How Do You Get to Generations in Virtual Families 2
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Gone are the days when nuclear families (mom, dad + one or more kids) are considered the norm in the United States. These days, unlike family types are not only mutual simply also much more than accepted than they were in the by. Information technology's non uncommon to be raised by a single mother or exist role of a mixed family. It seems more uncommon to live in a household where both parents are happily married, unfortunately, although many of those families do still exist.
What's even more interesting is that each dissimilar family unit type (in that location are half-dozen main ones that people agree on) has a unique family unit dynamic. Learning about your family blazon and thinking about how information technology affects your family dynamic tin help bring you clarity if you're currently struggling with family bug or going through a big shift in your family unit structure. Looking at family type and dynamics can besides give you a better thought of the strengths and weaknesses that your family unit is probable working with.
Here Are six Different Family Types and Their Unique Family unit Dynamics:
- Nuclear Family unit
Nuclear families, also known every bit elementary or traditional families, consist of two parents (ordinarily married or mutual police force) and their children. Nuclear families may have ane or more than children who are biological or adopted, just the main idea is that the parents are raising their kids together in the family home.
Even though nuclear families seem to be on the decline, 2016 U.South. Census data shows that 69% of children still live in nuclear families. Fifty-fifty though information technology doesn't always piece of work out that manner, to nearly people this is the ideal family unit surroundings to enhance children in.
Strengths of Nuclear Families:
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- Financially stable, both parents commonly work now
- Children raised in a stable parenting situation
- Consistency
- Accent on health and pedagogy
- Focus on communication
Weaknesses Of Nuclear Families:
- Exclusion of extended family can atomic number 82 to isolation and stress
- Can struggle with conflict resolution
- Nuclear families can become too child-focused, resulting in cocky-centered children and families neglecting other important things
Nuclear families can be strong and successful, with both parents being great examples for their kids. These kids oftentimes take many advantages over other families with less, which can help them get ahead in life. However, like whatsoever family, nuclear families take their struggles to face. For example, if parents shut out grandparents and other extended family, chances are their back up system will non be strong and getting through hard times tin can exist challenging.
- Unmarried Parent
Single parent families consist of 1 parent with i 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 have been on the rise 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 changing morals in society to increasing arguments over gender roles.
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A mother or father raising kids lone is not that uncommon anymore, and like any other family blazon unmarried parent homes take their pros and cons. Although fans of traditional families believe that children need both parents, we tin can see that some single parent families exercise well while others struggle.
Strengths of Single-Parent Families:
- Family unit members tin can become very shut
- Learn to share household duties
- Children and parents tin get very resilient
Weaknesses of Single-Parent Families:
- Families struggle to get by on ane income; some are on social help
- It tin be difficult for parents to work full-fourth dimension and still afford quality childcare
- Parenting tin can be inconsistent, particularly if kids get back and forth between parents
Being a single parent raising kids can be hard. It can as well be hard being a child when your parents are divide or if you grew up only knowing one parent. In this situation, families demand to brand the best of what they have and rely on each other for love and support.
- Extended Family
While about people in the U.Southward. would identify nuclear families every bit existence the 'traditional' family unit type, in unlike cultures extended families are much more mutual and have been around 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 back up and to achieve common goals. For example, parents may live with their children and their children'due south grandparents. This gives the family the ability to provide care for their elderly, and in turn, the grandparents may be able to aid with childcare while the parents are at work.
Strengths of Extended Families:
- Things like respect and care for the elderly are of import
- More family around to help with chores, kid care, in case of emergencies, etc.
- Social support
Weaknesses of Extended Families:
- Financial issues 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, only it does happen occasionally. What's nice about extended families is how shut they can be and how they give each other a lot of back up. That doesn't mean that so many family members living together are always piece of cake, though. In that location can be differences in opinion in extended families, and some people might alive this way because they obligated, not because they desire to.
- Childless Family
Childless families are families with two parents who cannot have or don't want kids. In the world of family types and dynamics, these families are oft forgotten or left out (even though you can still have a family without children). In the past, growing upwards, getting married, and having children was the norm, but in today's earth, more people are choosing to postpone having children or deciding not to have any.
