WJEC GCSE Home Eco - Child Development

Extended family The extended family is a large family unit which includes grandparents, parents, children, aunts and uncles either all living in the same house or close by. This allows good family bonds to be formed easily. Children can be looked after by family members when parents work or go out for an evening. Therefore the children are being cared for by people they know and they may feel more secure. There can often be a lack of individual privacy with lots of family members living in the same house or close by. Some of these people may interfere with the upbringing of children, which can cause friction. On the positive side the children may have cousins to play with thus helping to extend social skills or even learn new skills themselves. One-parent family In this family children are cared for by only one parent . This is usually the mother, but could also be the father. In this family the parent may be happier and more relaxed on their own if their previous relationship was unhappy, and the atmosphere at home may be happier and less stressful for both the parent and children. However, the parent has to work harder and is under more pressure to support the family by doing everything that is usually shared by two parents. This means paying all bills and other expenses alone, along with dealing with aspects such as household chores, providing food and clothes and teaching children social skills and acceptable behaviour. Design and complete a chart to list two of the advantages and two of the disadvantages of each of the different types of family. Activity Births to single women Surrogacy arrangement Adoption by a single person Absence of one parent owing to illness, work or imprisonment Death of one parent Divorce or separation Reasons for one parent families  Extended family Key terms in blue are defined on the page. Glossary terms in green are defined at the end of the book. 3 Topic 1: Family and Child