“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.”

Thomas Jefferson

What have been the happiest memories with your family?

(In your head!!)

Millions of Kids

Children living in blended families, including either a step-parent or step-sibling.

Children living with both natural parents and full brothers or sisters.

Children living in extended families including other people such as uncles, cousins, aunts or grandparents.

Children living in one-parent families.

8 million

10 million

15 million

33 million

Family Type Number of Children

Worldwide Statistics

Flexibility,

adaptability and

tolerance for change

are helpful skills for

making any family

form succeed!

Family Relationships

What is a relationship?

An interaction between two or more people.

Who does a family relationship involve?

Parents, siblings, peers, spouse, grandparents

The family relationship is constantly changing.

It is important to remember that an individual is going through various stages of his/her life cycle while the family is going through its own cycle.

Family Life Cycle

Stage 1: Beginning Family

Stage 2: Childbearing Family

Stage 3: Parenting

Stage 4: Launching

Stage 5: Mid Years

Stage 6: Aging

What is your definition of the

stereotypical family?

Working dad

Stay-at-home mom

2 or 3 children

Only 10% of all U.S.

households are in

this family form.

Types of Families

Nuclear

Extended

Single parent

Blended

childless

American Family Forms

1. Living Alone

1 of 24 adults remain single throughout their life.

66% of single people are women.

2. Cohabitation

Persons of the opposite sex sharing living quarters.

Couples who live together before marriage, divorce

just as often as those who marry first.

3. Marrying Later in Life

Average age to marry: men - 25.9, women - 23.6

More young people are not marrying or are

marrying later.

4. Couples Having Children Later in Life

More couples are waiting to become parents until their careers are established.

Estimated cost to raise child is $200,000

5. Couples With Fewer Children

The average number of children has dropped from 3.6 in 1957 to 1.8.

6. Couples With No Children

Due to career commitments, fertility problems or just because they enjoy their childless lifestyles, many couples are remaining “Double Income, No Kids” couples.

American Family Forms

7. Divorced Adults

Approximately 60% of all divorces involve couples

with children in the home.

8. Single-Parent Families

About 1 in 4 children live with only one parent.

The number of single-parent homes has more than

doubled in the past 20 years

Divorced women’s standard of living drops 73%,

while divorced men jumps 42%.

About 50% of the children in divorced families

report having not seen their father in the last year

and only 1 of 6 see him once a week.

American Family Forms

American Family Forms 9. Grown Children Moving In With Their Parents

Families with two children and young parents living at home with their parents has doubled in 25 years.

10. Grandparents Living With Families

With greater longevity, there are more elderly people.

11. Blended Families

Divorced parents, especially fathers are likely to remarry.

13% of today’s children are stepchildren

Flexibility and humor will assist in the adjustment.

12. Working Mothers

The fastest growing segment of the work

force is women with children under the age of

three.

More than half of American mothers with

infants less than a year old are working

outside the home.

Day care for these children can cost up to ¼

the family budget.

Working mothers have 15 fewer hours of

leisure a week than fathers.

American Family Forms

“In a united family, happiness springs of itself.”

Chinese Proverb

Is your family united? How can you help unite and strengthen your family?

What are

the Secrets

of a Strong Family?

Give it Frequently

Be Appreciative of “Invisible Work”

Behavior is Contagious!

Don’t Give Up Too Quickly

Small touches, hugs & kisses

Use verbal affection often

(appreciation, compliments,

etc.)

Develops bonding

Don’t assume they “already

know it”

Go with each other when one of you has

an activity.

Share daily experiences.

Show that you are in it for long haul. (You

won’t give up on family easily.)

Quality time is better than quantity time.

Family Experiences

Vacations

Camping

Daily Experiences

Eating together!!!!

Chores

Doing homework

The purpose of the experience is to strengthen

the relationship.

Strong families can solve problems in

creative ways.

Happy families have the same number of

arguments, but they focus on happy times.

It is ok to have problems, but the key is to

solve them quickly.

The longer you are in an argument, the harder

it is to get out. Why?

Communication is the key!

Be willing to share daily events and experiences often to foster communication.

Without communication, the family unit falls apart.

Is there a member of your family that you have not talked to for a long time because of a conflict? How does this lack of communication make you feel?