Marriage & Family Changes
Objective:
• To introduce terms related to engagement, intimacy,
predicting success, and teen marriage
• To overview vocabulary terms related to family
changes.
• To brainstorm what students would like to look for in
a partner in their future after reviewing all terms.
Food for thought…
• 95% of all
Americans marry
at least once
• The average
marriage lasts 9.4
years
• Most remarry
again
What's your thoughts about
engagements, weddings and
marriage???
Marriage???:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSDmfdiiT94
The Engagement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac3AzaDohd0
The Wedding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrWBjF9zAq0
Intimacy and Love
• Intimacy =
▫ Deep and
meaningful kind
of sharing
between two
people.
• Love =
▫ Strong feeling of
affection and
liking for another
▫ Behaviors
showing a
commitment
▫ Expressions of
one’s most
thoughts and
feelings
Intimacy
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
▫
▫
▫
▫
For marriage to sustain itself over the year’s four types
of intimacy must be present:
Philosophical –
sharing beliefs & values ( particular important when
raising kids)
Psychological –
sharing of needs, emotions, weaknesses and strengths,
individual success, show support in disappointment
Creative –
sharing of efforts to accomplish task and projects, each
partner must do his or her share of the work with a
willing attitude
Physical –
wide range of behaviors that express warmth and
closeness, physical affection, marriage partners should be
physically attracted to one another
How to predict success in a marriage…
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Age
Reasons for marriage
Length of the relationship and engagement
Similar attitudes about children & child-raising
Similar interests
Committed to sexual fidelity
Good character
Parents success at marriage
Parental attitudes towards the potential marriage partner
Careful selection of the marriage partner
THE THREE C’S =
COMMUNICATION – COMMITMENT - COMPROMISE
Most important issues in
marriage:
• Those issues discussed in pre-marital
counseling…
• Sex & religion
Marriage Commitment
• Because of rising divorce
rates, these should be present
for marriage to last
• Marriage partners must be
committed to actions that honor
wedding vows
• MONOGOMY –
▫ being sexually intimate with
one partner
• The three C’s =
▫ COMMUNICATION
▫ COMMITMENT
▫ COMPROMISE
When Marriage Doesn’t Work Out
• Marital separation
▫ The living apart of
two marriage
partners
• Divorce
▫ Legal way to end a
marriage
▫ A judge or court
decides the terms
with respect to
property, custody,
support, and assets.
• Annulment
▫ Legal way to end a marriage
in which it was decided that
a legally binding marriage
actually was not (commonly
through the church)
• Dissolution
▫ Legal way to end a marriage
in which the marriage
partners decide the terms
with respect to property,
custody, support, and assets
Custody & Children
• Single custody
▫ one partner keep legal custody
of the child/children
• Custodial parent
▫ Parent with whom child lives
with
• Visitation rights
▫ Guidelines set for the parent
who does not have legal custody
of child/children to visit the
child/children (sometimes very
specific time and locations)
• Joint custody
▫ both parents keep legal
custody of
child/children
▫ may live with one
parent or alternative
living arrangement
▫ both parents maintain
legal rights to make
decisions about the
health and well-being
of the child
Remarriage
• Blended Family/Stepfamily
▫ Consists of marriage
partners who one or both
had children from previous
marriage, could together
have a child
▫ sources of conflict could
arise if rules are not set and
consistent, children are not
treated fairly in reference to
allowance or finances
• COMMUNICATION
IS A KEY IN ALL
RELATIONSHIPS
AND MUST BE
MAINTAINED
EVEN IF FAMILY
CHANGES DO
OCCUR!!!
www.divorcerate.org
What are YOU looking for in a partner?!