Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Section 2.2 Young Adult and Family Finances 53 Not every family follows the stages of the family life cycle in order. Variations in the life cycle are patterns that differ from typical families as shown in Figure 2-9. The number of children and spacing between them can cause the cycle to vary from family to family. Some families skip, overlap, or repeat stages of the family life cycle. For example, couples who do not have children skip the expanding, developing, and launching stages. Parents with children in school could have more children. This brings an overlap of the developing and expanding stages. Single parents who marry may repeat stages with their new spouses. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 2-9 Not all families progress through all stages of the family life cycle in the same way. Stages of the Family Life Cycle Beginning Stage Couple marries. The first child is born. Children start school. Expanding Stage Developing Stage Launching Stage Children begin moving away from home. Parents retire. Aging Stage Variations in the Cycle A childless couple goes through the beginning and aging stages only. A single parent in the expanding stage could repeat the beginning stage with a new spouse. A couple with children in school could have another child, causing an overlap of the expanding and developing stages. A couple in the launching stage could adopt a child after an older child has left home, returning to the expanding stage. In an extended family, a couple in the aging stage might not be alone after they retire.