FRHD 1020 Chapter 7: Family Chapter 7 Summary.docx

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Family Relations and Human Development
• Course: FRHD 1020
• Professor: Sarah Murray

Document Summary

Chapter 7 summary- the middle years and the not-so-empty nest. Midlife for parents is considered the years between the ages of 40 or 45 and 64. Children in the family can range from toddlers to emerging adults. By the end, children are usually independent or are planning to leave their parents home. Back in the 1800 s, people had more children varying in different ages which meant that their middle years were longer. Smaller nuclear families today devote less time to childrearing and have shorter middle years. The current midlife generation consists of baby boomers. Since the midlife ages span 20-25 years, some group members may include first time parents as well as great grandparents. There is usually a splitting of the family into two or more since children form their own families. New roles need to be established to reflect these changes. Family adaptation in the middle years contains a series of stressors.