CHAPTER 12
The Family
, COLIN BOOTMAN, Family in the Park (oil on canvas, 1999)
Family Structure
,Family Dynamics
Child Maltreatment
Family Socioeconomic Context
THEMES
NATURE AND NURTURE
THE ACTIVE CHILD
THE SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
RESEARCH AND CHILDREN’S WELFARE
Each of us defines family differently. For some, a family might be just
those individuals who live under the same roof, and for others it may
include extended family and even non-related community members.
Major life events such as marriage, divorce, remarriage, and
childbirth can expand the number of families to which an individual
might belong. An official definition of “family” comes from Statistics
Canada (2015), which defines the family very broadly to include
children (of any age, so long as they are not living with a partner or
their own children) living in the same household with married
couples, common-law couples, lone parents of any marital status, or
grandparents (in those cases in which no parents are present).
Couples can be of the same or opposite gender. As broad as this
definition is, it excludes family members who do not live in the same
household but who may play an important role in children’s lives,
such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. If we expand our
, understanding of family beyond the Statistics Canada definition,
there are biological families, extended kin families, in-law families,
adoptive families, and foster families.
For this chapter, we define “family” from the perspective of the child.
Thus, a family is a group that involves at least one adult who is
related to the child by birth, marriage, adoption, or foster status and
who is responsible for providing basic necessities as well as love,
support, safety, stability, and opportunities for learning. Multiple
adults can contribute to these responsibilities and there can be
multiple children in the family as well.
family
a group that involves at least one adult who is related to the child by birth, marriage,
adoption, or foster status and who is responsible for providing basic necessities as well
as love, support, safety, stability, and opportunities for learning
Families are crucial to the development of children. According to
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model (discussed in Chapter 9),
family is central to a child’s microsystem, providing direct support for
the child’s development. For example, families tend to be smaller
today than in the past, many more mothers work outside the home,
more people are choosing to have children outside of marriage, and
same-sex parenting is increasingly common and accepted. Such
changes in the makeup of a child’s family can affect the resources
available to the child, as well as the parents’ child-rearing practices
and behaviour.
The Family
, COLIN BOOTMAN, Family in the Park (oil on canvas, 1999)
Family Structure
,Family Dynamics
Child Maltreatment
Family Socioeconomic Context
THEMES
NATURE AND NURTURE
THE ACTIVE CHILD
THE SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
RESEARCH AND CHILDREN’S WELFARE
Each of us defines family differently. For some, a family might be just
those individuals who live under the same roof, and for others it may
include extended family and even non-related community members.
Major life events such as marriage, divorce, remarriage, and
childbirth can expand the number of families to which an individual
might belong. An official definition of “family” comes from Statistics
Canada (2015), which defines the family very broadly to include
children (of any age, so long as they are not living with a partner or
their own children) living in the same household with married
couples, common-law couples, lone parents of any marital status, or
grandparents (in those cases in which no parents are present).
Couples can be of the same or opposite gender. As broad as this
definition is, it excludes family members who do not live in the same
household but who may play an important role in children’s lives,
such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. If we expand our
, understanding of family beyond the Statistics Canada definition,
there are biological families, extended kin families, in-law families,
adoptive families, and foster families.
For this chapter, we define “family” from the perspective of the child.
Thus, a family is a group that involves at least one adult who is
related to the child by birth, marriage, adoption, or foster status and
who is responsible for providing basic necessities as well as love,
support, safety, stability, and opportunities for learning. Multiple
adults can contribute to these responsibilities and there can be
multiple children in the family as well.
family
a group that involves at least one adult who is related to the child by birth, marriage,
adoption, or foster status and who is responsible for providing basic necessities as well
as love, support, safety, stability, and opportunities for learning
Families are crucial to the development of children. According to
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model (discussed in Chapter 9),
family is central to a child’s microsystem, providing direct support for
the child’s development. For example, families tend to be smaller
today than in the past, many more mothers work outside the home,
more people are choosing to have children outside of marriage, and
same-sex parenting is increasingly common and accepted. Such
changes in the makeup of a child’s family can affect the resources
available to the child, as well as the parents’ child-rearing practices
and behaviour.
