Types of Family

Childless families outnumber families with children for the first time in history. For the first time in decades there are more North American families without children in the home than with them. In 1991, 51.1% of family households had no one under 18.

An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family, consisting of parents like father, mother, and their children, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all living nearby or in the same household. An example is a married couple that lives with either the husband or the wife's parents. The family changes from immediate household to extended household.

Grandparents and family life Grandparents have a special relationship with their grandchildren but like all relationships this may change over time. At times it may seem that you see less of them especially as they develop their own interests.

A nuclear family, elementary family or conjugal family is a family group consisting of two parents and their children (one or more). It is in contrast to a single-parent family, to the larger extended family, and to a family with more than two parents.

Over the past 20 years single-parent families have become even more common than the so-called "nuclear family" consisting of a mother, father and children. Today we see all sorts of single parent families: headed by mothers, headed by fathers, headed by a grandparent raising their grandchildren.

Step family situations are always tricky at the beginning because everyone is trying to find their place and get used to living with each other.