Two-Parent Families
- Nuclear family. Named after the nucleus (the tightly connected core particles of an atom), the nuclear family consists of a man and a woman and their biological offspring under 18 years of age.
- Step-parent family. When children from a former relationship live with the new couple, it creates a step-parent family. If the step-parent family includes children born to two or more couples (such as children from the spouses’ previous marriages and/or children of the new couple), that is called a blended family.
- Adoptive family. In this type of family, couples or single people adopt one or more children from their country or from foreign countries.
- Grandparents alone. Grandparents take on parenting for some children when biological parents are absent (dead, imprisoned, sick, addicted, etc.).
- Same-sex parents. Some two-parent families are headed by a same-sex couple, whose legal status, in terms of their relationship with one another and their role as parents (married, step-, adoptive) varies.
Single-Parent Families
One-parent families are increasing, but they average fewer children than two-parent families.
- Single mother or father. Children may live with mothers or fathers who have never been married, or are separated, divorced, or widowed. Most children live with a female single parent.
- Grandparent alone. Sometimes a single grandparent (usually the grandmother) becomes the sole caregiving adult for a child.
More Than Two Adults
- Extended family. Some children live with a grandparent or other relatives, as well as with one or both of their parents. This pattern is most common with infants but occurs in middle childhood as well.
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