common expressions about the family
1. immediate family 直系亲属: parents and children
2. siblings 兄弟姐妹(brothers and sisters)
3. extended family 大家庭(几代同堂的家庭): including relatives – uncles, cousins, great-aunts, etc.
4. family tree 家族树: to diagram the relationships among your family members.
5. distant relative 远亲: a person who is related to you by a long series of connections
6. a loving family or a close-knit family 充满爱的家庭/亲密的家庭: a family that has good relationships
7. a carefree childhood 无忧无虑的童年: have nothing to worry about when you were young.
8. dysfunctional family 问题家庭/不正常的家庭: a family in which the relationships are bad or unhealthy
9. troubled childhood 不幸的童年: children experience abuse, poverty, or problems with the law
10. a broken home 破裂的家庭，父母离异(或分居)的家庭: a family in which there are divorces or separations
11. a stable home 稳定的家庭 (环境)
12. custody of the children 孩子的监护权
13. joint custody 共同监护权，共有抚养权– the ex-husband and ex-wife share the responsibility
14. sole custody 唯一抚养权 to only one parent
15. single mother 单身母亲: a woman gets pregnant without being married or in a relationship
16. the due date 到期日，满期日，预产期: the time when the baby is planned to arrive
17. give birth to 生(孩子)
18. adoptive parents 养父母
19. adopted child 领养的孩子
20. birth mother (biological mother) 生母
21. start a family 成家 (not begin a family)
22. ex-husband/ex-wife 前夫/前妻
