Family Life

Cycle
 What is the cycle?
• The Family Life Cycle (FLC) is the EMOTIONAL
and INTELLUCTUAL stages a person passes
through from childhood to their retirement
years as a member of a FAMILY.
• There are FOUR stages within the cycle.

• The stages are COUPLING, PARENTING,

MIDDLE YEARS AND RETIREMENT.
 Four Stages
1 Coupling

2 Parenting
1 Expanding
2 Developing
3 Launching

3 Middle Years

4 Retirement
Happenings in Stages…..
• In each stage, a person faces challenges in
their family life.
• From these challenges, a person typically
develop skills to help them work through the
challenges.
• There are complications in each stage causing
things to not go well. Examples would be
severe illness, financial problems, death, etc.
 Why is this important?
• Developing new skills in times of challenges
helps a person move on to the next stage of
life with a healthy mindset.
• When a person struggles in a stage and moves
forward, there are unresolved issues waiting
to be dealt with.
• What would be some examples of unresolved
issues a person may face?
 How to be successful?
• A person can learn the skills they miss in different
stages of the cycle. This will improve your quality
of life in any stage.
• Self-examination, education, and counseling can
assist a person in being successful.
• Also, being realistic about different challenges and
taking steps to deal with them.
• What are some examples of challenges a family
might have to face?
 Coupling Stage
• Coupling is the first stage.

• Coupling is where a person develops a

committed relationship with another person.
• Long term commitment or marriage is usually
the outcome
 Coupling Reminders
• During the coupling stage, a person is connecting
and committing to another person, which is the
development of a new family system.
• With this connection, both people bring their
own ideas, expectations, and values from their
previous family experience.
• This stage requires skills of sharing, reflecting,
adapting, and reshaping.
 Coupling
• Couples are faced to redefine their thoughts
about the following:
• Finances
• Lifestyle
• Recreational activities or hobbies
• Relationships with family
• Sexuality or sexual compatibility
• Friendships
• Putting another person's needs before your own.
 Skills you build…
During this stage, you and your partner build the
following skills:
• Advanced interpersonal communication.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Common spiritual and emotional development
• How to form boundaries in relationships.
• When to place the needs or importance of the
other person above your own.
• INTERDEPENDENCE
 Interdependence
• Interdependence is
probably the MOST
important skill you
learn in this stage.
• It is the ability that a
person has to rely on
another for support
but also be able to do
things independently.
 Winning at Coupling
• There will be bumps, but success is possible!

• Establishing a healthy relationship with your

partner puts you into a position of success when
moving into the next stage of the FLC.
• You learn  importance of transition,
commitment, and putting the needs of another
ahead of your own.
• Why are these important?
 Parenting
• Many times, couples decide that they want to
start a FAMILY. This decision should be discussed
during coupling.
• When the decision is made to become parents, it
is one that impacts
• Individual development
• Identity of a family
• Couple’s relationship

• Why do you think all these areas are impacted?

 3 stages of Parenting
• The Expanding Family

• The Developing Family

• Launching
 Expanding Family
• First part of parental
stage when new
members are added to
the family

• Alone time between

couples drops
drastically because
time is focused on
small children
Developing Family
• Children move into
school and focus shifts
outside the home

• Teens are getting ready

to leave their family
 Launching
• End of parenting stage
when children are
leaving the family
home
• Sending children out
on their own
• Extended when adult
children return home
• 36% of young adults
live in parent’s home
 Launching
• Starts when first child leaves for college and
continues until all children are gone.
• It is difficult for some parents to establish adult
relationships with their children, which is KEY for
future success. WHY?
• Parents need to be accepting of new people that
their children may bring into the family as well as
new relationships their children establish with
another family.
 The Middle Years
• Children are gone and • Income pressures
parents become a often decrease during
“couple” again this stage

• Empty nest sometimes • People start caring for

leaves parents feeling aging parents
sad-others feel
freedom and excited
for new time to focus
on each other
 Retirement
• Retirement is the last stage of the Family Life
Cycle. The person is no longer solely
responsible for their children. They can enjoy
life and live life fully and happily.
• This stage is about establishing NEW
relationships (grandchildren or other new
family members) as well as letting go of PAST
relationships (death or divorce).
 Retirement
• Ideally, people in
this stage are ending
their career (by
choice) and
beginning a new
path in their life that
can be exciting.
• Time is spent now
on new interests
 Sounds cool but…..
• Although retirement sounds like the good life,
it can bring many challenges.
• Some people struggle with balancing their
family with their new life and find it more
stressful. Why do you think this is?
• Retired people may also have to care for an
aging parent or an ailing spouse.
 Other challenges
• Retired people will also notice a decline in their
health and physical and mental abilities, which
can be frustrating.
• Also, retired people experience financial
changes as well as social changes.
• It is also a time where death of a spouse,
family, and friends occurs. Life is coming full
circle.
Do not despair though…
• Retirement is the last stage of the Family Life
Cycle but not the “end” of a person’s
existence.
• It is a time where a person can share their
wisdom and knowledge with their family,
enjoy their family, and find a new life.
• It is a time to be reflective and grateful for life.
 Quick Review
• Write down the 4 stages of the Family Life
Cycle.
• For each stage, give a KEY characteristic of
each stage.
• What stage are you most excited for and why?