Family - What images come to mind?. Where do you get these images from? What is “ideal”? What influences this?

Family Types Single person Nuclear Single parent Extended Couple Legal guardian Adoptive Foster Blended

Single person Benefit: Challenge: Have a lot of freedom Time to devote to career and interests Their income is their own May live alone Challenge: Income may be an issue May have periods of loneliness Esp if no family around May have a roommate

Nuclear Couple and their children Focus on the children Benefits: Parents share childcare responsibility Children have support of both parents Challenges: making time for themselves, balancing family and work

Single parent One or more children living in a house hold headed by one parent May result from death or divorce Fastest growing Divorce Having children without marriage Live with lower income Biggest challenge Managing ALL the responsibilities of family life Time and energy Finding opposite sex role model

Extended Family with a relative living with them – aunt, uncle, grandparent, cousin Tough economic time, families may move in with grandparents Challenge: Getting along with relatives Establishing clear lines of authority Benefit: Family bonds More resources

Couple Husband and wife Number of these households is increasing People are delaying children Challenge: Career conflict Benefit: Income Focus on each other

Blended A couple and one or more children from a previous relationship One parent becomes a stepparent Challenge: Blending personalities Change in rules? Adjusting to new styles

Legal guardian A person who has financial and legal responsibility for a child

Adoptive Couple legally adopts child Challenge: No biological link to parents Challenge: Child (if older) needs to adjust to new family Parents may worry about biological parents wanting child back

Foster Placing a child in the temporary care of a family other than its own as the result of problems or challenges that are taking place within the birth family Benefits: Can be very rewarding Giving a child stable home Challenge: Child has difficult problems Becoming attached to child who will eventually leave

Family or not?

Family - Nuclear

Family - adoptive

Family - Extended

Family - blended

Family - couple

Family – single person

Family – single parent

Not – but…..

Family – single parent

Family - couple

Family Clothesline activity Family-Clothesline-Structure-Activity.pdf