Family Life Cycle

The Family Life Cycle is the emotional and intellectual stages you pass through from childhood to your retirement years as a member of a family. In each stage, you face challenges in your family life that allow you to build or gain new skills. Not everyone passes through these stages smoothly. Situations such as severe illness, financial problems, or death of a loved one can have an effect on how well you pass through the stages. Fortunately, if you miss skills in one stage, you can learn them in later stages.
The first stage is Family of Origin Experiences. During this cycle, the main tasks are maintaining a relationship with parents, siblings and peers, completing you education and developing the foundation of a model of the family life.

You make decisions about economic status of the family and resettle into new community. You adjust to new physical, economic and social conditions, and make decisions about family size.
In stage 4, the couple establishes ways to live together both practically and emotionally, adjusting relationship with families of origin and peers to include their partner. Readjusting is made to their career goals to become more successful. Many come to view the parents as fellow adults, and build family intimacy. They redefine primary relationships, and adjust goals and dreams to reality.
Stage 5 is having a family with children. The couple realigns the family system to make space for children, social integration of family members, adopt and develop parenting roles, balance multiple family roles (work, community, family), and fit into the community in a constructive ways.
Stage 6 is called Launching. You and your spouse adjust to living as a couple again. It refocuses more attention on the spouse, family responsibilities change and your family now includes others. There is acknowledgement and acceptance other individual differences with your mate, and you maintain a supportive home