Chapter 14 Family Life Today
373
Beginning Stage
The fi rst stage of the family life cycle begins with the establishment
of a family unit when the couple marries. During this stage, the
main goal is adjustment to married life. Newlyweds must adjust
to the separation from their parents. They need to achieve a feeling
of comfort with each other. They also need to establish a feeling of
•
• Break away from work..
• Focus on friendships, hobbies, interest, and travel.
• Grandparenting continues.
• Preparing for retirement..
• Parents provide emotional support as adult
establish their own families and careers.
• Parents often become
• Parents prepare emotionally and fi nancially for retirement.
• Children leave home.
• Children leave for college, careers, and marriages.
• Parents refocus on their relationship..p
• Parents relate to sons and daughters as
• Reorganization of the family around school-age children.
• Parents recognize individual needs of each child while
sharing family
• Parents involved in children’s activities..
• Teens seek more
• Birth of children..
• Focus on needs of children..
• New
• Interpersonal relationships expand in family..y
• Role confl icts may occur..
14-8
The number of years involved in the different stages of the family life cycle
depends on the number and spacing of children. In many families, the stages overlap.
Beginning
Stage
Major focus:
Childbearing
Stage
Major focus:
Parenting
Stage
Major focus:
Launching
Stage
Major focus:
Mid-Years
Stage
Major focus:
Aging Stage
Major focus:
• Adjustment to married life.
• Adjustment to separation from parents.
• Establish feeling of interdependence..
• Both spouses may have careers.
Stages of the Family Life CyclecleCy
• ReRetirement..ntemetir
• B reak away f rom work
• Focus on friendships, hobbies, interest, and travel.
• Grandparentin g continues.
• Preparin g for retirement
• P arents provide emotional support as adult childrenchildren
e stablish their own families and careers.
• Parents often become ggrandparents.. randparents
• Parents prepare emotionall y and fi nanciall y f or retirement.
• C hildren leave home.
• C hildren leave for college, careers, and marriages.
• Parents refocus on their relationshi
• P arents relate to sons an d daughters as aadults..tslud
• Reorganization of the family around school-age children.
• Parents recognize individual needs of each child while
sharin g f amily ggoals. oals.
• Parents involved in children’s activities
• T eens seek more indeindependence.endence.p
• B irth of children
• Focus on needs of children
• New resresponsibilities.onsibilities.p
• I nterpersonal relationships expand in famil
• R ole confl icts ma y occur
Beginning
Stage
Major f ocus:
Childbearin g
Stage
Major focus:
Parenting
Stage
Major focus:
Launchin g
Stage
Major focus:
Mid-Years
Stage
Major f ocus:
Aging Stage
Major focus :
• Adjustment to married life.
• Adjustment to separation from parents.
• Establish feelin g of interdependence
• B oth spouses ma y have careers.
Stages of the Fami ly Life