Blended families in South Africa are not new, nor are they “unrealistic”; in fact, blended families are probably the most realistic representation of SA today!

 

Cape Town, South Africa – South Africa is the rainbow nation, so why is it so surprising when a blended family is featured on a provincial advert? For some, the Mentor’s, a real-life family from the Western Cape, were perceived as “condescendingly unrealistic”.

“The simple definition of a blended family, also called a stepfamily, reconstituted family, or a complex family, is a family unit where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship, but they have combined to form a new family. The parents may be in the same-sex or heterosexual relationship and may not have children with each other.”

Many saw the advert by ‘Safely Home by Western Cape Government’ and called the image out, even though the family featured, are an actual family. Terence and Julie are the parents of Liam and Eli, and together, they make one beautiful blended family.

Terence took to Twitter to point out the fact he was annoyed by being called unrealistic and Twitter rallied to show just how unrealistic it was to be a blended family in South Africa… and by that, we mean that there are many families who are just like the Mentor’s.

Take a look at the advert by the Safely Home by Western Cape Government. It was used to highlight the importance of having children buckled up in the back of the car.

“Having your child in your lap and not buckled up puts them at risk of death or serious injury. A good way to start is to make sure that everyone always wears their seatbelt on every trip. No matter what, #AlwaysBuckleUp!”

Blended
Photo Credit: Safely Home by Western Cape Government

We spoke to Terence, who said he was thankful that so many families have come forward since his Tweet.

“We live in an incredibly diverse country, and our families are starting to reflect that diversity – I think it is wonderful that we were all able to show that a “family” can look like whatever you want it to.” – Terence Mentor

Terence has a fatherhood and family blog, AfroDaddy, which he uses to inspire other fathers. Many fathers follow him which is why so many felt they could come to his family’s defence.

Take a look at all the families that shared their “unrealistic” photos below.

Aside from the blended families, people showered the Mentor’s with love saying they were a beautiful family.


Sources: AfroDaddy / Twitter / Good Things Guys Interview 
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens or share your good news with us by clicking here
Click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast, with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes that there’s good news all around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:
Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll hopefully leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *