Families as They Really Are Risman Chapter Summaries

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Gone are the days when nuclear families (mom, dad + i or more than kids) are considered the norm in the United States. These days, different family unit types are not only common but also much more than accepted than they were in the past. It'south not uncommon to be raised past a single mother or be part of a mixed family. It seems more than uncommon to live in a household where both parents are happily married, unfortunately, although many of those families practise even so exist.

What's fifty-fifty more interesting is that each dissimilar family type (there are six master ones that people concord on) has a unique family unit dynamic. Learning about your family type and thinking nearly how information technology affects your family dynamic can help bring you clarity if yous're currently struggling with family issues or going through a large shift in your family construction. Looking at family unit type and dynamics can also give you a ameliorate thought of the strengths and weaknesses that your family is likely working with.

Hither Are half dozen Different Family Types and Their Unique Family Dynamics:

1. Nuclear Family

Nuclear families, also known as simple or traditional families, consist of 2 parents (unremarkably married or common police) and their children. Nuclear families may have one or more children who are biological or adopted, but the main thought is that the parents are raising their kids together in the family dwelling house.

Even though nuclear families seem to exist on the pass up, 2016 U.S. Census information shows that 69% of children still live in nuclear families. Fifty-fifty though it doesn't always work out that way, to nigh people this is the ideal family environs to raise children in.

Strengths of Nuclear Families:

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• Financially stable, both parents usually work now
• Children raised in a stable parenting situation
• Consistency
• Emphasis on health and education
• Focus on communication

Weaknesses Of Nuclear Families:

• Exclusion of extended family can atomic number 82 to isolation and stress
• Tin can struggle with conflict resolution
• Nuclear families can get too child-focused, resulting in cocky-centered children and families neglecting other of import things

Nuclear families tin can be potent and successful, with both parents existence cracking examples for their kids. These kids often have many advantages over other families with less, which can help them go alee in life. However, similar any family, nuclear families have their struggles to face. For example, if parents close out grandparents and other extended family, chances are their support organization will not be potent and getting through hard times can be challenging.

2. Unmarried Parent

Single parent families consist of one parent with one or more kids. In these cases, the parent either never married, is widowed, or divorced. A paper by Ellwood, D.T., and Jencks, C. (2004) talks about how single-parent families take been on the rising since the 1960s when divorce rates started going up (and so did births happening out of wedlock). They propose that these changes could be due to many different factors, from irresolute morals in guild to increasing arguments over gender roles.

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A female parent or father raising kids alone is not that uncommon anymore, and like any other family blazon single parent homes have their pros and cons. Although fans of traditional families believe that children need both parents, we can see that some single parent families practice well while others struggle.

Strengths of Single-Parent Families:

• Family members can become very close
• Larn to share household duties
• Children and parents can go very resilient

Weaknesses of Single-Parent Families:

• Families struggle to get by on one income; some are on social assist
• Information technology can exist hard for parents to work full-time and all the same afford quality childcare
• Parenting tin can exist inconsistent, particularly if kids get back and along between parents

Being a single parent raising kids can exist hard. It can also exist hard beingness a kid when your parents are carve up up or if you lot grew upward merely knowing one parent. In this state of affairs, families need to brand the best of what they have and rely on each other for love and support.

3. Extended Family

While most people in the U.Southward. would identify nuclear families as being the 'traditional' family type, in different cultures extended families are much more than mutual and have been effectually for hundreds of years. Extended families are families with ii or more than adults who are related through blood or marriage, usually along with children.

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Typically, extended families live together for social support and to achieve mutual goals. For example, parents may live with their children and their children's grandparents. This gives the family the ability to provide care for their elderly, and in turn, the grandparents may exist able to help with childcare while the parents are at work.

Strengths of Extended Families:

• Things similar respect and treat the elderly are important
• More family around to assist with chores, child care, in instance of emergencies, etc.
• Social support

Weaknesses of Extended Families:

• Financial problems can occur if parents are supporting several other adults and children without any extra income
• Lack of privacy depending on the living environment

In North America, extended families living together isn't that common, but it does happen occasionally. What's overnice nigh extended families is how close they can be and how they give each other a lot of support. That doesn't hateful that so many family members living together are e'er like shooting fish in a barrel, though. In that location can be differences in opinion in extended families, and some people might live this way because they obligated, non considering they want to.

