Family Life cycle Today I will learn different aspects that make up a family.

What do you think of when you think of the word “FAMILY” Create your own definition of “ family” in your notes

Types of Families.

The Vanier Institute of the Family defines Family as… Any combination of two or more people who are bound together over time by ties of mutual consent, birth, adoption and who, together, assume responsibilities for variant combinations of the following 1. physical maintenance and care of group members 2. addition of new members through procreation or adoption 3. socialization of children. 4. contributing to the common good.

What does it mean to be a successful family member? To adapt to changing needs and demands and to attend to tasks that are necessary to ensure family survival

What is a family life cycle? The emotional and intellectual stages you pass through from childhood to your retirement years as a member of a family developmental tasks: In each stage, you face challenges in your family life that cause you to build or gain new skills. Gaining these skills helps you work through the changes that nearly every family goes through.

H ISTORICAL D EVELOPMENT · Family developmental theory is an approach to studying families, which is useful in explaining patterned change, the dynamic nature of the family, and how change occurs in the family life cycle. · The roots of family developmental theory date back to the 1930s from works of sociologists, economists, and demographers who established family categories. · Since the 1950s, family developmental theory has been used to explain the processes observed in families over time

What is the family life cycle? The family life cycle divides the family experiences into stages over the life span and describes changes in family structure and roles during each stage.

Stage 1: Married couples (without children) Developmental Task: establishes their home prepares for child birth.

Stage 2: Childbearing families (oldest child, birth-30 months) Developmental task: adjusting to increased family size, caring for infant, providing a positive developmental environment.

Stage 3: Families with pre-school children (oldest child, 2 1/2-6years) Developmental task: Satisfying the needs and interests of pre school children. Coping with demands on energy and attention with less privacy at home.

Stage 4: Families with schoolchildren (oldest child, 6-13 years) Developmental task: Promoting education achievement and fitting in with the community of families with school aged children.

Stage 5: Families with teenagers (oldest child, years) Developmental task: Allowing and helping children to become more independent, coping with their independence, developing new interests beyond childcare.

Stage 6: Families as launching centers (first child gone to last child leaving home) Developmental task: Releasing young adults and accepting new ways of relating to them; maintaining a supportive home base, adapting to new living circumstances.

Stage 7: Middle-age parents (“empty nest” to retirement) Developmental task: Renewing and redefining the marriage relationship maintaining ties with children ad their families; preparing for retirement.

Stage 8: Aging family members (retirement to death of both spouses) Developmental task: Adjusting to retirement, coping with the death of the married partner and life alone.

Not everyone passes through these Family life stages smoothly Brainstorm as many factors that may disrupt the family life cycle? Modern Family Clip

Journal Question: Why is it important to understand the family life cycle? What stage is your family currently in? What is this stage like for your family? ie. How can you improve your family life cycle ? Describe.