding School families? IS THIS DOABLE?? IS IT FEASIBLE???

But who would be the dorm parents? Maybe barren couples who want children and can't bare any. Maybe SuperTeachers like Mr. Clark who somehow find so much time to invest in kids.

...I dunno, I just thought I'd pitch this here for later reference. After watching one of Mr. Clark's students in foster care being abused (and that hurt because I know kids like that) it puts the idea of Boarding Families in a very reasonable light to me.