RT Book, Section
A1 Cohen, William I.
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 6729924
T1 Chapter 19. Family Function and Birth of a Child
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6729924
RD 2024/04/23
AB A  discussion  of  family  transitions  and  their  effects  on  children  requires  consideration  of  the  function  and  structure  of  families  beginning  with  the  biological  family  (parents  and  children).  This  basic  grouping  provides  the  context  and  crucible  for  a  child’s  development.  It  is  important  to  note,  however,  that  many  other  family  constellations  successfully  provide  for  the  needs  of  children  in  addition  to  the  two  biologic-parents  model:  single-parent  families,  children  raised  by  extended  kinships  (including  grandparents),  same-sex  couples,  adoptive  families,  foster  families,  blended  families,  and  communal  families.  Despite  moral,  religious,  and  legal  issues  (as  is  the  case  of  single-parent  families  and  same-sex  couples  in  the  early  21st  century  in  the  United  States),  each  of  these  can  be  as  successful  in  this  task  as  the  biological  family  can  be  unsuccessful  (Table  19-1).