Family: a group of people who create and maintain a mutual identity, emotional bonds, and communication boundaries through how they interact with each other and others; who share a common past, present, and future; and who may or may not share a biological heritage. (McCornack, 367) A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children. (MeSH) A domestic group, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated) from a common ancestor, marriage, or adoption. (NCIt)
Blended Family: family sharing their home with children from an earlier marriage of their parent or stepparent. Approximately 17 percent of all children live in blended families. (Hockenbury)
Familial: of, pertaining to, or characteristic to the members of a family. (Oxford) Size and composition of the family. (MeSH)
Family Relations: behavioral, psychological, and social relations among various members of the nuclear family and the extended family. (MeSH)
Family Sociology: the study of individual and group behavior with respect to family interactions. (NCIt)
Nuclear Family: a family composed of spouses and their children. (MeSH)
Parenting: the interactions between parent and child. (MeSH) Styles differ in terms of ‘parental control,’ and ‘parental responsiveness' to the child’s needs and wishes. (Hockenbury, 388)
Authoritarian Style: parents are demanding and unresponsive toward their children’s needs or wishes. (Hockenbury, 388)
Authoritative Style: parents set clear standards for their children’s behavior but are also responsive to their children’s needs and wishes. (Hockenbury, 388)
Permissive Style: parents are extremely tolerant and not demanding; ‘permissive-indulgent’ parents are more responsive to their children, whereas ‘permissive-indifferent’ parents are not. (Hockenbury, 388)
Single-Parent Family: a household that includes children and is headed by one adult. (MeSH) Today, more than 30 percent of all children are being raised by a single parent. (Hockenbury, 384)