What if I told you that I believed that the land mass on the northeastern portion of Asia was Zimbabwe? Assuming you know at least a little bit of geography, you would say I was wrong. What, however, if I responded and said that you are just following the "old way" of viewing geography and this is the new way? Would you think that I was a bit off? I hope you would; you should!
Someone once told me after a homily that I had a strange view of family order. I asked why she thought it was strange, and she said, "I know it is in that Bible passage, but that is the old way of viewing family. The Church now has a new way of seeing it and that is what you should preach." I am not joking! I tried to explain to her that there is not a "new way" of viewing the family, but she did not seem to agree.
It is truly amazing how many Catholics have more of a worldly view of the family than a genuinely biblical, godly, and Catholic view. There are all kinds of distortions of the family out there; everything from a 50/50 structure of authority between husband and wife, to the idea that women are in charge and men just need to put up with it. The modern Catechism of the Catholic Church is not very helpful here as it does not refer much to the subject. Thankfully, it was written as an updated supplement to the Trent Catechism which is perfectly clear on this subject (go read it, soon!).
In today's first reading for Mass from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesian Christians, we are given that description of family order that is one of the most clear in all of sacred Scripture. St. Paul speaks of the authority of the husband (and gives it proper boundaries) and the submission of the wife (and makes it clear she is not a slave) and he does so in no uncertain terms. This has been foundational to Catholic teaching, and it is still one of the possible readings for wedding Masses. Sadly, many people want to ignore it, and I have even heard of people not coming to Mass on days when that is one of the readings (believe it or not!).
The vast majority of those who want to reject the "old way" of viewing family do not understand rightly what that "old way" is. They have modernist and liberal descriptions of women chained to the kitchen and children working 25 hours a day in hard labor while the husband sits back sipping mint juleps and barking orders. I am sure this might have happened somewhere (likely in a muslim home -- seriously!) but it was never approved by the Church in her teachings.
In reality there is no "new way" of viewing the family, because there is not an "old way" either. There is the way that the Church has always taught; and it has always been contrary to what the worldly way is. We might find it hard to practice, and we might even dislike it, but God has shown us again and again that His way of doing things always works, and it always leads to our salvation. Let us trust Him, and do everything we can to hold to "His way".