What is your idea of the ideal family?

 Includes a mom, dad and at least one child  Advantages??  Disadvantages??

 Advantages:  Two parents support one another and raise the children.  Possibly two incomes  Disadvantages: None

 Includes either a mom or dad and at least one child.  Parent may be unmarried, or has lost spouse to divorce or death.  Advantages???  Disadvantages???

 Only one authority figure  Less parental conflict

 Demanding  No one to share responsibilities with  Stressful  Possible lower income  No second gender role model  Possibly fewer hours with children

 Formed when a single parent marries another person, who may or may not be a parent as well.  Advantages???  Disadvantages???

 “Instant” family  Opportunity to be around children 

 Challenge of adjusting to each others’ presence and needs  Have to share parents and family resources  Conflicting expectations of parents and extended families

 Includes relatives other than a parent or child who live with them.  Advantages??  Disadvantages??

 Advantages: May be extra babysitters  Gain knowledge from elders  Division of labor  Disadvantages: Adds financial burdens to the family

 Adoption: A legal process in which children enter a family they were not born into. The adopted child has the same rights as any biological children those parents have.  Emphasis on finding good home rather than matching ethnic or religious background.

 Solution for couples who cannot have children  Why might a parent wish to avoid telling a child that he or she has been adopted? Why is it important to be truthful to the child?

 Children may feel rejected by biological parents  For the adoptive parents: Short transition period to parenthood

 A temporary home until their parents can solve their problems or until the children can find a permanent adoptive home.  Advantages?  Disadvantages?

 Advantage: Temporary care  Disadvantages:  * Children may have emotional & legal issues from their birth families.  * Frequent adjustments required  * Competition with biological children and other foster children

 A support system for each other  Meet each other’s basic needs  Share the same beliefs  Appreciate each other  Committed to each other  Prepare children to live in society  A strong family foundation is one of the best gifts for a child.  Family is a child’s first connection to the world.