C.E. STAFFERS SHARE THEIR VIEWS ABOUT FAMILY LIFE IN THE '90S

Sometimes, in the '90s, it's hard to define just what a family is. Nuclear families are becoming rarer with the increase in divorces and parents who never married. Most of the time, it's even harder to get kids' views on the subject.

But that's just what Children's Express did when we recently interviewed a few of our own members (MYRTLE, SYLVIA, GERTY, VERONICA and TAD) and a child (ALTHEA), who was being treated for cystic fibrosis at Riley Hospital:

MYRTLE, 13: "I don't think families are like what they were before because before, people spent a lot of time with each other. And now everything is really rushed, and nobody really spends time with their families."

ALTHEA, 18: "(A typical family is) not necessarily a mom and dad. It's most likely one person, one parent. I mean, there isn't always two anymore. It's not what everybody used to picture as a family."

SYLVIA, 12: "I think our family spends too little time together because no one in our family eats breakfast and, of course, we can't eat lunch together. And sometimes we eat dinner together, but usually my dad can't because he's busy with the business. And a lot of times I'll have a cheerleading practice or a musical practice, so usually my mom has dinner at like 5, my dad has dinner at like 9, and I have dinner at like 8."

GERTY, 12: "We have four kids in the family. My younger brothers and sisters aren't really active in anything, but I'm really active in a lot of things. My parents almost always come to my games unless something really important comes up."

SYLVIA: "(My parents) don't spend much (time with me), they're not really involved in any activities I have going. They'll come to games I'm in. I mean, they'll come to cheerleading competitions, and they'll go to my school musical, but they're not exactly like `Yes, you can go to it.' But other than that, they don't really care."

MYRTLE: "I think we spend enough time together because if we spent more than we do, we would get so sick of each other 'cause we're so sick of each other usually, and we're always just in and out."

ALTHEA: "We spend too little time because I'm usually too busy with school or work or going out with my friends."

SYLVIA: "I think my parents go a little bit overboard. Like a couple of weeks ago, I left my room messy, and so I couldn't use the computer or watch television for a week, and I can't buy anything for a month, just because I left my room messy."

ALTHEA: "Sometimes I'd like to tell them to just let me be. They try to help me make decisions sometimes, treat me as a baby still. I don't like that, but I know it would hurt them if I told them that."

MYRTLE: "(My parents are) overprotective and they won't let me babysit. I'm 13 years old, and they won't let me baby-sit. They won't let me even stay home alone."

ALTHEA: "What I like about my family is that I really don't have any siblings, but there are four exchange students that live with us. So I don't have to worry about one person with me all my life that I don't like that is bothering me.

"My parents are pretty cool. I like them."

MYRTLE: "My mom kind of wants to do lots of things for me that I don't want her to do. Like she wants to pick out the clothes I wear."

SYLVIA: "I think the ideal mom would be the type who is very active and maybe works part time but is there for you when you come home from school and is able to drive you places. Even though she's involved, she'd always be the type to have time to bake cookies."

VERONICA, 13: "I think the ideal mom is just someone that loves you very much, and someone who will do everything for you, even if they either have to work, or if they just stay home."

ALTHEA: "I think the perfect mom is someone who's always there, always dependable, somebody you can count on."

VERONICA: "I think my dad is an ideal father because he works and everything, but he can always stop for a minute and help me with something."

MYRTLE: "My dad works, and he's home always every day by 5, and he's always there. But it's like our family never really talks. I mean, everybody always asks `How is your day?' but that's the extent (of it)."

ALTHEA: "Both my dad and I are stubborn-headed. We have to have the last world, so we get in a lot of arguments. We should be lawyers."

GERTY: "Sometimes if you have siblings, they invade (your space). Like during the day if they don't go to school, they kind of say something that really sets your mom or your dad off. Then when you get home from school and when you get in the car or whatever, they blame it on you. That just bugs me the most."

TAD, 12: "Kids say they wish they don't have (siblings,) but I think after it comes down and they didn't, they'd wish they'd have them back. Like my sister, I had always said that before, but when she moved away, I wanted her back."

VERONICA: "I'm glad that I have a sister because I know that if I didn't have a sister, I'd be pretty bored."

ALTHEA: "I've had a lot of support from my parents. You have to actually have an openness so you can tell them what's wrong. They want you to ask for help." EDITED BY: Sam Perry, 15