FAMILY STUDIES MIDTERM TEST

BENEFITS OF HAVING CHILDREN

when young:

• more comfortable

• age gap smaller

• less chance of medical issue

BENEFITS OF HAVING CHILDREN

when older:

• good income

• financially stable

• More experience

Define parent

is anyone who is biologically or legally a mother or father

Define parenting

Means using the skills to care for and raise a child to adulthood

Healthy reasons for parenting

• share your life

• ready to love a child

• guide someone to become an adult

Unhealthy reasons

• to solve problems with a partner

• to receive money

• children may bring prestige

Qualities needed by parents

• Unconditional love

• Patience

• Support

DECISION MAKING

uninformed decisions

• flip a coin or rock/paper/scissors

• based on how you feel at the moment

• choose not to decide + then live with what happens

DECISION MAKING

Informed decisions

• gather all the information you need to make a choice

• consider advantages and disadvantages

DECISION MAKING

DECISION MAKING

what are the 8 factors influencing the decision to parent?

1. social + cultural influences

2. Education

3. Finances

4. Parenting partnership

5. Personal maturity

6. Age

7. Health

8. Life experience

SOCIAL + CULTURAL INFLUENCES

name the 4 influences that play a role in becoming a parent

a) family

b) friends

c) community

d) media

SOCIAL + CULTURAL INFLUENCES

• affect our beliefs/values about parenting

  family - have children

  friends - are having children

  community - part of religion + have children

  media - being trendy (having a baby is fashionable)

EDUCATION

• doesnt make you a better parent

• the less it is you will be unemployed

• may lead to better paying job

FINANCES

• having more money does not make you a better parent

• lack of money- stressful, unable to meet childs needs

• more money spent on boys bcus of food

PARENTING PARTNERSHIP

• married, living together, committed

• team effort

• 2 role models

PERSONAL MATURITY

• age doesnt determine personal maturity

• combo of emotional & intellectual maturity

• experiences in life

AGE

• physical maturity

• best age: early 20s to mid 30s

• men may be able to father a child their entire life

HEALTH

• consider both parents

• both must be healthy

• physical + mental health

• drugs/alcohol harms mom/child

LIFE EXPERIENCE

• how you were raised can affect how you raise your children

• happy: raise child same way you were raised

• sad: difficulty parenting bcus no role models growing up

• experience with children: babysitting, siblings/neice’s/nephews

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Biological parenthood

2 parents living with their biological children

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Adoptive parenthood

process of taking a child legally and raising it as their own

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Reasons for adopting

• couple has physical conditions

• wants to adopt a child who needs a home

• couple has disease that may be inherited by the child

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Foster parenthood

• Parents who provide home to children in need of care

• They are paid

• In MB- they fall under a government agency “Child family services”

• Lasts until child turns 18 yrs or if child is adopted

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Parenthood by marriage

• occurs when someone without children marries someone with children

• may choose to legally adopt the child

• blended family- consists of 2 adults and children from previous marriages

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Single parenthood

• usually from divorce or death of spouse

• woman chooses to raise child by herself

• around 26% of single parent families

TYPES OF PARENTHOOD

Teenage parenthood

• raise child on own: single parent family

• raise child with partner: nuclear family

• raise child with fam support: extended family- several generations in same household

TEEN PREGNANCY AND PARENTING REALITIES

Sources of help

• friends

• father of child

• family

• social services (doctor, cfs)

TEEN PREGNANCY AND PARENTING REALITIES

Alternative choices

• raise child herself

• raise with parents

• Adoption or abortion

TEEN PREGNANCY AND PARENTING REALITIES

Consequences

• drop out of school

• loss of freedom

• need income

• change in social life

Adoption

• in MB- occur under legislation of The adoption act and The child family services act

• Protects the child and birth/adoptive parents

Steps in adopting a child

1-9

Interview and application appointment

Education seminar

Adoption file development

Homestudy

Approval

Matching process

Matched

Placement

Finalization

Interview and application appointment

• process and procedures are explained

• Takes two hours

Education seminar

• Presentations from birth/adoptive parents/lawyers

• Get legal documents

Adoption file development

• Complete legal documents to create adoption file

• File may include letters and photos about adoptive parents

Home study

• Involves at least 4 interviews

• To decide if you are responsible and capable to become a parent

• Provide medical reports, criminal checks, etc.

Approval

• If adoptive parents meet requirements, they are approved for placement

• File can be shown to birth parents

Matching process

• Birth mother sees options, is shown the adoption file and chooses family

• Being chosen to adopt could take weeks, years or not happen at all

Matched

• adoptive parents are given information about the birth mother

• Adoption agency arranges a meeting between the birth mother and adoptive parents

• If they all agreed to proceed with the adoption, legal documents are signed about the intent to place the child

Placement

• Birth mother must wait 48 hours after birth to sign her consent for adoption

• Birth parents have 21 days to revoke consent

• Lawyer files court documents after 21 days

Finalization

• After placement, birth parents receive support and adoptive family is super supervised until the adoption is final.

TEENAGE FATHERS: THE MISSING FATHER MYTH

• forgotten partners, irresponsible

• Eager to help their partner and child

• Anxious to participate in parenting of their children

• Lower incomes, less education

• Bewildered

• Little idea of what a father is supposed to do

• Drop out of school

• Those who had dropped out of school had resumed their education

Degrassi Junior High