Family Health

Identifying Data

The R. family is a joint/shared-custody family because it includes a mother and father that are divorced and the children go back and forth between the residences of each parent. The older son, J.R. is 7 years old and he younger son, T.R. is 5 years old. The father is 38 and the mother is 37. The father (D.R.) lives in New City, NY and the mother (K.R.) lives in Bardonia, NY. D.R. and K.R. live less than five minutes away from each other. The father’s ethnic background is German and Irish. The mother’s ethnic background is Italian and Irish. The father’s parents are both from America but his maternal grandparents were from Germany and his paternal grandparents were both from America. The mother’s parents were both from America and her maternal and paternal grandparents were also born in America. The first language for both the mother and father was English. The R. family is not very religious. They go to church on holidays and the oldest son is starting religion class next year. The family’s recreational or leisure time activities also include family vacations which the boys take with each parents separately, bike riding, going to the movies, and eating dinners together as a family when they are at both their mother and father’s homes. The family is considered to be middle class based on their social class status. The father is an Orangetown police officer and the mother is a fourth grade teacher at Highview Elementary School in Nanuet, NY. The family splits the money. The mother receives child support monthly from the father and the two boys are under the father’s insurance. The mother and father have worked out their financials during their divorce and everything seems to work well for them.

Developmental Stage

The family’s developmental stage fits best into Carter and McGoldrick’s (2005), expanded Developmental and Family Life Cycle Theory, which incorporates the changing family patterns. Carter and McGoldrick (2005)...