LtD August Meeting:Chosen Family & How Science Fiction Has Affected Real Familie

We will discuss chosen families in real and fictional life. Tell us about yours!

Heinlein’s juveniles’ portrayed traditional families for the most part; good ones with mothers and fathers who loved each other. Line Marriage: Multi-Generational Group Marriage, triads and other unusual alternatives are described in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Time Enough for Love’s Tersius colony Family features a large group marriage consisting of many of our favorite characters from Heinlein’s other stories-on a planet where the government wouldn’t think of interfering in one’s marital choices and only your very advanced geneticist gets a vote on whom you make babies with. The water sharing ceremony in Stranger In a Strange Land is the best example of Family by choice and has effected families in reality probably more than any other of his books. Church of All Worlds and many other less formal groups including my own intimate friendship network have used this as a model for permanent committed relationships which may shift from lovers to friendship and back again multiple times during an ongoing relationship. Members of a Nest may live together or be “semi residential”. They may live nowhere near each other, but maintain their bonds through phone calls and visits (weekly, monthly, or perhaps a few times a year). The patterns are endless. The common denominator is long term loving commitment.

Which of Heinlein’s writings most affected the choices YOU have made regarding family and relationship structure? Did some other author effect your family choices?
1 pm Pot Luck Dinner-bring something healthy and delicious to share
2 pm Hot tubbing and socializing,