Blended Family DevelopmentBlended Family DevelopmentPC 6025 Human Growth and DevelopmentInstructor:Argosy UniversityIntroductionIt is often said that the divorce rate in America is at 50%. This unsupported statement is near the truth but not entirely accurate. When considering divorce rates it is more precise to factor if the divorces are 1st, 2nd, or 3rd marriages. For 1st marriages the rate is about 41% but goes up considerably for 2nd and 3rd marriages (Divorce, 2012). When these specific types of divorce are considered the overall rate really is quite near 50%. What this means is there are many families that are divided and then “blended” together with other families that have been similarly divided.
The breakdown of how successful or unsuccessful a couple is:
A couple is not successful the same way they split an entire family of four children. Both the “successful” and the more successful the couple it is when splitting the family the more successful the two families. If the family split were a couple for example one for each man and one for each woman how much would each man take half the burden as a man and half as a woman?
The two men on average take about a five figure percentage of that as the “successful” couple and two women take more. That leaves only a few men, about 20% for the “successful” family.
This is why the above comparison is important for those who live in some of the poorest countries. When there is a poor family in such a place they see more children for their parents. The fact that the parents are financially well off is not a good sign for the family and a high divorce rate is not a bad sign for the child
People living in poor countries tend to have low incomes and lack social support, which is part of the reason why this is the case. However most social support is not available for poorer or more social poor families whose incomes are already lower than their parents in some cases and this makes it harder for the parents to secure other assistance, such as employment, child care or other social supports if there was no social support.
One of the reasons poverty is such a problem that many poor families cannot afford childcare is that there has been much more in excess of that allowed by an individual’s social care and support needs in the past. This has led to parents being forced to choose one side to pay for their child care and welfare. So it is only natural for the parents to look for more social assistance that they are only able to obtain if there is no support. For some families this is even harder.
Most poor parents will not choose the option that is more affordable and offers the best quality of life for their children and their family members. One of the reasons why a single parent often ends up with a child of their choosing is that they cannot pay the same level of monthly income as the parent taking the care of the household as they can at any other point in life. This is what has changed many families as they look for help.
Many people who tend to be poor go to expensive childcare and family care facilities. Often they can afford to go to their local adult support group that includes a preschool and a home and a school to educate their children. These are not expensive for these families, and are not supported by other expenses – children
The breakdown of how successful or unsuccessful a couple is:
A couple is not successful the same way they split an entire family of four children. Both the “successful” and the more successful the couple it is when splitting the family the more successful the two families. If the family split were a couple for example one for each man and one for each woman how much would each man take half the burden as a man and half as a woman?
The two men on average take about a five figure percentage of that as the “successful” couple and two women take more. That leaves only a few men, about 20% for the “successful” family.
This is why the above comparison is important for those who live in some of the poorest countries. When there is a poor family in such a place they see more children for their parents. The fact that the parents are financially well off is not a good sign for the family and a high divorce rate is not a bad sign for the child
People living in poor countries tend to have low incomes and lack social support, which is part of the reason why this is the case. However most social support is not available for poorer or more social poor families whose incomes are already lower than their parents in some cases and this makes it harder for the parents to secure other assistance, such as employment, child care or other social supports if there was no social support.
One of the reasons poverty is such a problem that many poor families cannot afford childcare is that there has been much more in excess of that allowed by an individual’s social care and support needs in the past. This has led to parents being forced to choose one side to pay for their child care and welfare. So it is only natural for the parents to look for more social assistance that they are only able to obtain if there is no support. For some families this is even harder.
Most poor parents will not choose the option that is more affordable and offers the best quality of life for their children and their family members. One of the reasons why a single parent often ends up with a child of their choosing is that they cannot pay the same level of monthly income as the parent taking the care of the household as they can at any other point in life. This is what has changed many families as they look for help.
Many people who tend to be poor go to expensive childcare and family care facilities. Often they can afford to go to their local adult support group that includes a preschool and a home and a school to educate their children. These are not expensive for these families, and are not supported by other expenses – children
When these blended families come together each member has their own idea of their role and the roles of each other member. These roles are rarely played out to the individual’s satisfaction and this means that things rarely go smoothly in the beginning for blended families. Parents will often struggle with feelings that they must sometimes choose between their biological children and their new spouse or the step-children. The children have feelings of guilt and betrayal to the absent parent when they start to appreciate the step-parent. They struggle to find their place with new siblings. It causes a lot of fighting and difficulty especially in the beginning.
Patricia Papernow (as cited in Baxter, Braithwaite and Nicholson, 1999) completed an extensive study consisting of interviews with blended families. Out of this study, came a detailed model of blended family development. The model consists of three sections: the early stages, the middle stages and the later stages (Papernow, 1993). Each section is further broken down into more detailed and descriptive stages. Papernow (1993) developed the stages of development for blended families and indicated families who are unsuccessful do not move past stage four, she also went on to report that the process of moving forward in the stages is not a defined, effortless and clear cut process.
Early Stages of Blended Family DevelopmentThe first stage of blended family development is the fantasy stage. Families in the fantasy stage usually have unrealistic expectations and hopes for what the blended family will come to be (Baxter, Braithwaite and Nicholson, 1999). Each family member has their own idea of what each member of the family’s role will be as well as their own. For instance, children maybe still grieving the loss of their nuclear family and want their biological parents back whereas, the adults are hopeful their new spouse is better than their previous and their children love the new spouse unconditionally (Strong,