The Family

Activity  Report what type of family is portrayed on your favorite TV show.  Give the characteristics.  How realistic are the portrayals of American life?  Do these shows deal with problems that families have that you have already studied (violence, for example)?  The following section will give you more things to compare your favorite TV family to.

Blended Families  Blended Families – a family formed with at least one spouse that had a previous marriage with children.  TV examples?  A famous bunch (click to watch) (click to watch)

Blended Families - Problems 1. How could money difficulties be a problem?  Often, money has to be spent on the previous marriage. 2. How can stepchildren derail a blended family?  Hoping to reunite their parents, stepchildren will try to subvert the new marriage 3. Explain how unclear roles with blended families could cause divide?  If one of the parents don’t see a stepchild as “real” or the stepchild doesn’t see one of the parents as “real”, issues involving discipline and control will surface – especially with teenagers.

Blended Families – Writing Assignment  Divorce is never the child’s fault; however, many people believe that children’s rights are paramount during divorce proceedings.  Main Question: What rights should be given children before, during, and after a legal divorce?  Things to get you started thinking: 1. Children should have the right to have answers to their questions about divorce. 2. Children should be spared from hearing negative comments from one parent about the other. 3. Children should have the right to see their on-custodial parent and grandparents 4. Children should have the right to remain children and not be expected to take on adult roles after the divorce.

Single-Parent Families  25% are single parent families  Why do you think mainly women are the heads of single parent homes? 1. Unwed fathers abandoning the mom (especially among the poor) 2. Poor women marry (or remarry) at a very low rate  Why do you think this is so? 3. Affluent women are choosing to care for children alone. 4. Well-educated women are adopting at a higher rate. Oscar winning actress Jodie Foster chooses to be a single parent. Discuss: Is this a good thing?

Single-Parent Families  Adolescents – youths between the age of 12 and 17  Teenagers living with one parent or a stepparent have much higher rates of deviant behavior than those that grow up living with both natural parents.  What social reasons could be responsible for this?  What are some negative and positive aspects of living in single vs. duel- parents families?

Childless Marriages  1/5 of couples today remain childless.  Is this and upward or downward trend? Explain.  Are marriages happier with or without children? Explain.  Couples who want kids and can’t have them are unhappy.  Couples who choose not to have children are generally happier in their marriage than couples with children. “Don’t stare woman. They’re one of those poor, sad, childless couples.”

Duel-Employed Marriages  Duel-Employed Marriages – marriages where both couples work outside the home  What are pros and cons to duel-employed marriage?

Duel-Employed Marriages  Pros:  Psychological well-being of women (more social relationships), more money to spend, economic independence seen by daughters  Men don’t have the burden of providing which leads for more flexibility for job change and more education, can lead to opportunities for a shared experience with their wife, more time with children  Cons:  Women work about 15 more hours than men (household chores), role conflict between work and children, not having parents around as much for the children.

Co-Habitation  Co-Habitation – living together without being formally or legally married.  Why do you think the research shows these arrangements rarely last?  The big reason is a lack of commitment

Same-Sex Domestic Couples  Because of the stigma attached to same-sex couple, it is impossible to know precisely the number of homosexuals.  Some states have legalized same-sex marriages. Debate, if you dare.

Single Life  Why are Americans choosing to live alone?  Pursuing careers, raising kids from a previous marriage, a wish to expand the period of “freedom”

Boomerang Kids  Boomerang Kids – adult children who return to their original home or still live with their parents.  Why are kids moving back in?  Getting married later  Continuing education and expenses from that  High divorce rate leads kids to returning for a while

Boomerang Kids  Effects on US society?  Financial strain on older parents  Robs the parents of privacy, causes some dissatisfaction of parents’ marriage  For the children, becoming a burden and losing freedom is difficult  Other Cultures  In more traditional cultures such as Japan and in the Middle East, most kids don’t move out of the home until they are married (though this is beginning to change).  Though my wife lived for one year in Canada and Moscow, when she was in Japan she lived with her parents

Happy Marriages  After going through this section, what do you think are the elements of a successful marriage?  Many marriage counselors believe a happy marriage consists of:  Power (it is shared and partners take turns making decisions), closeness, intimacy, commitment, and autonomy.  Do you agree? Explain.  Can you give examples of couples who fit this criteria?