Chapter 3- Parents and Children in Varied Family Structures

The following article is about how american famillies have changed in 30 years.  In 1960 almost three quarters lived with their biological parents.  30 years later, it declined by 56 percent.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/352734

I choose the above article because, to me, it reflects in detail in test given to identify strenghts and challenges of various families structures, specifically in divorce families and single parents.

Please take a look at the below video from youtube.  A very awesome video about the different family structures.  I chose this video because it tells you about it in a very easy way to understand in basic drawings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUqkJFBkW_c

Family structure refes to the way in which a family is constructed and how family members are connected (Berger, 2005).  The most prevalent 2 parent family is the nuclear parent.  This family was the most accepted family structure in history.  However, in the past 2 decades other family structures have been accepted. 

Types of  family structures include:

- Nuclear:  A nuclear family is a family that has a father, mother, and children. It is the immediate family generally. The nuclear family is one of the most common family descriptions

- Lone parents:  Includes at least one child and the child has only one parent who cares for him or her without the physical assistance of the other biological parent in the home.

- Nomadic:  In this type of family structure one of the parents is always on the move.  Willing to work outside the country for a better opportunity to their children.

- Communal:  Two families living together in one house and sharing facilities

- Adoptive:  A family that is not a family by berth but a family that has legally said they will take care of the child or children.

- Reconstituded:  The sociological term for the joining of two adults via marriage, civil partnership, who have children from previous relationships.

- Homosexual:  A family of the same sex where they, usually, adopt a child to take care of them and live as a family.

In the book, Parent- Child Relations, we learned that although there has been a decrease in the number of adolescent parents in the United States, that there continues to be ovet twice as many adolescent births in the United States when compared to other industrialized countries.  Also, the 3 fastest growing family structures in the United States are headed by unmarried woman in their twenties, lesbian woman who used donor insemination, and grandparents who are taking the role of surrogate parents.

The poem below to me represents what this chapter is about.  Family.  No matter what type of family structure a kid may be in, the most important fact is that they are in a family:

Family

Author: Unknown

A Family is a blessing
It means so many things
Words could never tell
The joy a family brings.

A family is a bond of faith
That even time can't sever
A gift to last all of our lives
A family is forever.