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Even as they see their wages go down and their buying power decrease, many parents are still putting their kids' material desires first. These parents struggle with how to handle children's consumer wants, which continue unabated despite the economic downturn. And, indeed, parents and other adults continue to spend billions of dollars on children every year. Why do children seem to desire so much, so often, so soon, and why do parents capitulate so readily? To determine what forces lie behind the onslaught of Nintendo Wiis and Bratz dolls, Allison J. Pugh spent three years observing and interviewing children and their families. In Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children, and Consumer Culture, Pugh teases out the complex factors that contribute to how we buy, from lunchroom conversations about Game Boys to the stark inequalities facing American children. Pugh finds that children's desires stem less from striving for status or falling victim to advertising than from their yearning to join the conversation at school or in the neighborhood. Most parents respond to children's need to belong by buying the particular goods and experiences that act as passports in children's social worlds, because they sympathize with their children's fear of being different from their peers. Even under financial constraints, families prioritize children \"feeling normal\". Pugh masterfully illuminates the surprising similarities in the fears and hopes of parents and children from vastly different social contexts, showing that while corporate marketing and materialism play a part in the commodification of childhood, at the heart of the matter is the desire to belong.

Since 2000, approximately 440,000 Mexicans have migrated to the United States every year. Tens of thousands have left children behind in Mexico to do so. For these parents, migration is a sacrifice. What do parents expect to accomplish by dividing their families across borders? How do families manage when they are living apart? More importantly, do parents' relocations yield the intended results? Probing the experiences of migrant parents, children in Mexico, and their caregivers, Joanna Dreby offers an up-close and personal account of the lives of families divided by borders. What she finds is that the difficulties endured by transnational families make it nearly impossible for parents' sacrifices to result in the benefits they expect. Yet, paradoxically, these hardships reinforce family members' commitments to each other. A story both of adversity and the intensity of family ties, Divided by Borders is an engaging and insightful investigation of the ways Mexican families struggle and ultimately persevere in a global economy.

Amidst the shrill and discordant notes struck in debates over the make-up-or breakdown-of the American family, the family keeps evolving. This book offers a close and clear-eyed look into a form this change has taken most recently, the lesbian coparent family. Based on intensive interviews and extensive firsthand observation,The Family of Womanchronicles the experience of thirty-four families headed by lesbian mothers whose children were conceived by means of donor insemination.With its intimate perspective on the interior dynamics of these families and its penetrating view of their public lives, the book provides rare insight into the workings of emerging family forms and their significance for our understanding of \"family\"-and our culture itself.

At present, our knowledge of the current state of solidarity between parents and their adult children in Europe is limited. Insight into contemporary intergenerational solidarity is not only important for the well-being of individuals but is also of great interest to policy makers. Patterns of intergenerational solidarity are not only affected by social policies and services but also reveal a number of important social policy issues and dilemmas. Will encouraging labour force participation among women and older workers mean they have less time to care for their dependents? Should formal care services be further expanded to relieve the burden faced by family members with the risk that they start to replace informal care? This report aims to contribute to this insight by providing a more differentiated picture of the strength, nature and direction of solidarity between parents and their adult children, its variation among European countries and its determinants. Our findings indicate that parent-child ties are quite strong.

LIVES ACROSS TIME describes a 30-year study of 76 individuals from birth to adulthood. The book narrates their varied life paths and the influence of their families and communities on their development. We place the results into the categories of those whose lives are fairly continuous from early childhood, and those whose lives are not; those whose lives exceeded expectations in the face of early troubled parenting, and those who did not fulfill the promise of initially sound parenting and healthy emotional growth – typically because of subsequent trauma – and developed psychiatric syndromes. While life histories may fall into configurations with shared characteristics, by listening psychoanalytically we found something basic in the stories that parents and their now adult children tell about themselves: the individual story is humanizing and compelling. Letting the subjects speak at length brought them alive for us as researchers. There was a sense of awe in watching the children’s inner worlds evolve over time. By narrating the participants’ own voices we hope to share the wonder we experienced so the reader’s journey also becomes one of discovery.

