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25603

Norman Rockwell wouldn’t recognize today’s American families.

The latest Pew Research Center survey on families, finds that just 46 percent of children younger than 18 live in “traditional” families headed by two heterosexual parents in their first marriage. In 1960, it was 73 percent.

“Rapid changes in American family structure have altered the image of who’s gathering for the holidays. While the old ‘ideal’ involved couples marrying young, then starting a family, and staying married till ‘death do they part,’ the family has become more complex, and less ‘traditional,’ " said Pew.

And, they added, while families have changed radically, so have when children are born. Some 41 percent of children are born outside of marriage, up from must 5 percent in 1960.

The details:

• 15 percent of children are living with two parents who are in a remarriage.

• 6 percent of all children are living with a stepparent.

• 34 percent of children today are living with an unmarried parent — up from just 9 percent in 1960.

• 4 percent are living with two cohabiting parents.

• 5 percent of children are not living with either parent. In most of these cases, they are living with a grandparent.