6 Family Life Cycle Stages
Beginning Stage
Beginning Stage
(couples only)
- Coupling is where someone develops a committed relationship with another person.
- When couples commit to each other they bring their own ideas, expectations and values into the relationship.
- The most important skill you'll learn will be interdependence which is when you rely on someone else for support be still be able to do things by yourself.
- When you become a couple you'll have to work together and have stable jobs because you'll have more finances and if neither person has a job it would be hard to support each other and be happy.
Parenting/Expanding Stage
Parenting/Expanding Stage
(having children)
- Parental stage is when new members are added to the family
- The 3 stages of parenting are expanding, developing and launching
- When you begin to have kids couples spend less time alone and more time focusing on kids
- When you have kids you;ll have to manage your money because you'll have to but stuff for your child now
Developing Stage
Developing Stage
(raising children)
- Children begin to go to school
- Kids start to focus on activities outside of the home
- Children begins to spend more time with friends and be independent
- When children begin to become independent it allows you to begin to focus on work
Launching Stage
launching Stage
(children are leaving home)
- Children begin to leave the home to go to college
- Extended when adult children return home
- 36% of young adults live in parent's home
- When kids leave to go to college your able to rearrange your finances because you wont have to buy them stuff all the time unless your helping them pay for college which is pricey
Mid-Years Stage
Mid-Years Stage
(couple only again)
- Parents are alone and become a couple again
- some parents feel sad when their child leaves
- Other parents are excited when their child leaves cause now they have time for each other
- When your in the Mid-years age you have less stuff to focus on and more than likely a lot of your stuff is paid for so you don't have financial issues and maybe getting ready to retire
Aging/Retirement Stage
Aging/Retirement Stage
- This is the last stage where the person is no longer responsible for their children.
- In this stage you establish new relations with grandkids and new family members
- While in this stage people begin to end their career and focus on themselves
- Now with no career they can focus on stuff that makes them happy like new interest