Family Family StructuresStructures

Image of a FamilyImage of a Family Our image of a family may come Our image of a family may come

from: from: ►Our own family Our own family ►Television Television ►Movies Movies ►Your friend’s family Your friend’s family

Most families do not show “real” life Most families do not show “real” life to outsidersto outsiders

FamilyFamily

►Consist of two Consist of two or more people or more people living in the s living in the s same same household that household that are related by are related by blood, marriage blood, marriage or adoptionor adoption. .

Functions of a FamilyFunctions of a Family

►1. Provides for the physical needs of 1. Provides for the physical needs of family members, including sharing of family members, including sharing of economic resources economic resources

►2. Nurtures the educational needs 2. Nurtures the educational needs including literacy, mental, vocational including literacy, mental, vocational and social skills. and social skills.

►3. Meets the emotional needs of all 3. Meets the emotional needs of all family members, including the need to family members, including the need to feel loved and accepted. feel loved and accepted.

Single PersonSingle Person

►May live alone or May live alone or with roommates with roommates

►Maintains bonds Maintains bonds with family with family members or close members or close friends if have no friends if have no living family living family

Single PersonSingle Person

►May come May come and go as and go as they please they please

►Time to Time to devote to devote to one’s career one’s career and interests and interests

Dink Family or Dink Family or CouplesCouples

►DinkDink – Double – Double Income, no kids Income, no kids

►Time to focus on Time to focus on just each other or just each other or their careers their careers

►Careers of the Careers of the individuals could individuals could conflict with each conflict with each other other

Nuclear FamilyNuclear Family

►A mother and a A mother and a father and their father and their children children

►Sometimes Sometimes referred to as the referred to as the traditional family traditional family

Nuclear FamilyNuclear Family

►Household and child Household and child care responsibilities care responsibilities are shared are shared

►Children receive the Children receive the support of both parents support of both parents

►Have an example of Have an example of both the roles of both the roles of mother and father on a mother and father on a daily basis daily basis

Single-Parent Single-Parent FamilyFamily

►An adult with one or An adult with one or more children. This more children. This family structure is family structure is growing in the United growing in the United States. States.

►Single-Parent families exist Single-Parent families exist because of divorce, death of the because of divorce, death of the spouse, or never being married. spouse, or never being married.

Single-Parent Single-Parent FamilyFamily

►Some provide all the income for Some provide all the income for the family and manage the family and manage all the household all the household responsibilities responsibilities

►The adults need contact The adults need contact with other adults and the with other adults and the children need contact with children need contact with individuals of the absent parent.individuals of the absent parent.

Extended FamilyExtended Family

►A family where A family where grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, aunts, uncles, parents and parents and children all live children all live together. Not as together. Not as common today as common today as in the past. in the past.

Blended FamiliesBlended Families

►A husband and A husband and wife, at least one wife, at least one of whom has a of whom has a children from a children from a previous marriage. previous marriage.

►Adjustments must Adjustments must be made by both be made by both children and children and adults. adults.

Adoptive FamiliesAdoptive Families

►A family in which the A family in which the children are not the children are not the biological children of the biological children of the couple. couple.

►The adopted child takes The adopted child takes on the family’s last on the family’s last name and has all the name and has all the legal rights that a birth legal rights that a birth child has. child has.

Legal GuardiansLegal Guardians

►A person who has the A person who has the financial and legal financial and legal responsibility for the responsibility for the care of the child. care of the child.

►Parents may have Parents may have died died

►Parents not able to Parents not able to care for the child care for the child

Foster FamilyFoster Family

►Takes care of the children Takes care of the children on a temporary basis. on a temporary basis.

►Children may be awaiting Children may be awaiting for adoption for adoption

►Need a temporary place to Need a temporary place to stay because of family stay because of family problems problems

►Usually licensed by the Usually licensed by the state state

Stages Stages

of the of the Family Life CycleFamily Life Cycle

Starting as a Starting as a CoupleCouple

► Time to get to know each other Time to get to know each other ► Time to learn to think and act Time to learn to think and act

as a team as a team ► Must work out a relationship Must work out a relationship

with extended family members with extended family members and friends and friends

► Need to discuss the following: Need to discuss the following: Housing and Furnishings Housing and Furnishings Education and Careers Education and Careers Money Money Children Children

Parental Stage – Parental Stage – ExpandingExpanding

►New members are added to New members are added to the family the family

►Most of the family time is Most of the family time is focused on the children and focused on the children and home life home life

►Children add additional Children add additional expenses to the budget expenses to the budget Child Care, Medical Care, Food & Child Care, Medical Care, Food &

Clothing Clothing

Parental Stage – Parental Stage – DevelopingDeveloping

►Children enter school Children enter school and have more and have more activities that focus activities that focus outside the home outside the home

►Family pace is often Family pace is often very busy, especially very busy, especially as the children move as the children move into their teen years into their teen years

Parental State – Parental State – LaunchingLaunching

►Occurs when the children Occurs when the children start to leave home and be start to leave home and be on their own on their own

►For some families, older For some families, older children return home before children return home before the youngest have left the youngest have left

►Over one half of the adults, Over one half of the adults, ages 20 to 24 live with their ages 20 to 24 live with their parents parents

Middle Years – Empty Middle Years – Empty NestNest

►Family becomes a couple Family becomes a couple again again

►Some parents feel lost and Some parents feel lost and without purpose and others without purpose and others enjoy their new-found freedom enjoy their new-found freedom

►Now have time to enjoy Now have time to enjoy hobbies and special interests hobbies and special interests

►Many parents at this stage Many parents at this stage now have to care for their now have to care for their elderly parents elderly parents

Retirement YearsRetirement Years

►Some look forward to this stage, Some look forward to this stage, others do not others do not

►Their career usually ends and many Their career usually ends and many have no interests to fill in the time have no interests to fill in the time

►Must adjust to aging, health Must adjust to aging, health problems and lower income problems and lower income

►Some discover simple Some discover simple pleasures they had never pleasures they had never thought of before thought of before

Benefits of Family Benefits of Family LivingLiving

►1. Satisfy physical 1. Satisfy physical needs – including needs – including food, clothing, shelter food, clothing, shelter and medical care and medical care

►2. Source of protection 2. Source of protection – protect you from – protect you from harm or danger harm or danger

Benefits of Family Benefits of Family LivingLiving

►3. Provide long-3. Provide long-lasting relationships lasting relationships – will always have a – will always have a sense of belonging sense of belonging

►4. Source of love 4. Source of love and affection – and affection – these bonds of love these bonds of love and affection last a and affection last a lifetime lifetime

Benefits of Family Benefits of Family LivingLiving

►5. Provide support and 5. Provide support and encouragement – ties in encouragement – ties in families are strong, they families are strong, they want you to succeed. want you to succeed.

►6. Provide 6. Provide companionship – similar companionship – similar backgrounds and backgrounds and interests. Build ties that interests. Build ties that remain strong even remain strong even through change through change