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These unique families include working couples who may take pets or relish taking on other people's kids (similar nieces and nephew) for the mean solar day occasionally rather than having their own. They could also exist audacious couples who don't feel like kids would be a practiced fit for their lifestyle.
Strengths of Childless Families:
- Typically accept more disposable income
- No dependents to take care of
- Have more freedom to travel, go along adventures, pursue unlike careers or educational activity
- Couples become to spend more time together
Weaknesses of Childless Families:
- Couples tin feel isolated or left out when all their friends/family showtime having kids
- If you like kids, you can feel similar something is missing
- Infertility tin force a family to be childless, which tin 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'due south of import to remember that some childless families are not childless because they desire to be.
- Stepfamily
A stepfamily is when two separate families merge into one. This can go several unlike ways, similar two divorced parents with one or more than children blending families, or ane divorced parent with kids marrying someone who has never been married and has no kids.
Like single-parent families, footstep-families are sometimes looked down upon past people who adopt the nuclear family dynamic, simply they have become more than common over the years. Similar all these dissimilar family types, stepfamilies besides accept a unique set of strengths and weaknesses that they need to bargain with.
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Strengths of Stepfamilies:
- Children become the benefit of having two parents around
- Children and their new siblings or footstep-parents can form potent bonds
- Benefit of having two incomes compared to single parent families
Weaknesses of Stepfamilies:
- Adjustment tin can be difficult for parents and children
- Parents can run into problems trying to discipline each other's kids
- May lack discipline or be inconsistent
Going from a nuclear or single parent family unit to a stepfamily tin can be a tough transition. It can be difficult letting new people into your family unit dynamic, especially welcoming in a whole other family. Over time though, some children volition come to accept their stepparents and stepsiblings as office of the family unit and form stiff bonds.
- Grandparent Family
The final family unit type and the to the lowest degree mutual of them all is the grandparent family. A grandparent family is when i or more grandparent is raising their grandchild or grandchildren. While uncommon, according to the American Association for Spousal relationship and Family Therapy, grandparent-headed families are on the ascent. They shared that, "Census data betoken that in the U.s.a. approximately 2.4 million grandparents are raising 4.five meg children." Why does this happen?
This situation happens when the parents aren't around to take care of their kids or are incapable of properly taking intendance of their kids. For case, the parents might be in jail, as well immature, on drugs, or (unfortunately) just not care. Thankfully, in these situations, the grandparents pace up and deed as parents to their grandchildren. A lot of times the situation isn't ideal, simply they would rather take on the responsibility than meet their grandchildren cease up in a worse situation, like foster care.
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Strengths of Grandparent Families:
- Grandparents and grandchildren form a close bail
- Keeps children from ending upward in foster homes or other situations
Weaknesses of Grandparent Families:
- Grandparents may not work or have full-time jobs, may struggle with income
- Depending on their health, information technology may be difficult for them to proceed upward with young children or discipline them as they become older
Information technology tin can exist difficult for grandparents to raise their grandchildren. In nigh cases, they probably thought they were done raising kids and might not have the health and energy to do and then. Nevertheless, when needed, grandparents will step up and exercise what'south needed. Depending on the relationship, children may go very close to their grandparents while others might take advantage or insubordinate.
Conclusion
No matter what family unit type you identify with, each one has its strengths and weaknesses or pros and cons. This is unremarkably about clear to people who have experienced one or more changes in family blazon during their lifetime, and then they tin can relate to how different each family dynamic can be.
Therapy (family or private) tin assistance those struggling with changes in family unit type/dynamics. Online counseling services like BetterHelp can provide an outlet for people who are going through a difficult time with their family unit.
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Other things that tin help you adjust to a new family dynamic are an open mind and some time. Information technology's normal to exist resistant to change at first, but it's okay to come around eventually. If you're simply interested in your family unit dynamic and working to get forth better with your family, learning how family types and dynamics work is a peachy first.
Source: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/family/there-are-6-different-family-types-and-each-one-has-a-unique-family-dynamic/