Featuring excerpts of essays collected from over one thousand young adults while in the throes of divorce, this book paints a picture of the pain and the hope shown by the storytellers. By framing the narratives with an analysis of the most recent divorce literature, the authors provide readers with a greater and more vivid understanding of the effects of divorce. Challenging the contention that most children will be irretrievably hurt by their parents' divorce, some stories clearly demonstrate the strength and resilience many have learned in dealing with a divorce in the family. Emphasis is placed on how hope about the possibilities of having close relationships - as well as a willingness to create stronger families in their own lives - represent abiding motivations in this sample of young people. The authors hope that the use of the raw input of respondents will make the experiences more realistic and ultimately help people deal with major loss events in their lives. Highlights of the new edition include: A new chapter (7) that demonstrates the messiness of divorce (infidelity, dysfunctional interactions, multiple marriages/relationships, and the financial expense), the fading stigma of divorce, the latest divorce rates, the increased average age of first time marriages, and the recent hook-up phenomenon wherein young people are showing a reluctance to commitment Updated throughout with the most current demographic data, new findings from the top researchers in the field, and the latest intervention programs A review of the Divorce Variability and Fluidity Model (DVFM) that helps predict variability in adjusting to divorce More suggestions to help children adapt to divorce, including material on parenting education classes and mediation as a method for easing the process A list of readings and suggested websites for further review More tables and graphs to summarize key concepts. An ideal supplement for courses on divorce, family studies, close relationships, and loss and trauma taught in human development and family studies, and clinical, counseling, and social psychology, as well as communication, social work, and sociology, these engaging stories also appeal to practitioners and those interested in the effects of divorce in general. John Harvey is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Missouri–Columbia, USA. A Fellow of Division 8 of the American Psychological Association and recepient of the Distinguished Career Award and the New Contribution Award from the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships in 2000, Dr. Harvey is the author or editor of over 30 books on close relationships Mark Fine is a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Missouri–Columbia, USA. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Ohio State University, USA. A licensed psychologist in both Missouri and Ohio, Dr. Fine is a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations. He is currently an editorial board member of Personal Relationships and an Associate Editor of Family Relations and the Journal of Marriage and the Family \"This work is unique in that it is largely a collection of writings by college students on personal family experiences of divorce ... (including) deeply moving accounts of individual reactions and narratives. ...The authors appreciate the diversity and complexity of the divorce process, as well as the variety of ways it may impact individuals.\" - J. LeBron McBride, Director of Behavioral Medicine and Faculty Member, Floyd Medical Center Family Medicine Residency, USA in Network- National Council on Family Relations \"The book makes interesting light reading and the stories shared are varied and rich.\" – Kelly Lewis-Cole in The Psychologist \" This is a brilliant synthesis of existing research on the impact of divorce upon children informed by detailed personal narratives of divorce by over 1,000 college students. The personal narratives provide the richest view that I know of the inside of marriages coming apart. ... This slender volume would be excellent supplement to social psychology courses which emphasize close relationships, courses in marriage and the family, and courses in adolescent counseling. It is written with a sensitivity to the limitations fof the data and methods, but with a sophisticated grasp of the theories and issues relevant to make social psychology relevant to our students.\" - Keith Davis, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, USA This slender volume would be excellent supplement to social psychology courses which emphasize close relationships, courses in marriage and the family, and courses in adolescent counseling. It is written with a sensitivity to the limitations fof the data and methods, but with a sophisticated grasp of the theories and issues relevant to make social psychology relevant to our students. \"Two distinguished researchers collaborate on this exciting, timely, relevant and humane project so the result is excellent. This book lives up to all expectations, with the authors' hallmark blend of technical expertise and accessible writing.\" - Steve Duck, University of Iowa, USA \"Reflecting the voices of young adults and researchers this book provides balance at many levels. It captures well the variable impact of parental divorce from diverse perspectives. Engaging and lively, it is a must read for anyone interested in the topic.\" - Frank Fincham, The Florida State University, USA \"Once again, Harvey and Fine remind us that divorce is a pivotal event, a dichotomy in a life. Yet divorce is also on a continuum from \"devastating\" to \"civil and compassionate.\" Therein lies both the pain – and the hope.\" - Susan Hendrick, Texas Tech University, USA \"The focus on college students' narratives is unique and it quickly grabs the [readers'] interest... my students can easily relate to them.　 Relevant and important literature is included and guides the understanding of the stories. ... The inclusion of \"comments\" following each narrative helps to solidify the concepts portrayed and … connect content across chapters...an appropriate supplemental text ... for courses in family crisis and stress, divorce and stepfamily life, adolescent development, young adulthood, and parenting.\" - Karen Blaisure, Western Michigan University, USA Preface. 1. The Pervasiveness of Divorce and the Value of Diverse Voices. 2. Theoretical Perspectives and Methods. 3. Voices of Despair. 4. Voices of Hope. 5. Becoming \"Parentless\" Due to Divorce. 6. Family Chaos and Resilience. 7. Recent Narratives and New Perspectives on Divorce. 8. Conclusions. Appendix.