4. Childless Family

Childless families are families with two parents who cannot take or don't want kids. In the world of family types and dynamics, these families are often forgotten or left out (even though you can nonetheless have a family without children). In the by, growing up, getting married, and having children was the norm, merely in today's world, more people are choosing to postpone having children or deciding not to take any.

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These unique families include working couples who may accept pets or savour taking on other people'south kids (like nieces and nephew) for the twenty-four hours occasionally rather than having their own. They could also be adventurous couples who don't experience similar kids would be a good fit for their lifestyle.

Strengths of Childless Families:

• Typically have more dispensable income
• No dependents to have care of
• Have more freedom to travel, proceed adventures, pursue different careers or teaching
• Couples get to spend more time together

Weaknesses of Childless Families:

• Couples can feel isolated or left out when all their friends/family start having kids
• If you lot like kids, you lot can feel like something is missing
• Infertility can forcefulness a family to be childless, which can be hard for couples

The decision of whether to have kids is a difficult and highly personal one. Having kids isn't for everyone, and some families do great without them. Still, information technology's of import to think that some childless families are non childless because they want to exist.

5. Stepfamily

A stepfamily is when two separate families merge into i. This can go several unlike ways, similar two divorced parents with one or more children blending families, or 1 divorced parent with kids marrying someone who has never been married and has no kids.

Similar unmarried-parent families, pace-families are sometimes looked down upon by people who prefer the nuclear family dynamic, simply they take become more common over the years. Like all these different family types, stepfamilies as well have a unique set of strengths and weaknesses that they demand to bargain with.

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Strengths of Stepfamilies:

• Children get the do good of having two parents around
• Children and their new siblings or step-parents can class strong bonds
• Benefit of having two incomes compared to single parent families

Weaknesses of Stepfamilies:

• Adjustment can be difficult for parents and children
• Parents can run into problems trying to subject area each other'southward kids
• May lack discipline or exist inconsistent

Going from a nuclear or unmarried parent family unit to a stepfamily can be a tough transition. It can be hard letting new people into your family dynamic, especially welcoming in a whole other family. Over time though, some children will come up to accept their stepparents and stepsiblings as office of the family and class stiff bonds.

6. Grandparent Family

The final family unit type and the to the lowest degree common of them all is the grandparent family. A grandparent family unit is when 1 or more grandparent is raising their grandchild or grandchildren. While uncommon, co-ordinate to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, grandparent-headed families are on the ascension. They shared that, "Demography data indicate that in the U.s. approximately two.4 meg grandparents are raising 4.5 million children." Why does this happen?

This situation happens when the parents aren't effectually to accept care of their kids or are incapable of properly taking care of their kids. For instance, the parents might be in jail, too young, on drugs, or (unfortunately) just not care. Thankfully, in these situations, the grandparents step up and act as parents to their grandchildren. A lot of times the situation isn't ideal, but they would rather take on the responsibility than run across their grandchildren end up in a worse situation, like foster intendance.

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Strengths of Grandparent Families:

• Grandparents and grandchildren form a close bond
• Keeps children from catastrophe up in foster homes or other situations

Weaknesses of Grandparent Families:

• Grandparents may non work or have total-time jobs, may struggle with income
• Depending on their health, it may exist difficult for them to go along upwardly with young children or field of study them equally they get older

It tin be difficult for grandparents to raise their grandchildren. In virtually cases, they probably idea they were done raising kids and might not take the health and free energy to practice and then. Still, when needed, grandparents volition footstep upwards and practise what'south needed. Depending on the relationship, children may become very close to their grandparents while others might take reward or rebel.

Conclusion

No thing what family type yous place with, each ane has its strengths and weaknesses or pros and cons. This is normally most clear to people who have experienced one or more changes in family type during their lifetime, so they can relate to how dissimilar each family dynamic tin can be.

Therapy (family or private) can aid those struggling with changes in family type/dynamics. Online counseling services like BetterHelp tin provide an outlet for people who are going through a difficult time with their family unit.

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Other things that can assist you lot adjust to a new family dynamic are an open mind and some time. It'south normal to be resistant to change at first, but it's okay to come up around eventually. If you lot're simply interested in your family dynamic and working to get forth improve with your family, learning how family types and dynamics work is a great kickoff.

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Source: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/family/there-are-6-different-family-types-and-each-one-has-a-unique-family-dynamic/

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