The Camden Family

The television show, “7th Heaven” portrays a nuclear family that follows the “traditional family” roles. The show centers on the Camden family. The father, Reverend Eric Camden, his wife Annie, and their seven children (in order of age), Matt, Marry, Lucy, Simon, Ruthie, Sam and David, and the dog, Happy.The family is greatly influenced by religion, as the father, Eric, is a Minister at their local Protestant church. Every episode deals with themes of morality and with issues such as drugs, alcohol, pre-marital sex, menstruation, teen pregnancy, etc. The parents always seek out the advice of each other when it comes to decisions about their children and their family. The Camden children come in all ages, giving different relationships between the children and parents.

The parent-child relationships in the Camden family appear to be strong even through the hardest times. Eric and Annie work together to raise their children with good morals and the knowledge to deal with situations as they come. Eric and Annie trust their children to make the right decisions. They give what seems to be fair punishments, giving their kid(s) a lecture of their wrong doing, and then sentencing them to some type of grounding and/or taking away an item of the children’s. The children in the Camden family often confide in their parents, showing that there is mutual trust between the parents and children. The married Eric and Annie, having each other to confide in, make the child rearing easier on both parents. Rather than having one parent playing one role, Eric and Annie share and even exchange roles sometimes.

In one episode, Eric finds a marijuana joint in the house and immediately suspects Matt but Annie warns him not to run to conclusions. So, Eric and Annie sit all of the kids down and asks them who it belongs to. Eric has a hard time keeping his cool and when Matt admits it was his, Eric doesn't give him a chance to explain. Matt runs out of the house with Eric fuming with anger. Later in the episode, Annie talks to Eric about how he handled the situation. Matt comes home and instead of Eric talking to him, Annie sits him down and has an intimate conversation. Annie discloses that she had smoked marijuana in high school at a party. She tells Matt how her best friend's boyfriend drove after the party and was killed in a car accident. Matt leaves, angry at his mom. At the end of the episode, we find Matt running into their church, sit down, and start praying. This is an example of how religion aids in the parenting of the Camden children

Religion plays a large role in the families dynamics. The father, Eric, is a reverend at their protestant church. The family morals and expectations are strongly influenced by the protestant beliefs. Reverend Eric Camden instills on his kids strong values and morals. This influence was so strong that Lucy became a minister as an adult. Decisions on how to raise their children and how to punish them are determined by their religious beliefs. Eric and Annie's relationships with their children are strengthened through their religious beliefs. They attempt to teach their children right from wrong using religion. The family’s values, morals, and beliefs are defined by their religious practice.

The television show, “7th Heaven” and the Camden family set a good example of what the majority of families in the United States wish or dream to be like. The parent-child relationships are so strong that even in the toughest of times, in the end, they worked out. The mutual respect and trust the children have for their parents and the parents for their children create a good connection between the parents and the children. The ease of the upper middle class, married, nuclear family, creates ease in the relationships between parent and child.