Family Life

1
Family Life

• prepared by
• Josh Thompson, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor
• Early Childhood Education Texas AM
  University-Commerce
• http//faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/ jthompson/

2
Family Life

• How does family structure affect Child
  Development and Early Childhood Education?

3
What is a Family?

• In its most common form, a family is a lifelong
  commitment between a man and a woman

4
What is a Family?

• In its most common form, a family is a lifelong
  commitment between a man and a woman who mate,
  give birth, feed, shelter, and nurture their
  children until they reach maturity

5
Whence Family?

• biological beginnings
• takes two to procreate
• evolutionary distinctions
• other species rarely form families, only 3 of
  birds and mammals
• economic advantage
• division of labor

6
Whence Family?

• certainty of progeny
• monogamy
• generational perspective
• spiritual attributes
• creation stories
• myths
• artistic

7
Whence Family?

• Childs point of view
• basic needs
• communication
• attachment
• belonging
• love
• meaning purpose

8
Prototypes

• Is there an original model, an example, an
  expected form within children, a pattern resident
  within the child which maps to the world without?

9
Prototypes

• What would a prototypical family look like?

10
Prototypes

• What would a prototypical family look like, to
  you?

11
Whence?

• Where does your vision of the prototypical
  family come from?
• Your own family of origin?
• Current family status?
• Your experience and observation of functional
  family systems?

12
Diverse family systems

• Traditional
• Single parents
• Divorced parents
• Employed parents
• Bi-racial
• One-child
• Large families
• Gay lesbian parents
• Blended
• Extended

13
Affect

• In your opinion . . .
• how does family structure affect Child
  Development?
• how does family structure affect a childs early
  education?

14
Affect

• How does/will your opinion affect, or even
  prejudice, your ability to teach children from
  diverse family structures?

15
Family Life

• How does family structure affect Child
  Development and Early Childhood Education?

16
Family Life

• prepared by
• Josh Thompson, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor
• Early Childhood Education Texas AM
  University-Commerce
• http//faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/ jthompson/