Divorce, remarrying, and aging families

 Despite marriage being rewarding and fulfilling, there are some situations where marriage doesn’t work as couples would have hoped for. When situations like that arise divorce and separation can be routes that couples tend to take. Reasons for divorce may vary greatly as each family is different. Often when divorce happens and when children are involved, there is a different approach that parents take to make sure that their children get parental involvement from both parents. This causes a difference in approach compared to a nuclear intact family.  There are multiple differences between the nuclear family and a remarried family. One of the major differences is that in remarried families marital and parental tasks are not exclusive to the rem dyad. Parental tasks are shared with the previous spouse whilst in the nuclear family, marital and parental tasks are exclusive to the marital dyad. Another evident difference is that in the nuclear family members belong to only one family system whereas in the remarried family at least two family members are part of another family system. The system for the remarried family allows an open system regarding the inclusion of members. Furthermore, another evident difference is that in the nuclear family, procreation is usually a goal, the birth of children and the creation of nurturing environments for them to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually, whilst in remarried families, procreation is not always a purpose since the instant family exist in which childcare responsibilities and finances are shared. In addition, the nuclear family is more likely to enjoy a sense of security because of their continuity, predictability, and traditions. This shared history strengthens the family`s functioning. On the other hand, the remarried families are less likely to enjoy a sense of security since history and traditions are inchoate. Usually, children in nuclear families are less likely to resent their parents whilst children in remarried families are more likely to have anger towards the parents that they think caused their family to be separated. Furthermore, nuclear families are a very common concept in the modern world, especially in western countries. There are both pros and cons of nuclear families. In nuclear families, one or both partners may work outside the house. If only one parent is working, the family may face financial problems; especially if that family has many children. If both parents are working, they may face problems with taking care of the children alone; for example, if both spend a lot of hours out of the house, the children will be alone at home. On the other hand, remarried families are a combination of two or more families because of responsibilities stemming from children born prior to the separation. Remarriage may resurrect old, unresolved anger and hurts from the previous marriage, for adults and children. For example, hearing that her parent is getting remarried, a child is forced to give up hope that the custodial parents will reconcile. Or a woman may exacerbate a stormy relationship with her ex-husband, after learning of his plans to remarry, because she feels hurt or angry. Couples should discuss the role the stepparent will play in raising their new spouse’s children, as well as changes in household rules that may have to be made. Even if the couple lived together before marriage, the children are likely to respond to the stepparent differently after remarriage because the stepparent has now assumed an official parental role. Despite these vast differences between nuclear and remarried families and nuclear family being the ideal family structure, they still both have their challenges, and can both work out if the effort and boundaries are established.