1. FAMILY LIFE CYLCE Child Development
Stage 1 Singles/ Individuals Stage 2 Marriage Stage 3 Childbearing Stage 4 Parenting Stage 5 Launching/ Teens Stage 6 Middle Years Stage 7 Senior Years

2. Stage 1 Single/Individual
Emotional changes from relying on family to emotional and financial responsibility to oneself.
Beginning to find oneself and develop own beliefs and ideas. May reject family values and belief.
Teens developing intimate peer
relationships on a deeper level
than before.

3. Nutritional Analysis #2 due today
Put name on your print out of one of your day’s summary and turn into my desk
Fitness Pal – come up the my desk and show me at least 5 whole days in September

4. Stage 2 Marriage PREDICTION OF SUCCESS:
Until death do us part: Not a fact for most marriages.
What age is best to get married?
24-30 Youthful marriages
Up to age 30, the older you are at marriage the greater likelihood of marital happiness and success
Teens have highest divorce rates
After age 30 higher divorce rate than

5. Prediction of Marital Success
Education = income, insight, status
Length of engagement
Childhood environment & relationship with family.
Divorced parents may cause a shying away from marriage.
Loving each other did not have affect on whether or not they fought.
HONEYMOON EFFECT: Overlooking problems. Reality vs. idealized relationship.

6. PREDICTION OF SUCCESS FACTORS
Communicates well
Resolve conflict in a constructive way
Realistic expectations of marriage
Like each other as people (opposites attract doesn’t work)
Undesirable traits are magnified in marriage
Agree on religion & ethical issues
Spend leisure activities/time with each other

7. Why have an engagement? Reduces anxiety about marriage.
Gives couple time to mature and break from family.
Make sure partner is right person.

8. What’s the secret to a happy marriage?
When the couple met they felt immediately at home with each other. Friendship was immediate. There is a strong physical and/or emotional attraction.
Happy couples have similar values and beliefs, but embrace each other’s differences.
Happy couples have trust

9. Happily Married
Happy couples usually describe their mate as their best friend. They like each other very much, above all others. They spent a lot of time together.
Happy couples share a life dream. They work together to make the dream come true.
Happy couples don’t hold a grudge. High capacity to resolve conflict and move on.

10. HAPPILY MARRIED continued…
Happy couples roll with the changes. People do change and good marriages change too.
Happy couples agree to have or not to have children. Couples agree on whether or not to have children.
Happy couples understand the importance of sex & romance. Friendship was more important than sex but sex was the strong force binding them together through the years.

11. Essentials of a good marriage
Marriage is priority, even over the kids
They are united in their parenting
Fidelity and commitment!!!
Unselfishness
Each person is important
Time spent together
Couple time is sacred
Good Communication
Respectful to each other

12. Read pg. 540-541 How do parents influence their children?
How do children influence their parents?

13. Teenage Pregnancy 81% of teens births are to unmarried teens
56% need public assistance
About 1 million teenage girls are pregnant every year
Father is financially responsible until the child is 18 years old
How would your life change because of a pregnancy?

14. STAGE 3 - CHILDBEARING
Adjusting to becoming a family or increased family size.
Caring for an infant (Wow it’s tough!)
Providing a positive developmental environment and learning to be a parent.
Making sacrifices
Adjusting to having less couple time.

15. STAGE 4 - Parenting Caring for Children
Coping with demands on energy and attention with less privacy at home.
Increasing need to make sacrifices for children and family
VERY stressful time for parents.

16. STAGE 4 – Parenting Continued
Family importance:
Promoting educational achievement
Fitting in the community of families with school-age children
Supporting children’s interests (attend events!)

17. STAGE 5 – Launching/ Teens
(When the oldest child is between the ages of 13 and 20)
Allowing and helping children to become more independent
Coping with their independence
Developing new interests beyond child care

18. STAGE 6 – MIDDLE AGE MARRIAGES
Parents more likely to divorce at this time. Parents who stayed together just for the children feel free to move on.
Empty Nest Syndrome
Boomerang generation: Children return home due to high unemployment, housing cost, low wages, divorce and personal problems.
Parents may become grandparents at this time.
Parents may have to care for their own parents (grandparents)

19. STAGE 7 - LATER LIFE Question: Grand parenting Retirement
How will you live your life once your family is grown?
What will you do when you don’t have a job to go to every day?
Many people look forward to their “Golden Years”
Question:
Does parenting end when children are grown & gone?

20. GRANDPARENTING
Grandparents = distance is biggest factor in amount of involvement
25% of preschool children cared for by grandparents
Grandparent experience the joys of children without all of the responsibilities

21. Stage Review
Stage 1 (18-21 yrs) Developing autonomy and becoming independent
Stage 2 (22-28 yrs) Developing intimacy & occupational identification. May marry at this time.
Stage 3 (29-31 yrs) Most likely to become parents at this time.
Stage 4 (32-39 yrs) Deepening commitments; pursuing more long-range goals and parenting.
Stage 5 (40-42 yrs) Parenting transitioning into launching.
Stage 6 (43-59 yrs) Re-establishing marital relationship/empty nest
State 7 (60+ yrs) Dealing with aging while retaining zest for life. Grand parenting.