“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home

in the bosom of my family.” Thomas Jefferson

Mrs. Lauer

Family Forms

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 (MOM only) families.

•  Children living in one-parent (DAD only) families.

•  8 million

•  3.6 million

•  7 million

•  17 million

•  42 million

Family Type Number of Children

2006 statistics

Flexibility, adaptability and

tolerance for change are helpful skills for making family life

terrific!

Relationship •  What?

•  An interaction between two or more people. •  Who?

•  Parents, siblings, peers, spouse, grandparents

•  They are constantly changing. •  An individual is going through various

stages of his life cycle while the family is going through its cycle.

Family Life Cycle

Leaving Home

Childbearing Family 0-2 1/2 years old

Family with Preschoolers 2 ½ - 6 yrs

Family with School Children 6 -13 yrs old

Parenting adolescents 14-20 yr old

Family Life Cycle •  Stage 1: Beginning Family

•  The married couple establish their home but do not yet have children.

•  Stage 2: Childbearing Family

•  From the birth of the first child until that child is 2 ½ years old.

•  Stage 3: Family with Preschoolers •  When the oldest child is between the

ages of 2 ½ and 6.

•  Stage 4: Family with School Children •  When the oldest child is between the

ages of 6 and 13.

Family Life Cycle

Family Life Cycle Continued... •  Stage 5: Family with Teenagers

• When the oldest child is between the ages of 13 and 20.

•  Stage 6: Launching Center

•  From the time the oldest child leaves the family for independent adult life till the time the last child leaves.

Family Life Cycle Continued...

•  Stage 7: Empty Nest •  From the time the children are gone

till the marital couple retires from employment.

•  Stage 8: Aging Family

•  From retirement till the death of the surviving marriage partner.

Think about your definition of the stereotypical family.

• Working dad • Stay-at-home

mom •  2 or 3 children

Only 10% of all households are in this family form.

American Family Forms

•  Living Alone •  1 of 24 adults remain single throughout their life. •  66% of single people are women.

•  POSSLQs •  Persons of the opposite sex sharing living

quarters. •  Couples who live together before marriage,

divorce just as often as those who marry first.

American Family Forms

•  Marrying Later in Life •  Average age to marry: men - 25.9, women

- 23.6 •  More young people are not marrying or are

marrying later.

•  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

•  Couples With Fewer Children •  The average number of children has dropped

from 3.6 in 1957 to 1.8. •  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

American Family Forms

•  Divorced Adults •  Approximately 60% of all divorces involve

couples with children in the home. •  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

American Family Forms

•  Single-Parent Families cont. •  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 •  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.

•  Grandparents Living With Families •  With greater longevity, there are more elderly

people.

American Family Forms

•  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.

•  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