What is family?

What does it mean to be family? Is it when a family member or a family is going through a hard time and then the family pulls together? After the family jumps over the hurdle, they resume to their individual secluded private lives. At first, growing up, the child needs its family to survive but when it reaches the teenage years, the teenager doesn't need its family that much. It seems that most teenagers pull away from their families but when they need help, encouragement, or when they are in some any trouble, they run back to the comfortin arms of their family. Why? What's the attitude behind the face? Are there too many rules? The parents are too protective or don't trust them? How is it that some families slowly break apart? Don't the parents vow or think or say that they will never end up like that kind of person or like their parents, but they do with out realizing it? It's sad when families fall apart, but the questions are, how did it come to that point? What started the earthquake to destroy the relationship of the family? What lead it? Why and how does it happen? It's amazing what one accident whether good or bad, one fact whether good or bad, one word whether good or bad, or missing pieces or details about a person in the family whether good or bad, can do the rest of the family.