Making
and Breaking Families
The Way Ahead for Parents and their Children
by Jill Curtis Making
and Breaking Families
looks at the many new combinations which have come to constitute a
family at the beginning of the new millennium. No longer can the assumption
be make that a couple wed, have children and stay together. The UK is the
divorce capital of Europe. As families split up and re-group, other
patterns become established. Step families are formed, half brothers and
sisters are born, and parents with children from second marriages are
sometimes torn between divided loyalties. But other families proliferate:
families where the grandparents have become parents of their children’s
children; families where one or both parents are gay or lesbian, with
custody of a child from a previous relationship; ‘double’ families where
perhaps a father shares his time between two families.
Society no longer frowns upon divorce, but it does not offer solutions to
the problems caused by splitting and merging. This book tries to address
some of the issues and questions arising from this quite profound social
change. For much of the book the issues are addressed through the words of
the many women and men to whom the author talked, as they describe what
happened when their marriages broke, and how their new families emerged,
sometimes through great difficulties. Often these new families do not at
all resemble what used to be generally perceived as a family, but such
families can and do offer the kind of closeness, love and support which we
have traditionally associated with family life. The book closes with
guidance to the many professionals who might find themselves counselling
or giving advice to families as they go through a demanding period of
transition.
‘She describes the negative effects
of divorce on children; the complexities of blended families where children’s
loyalties are often divided; the struggles of single parents; the prejudices
encountered by lesbian and gay couples. Grandparents can be casualties in
the aftermath of divorce because they get cut off from the grandchildren
or have to take over as parents. She lists pages of resources to which people
can turn for help.’ Community
Care
‘At a time when one in three marriages fail,
this book by a psychotherapist provides a much-needed survey of what constitutes
a modern family at the end of the twentieth century.’
The Tablet
‘We believe this book should be
compulsory reading for all politicians, family court officials and other professionals
involved in family law, marriage guidance, divorce or custody issues. The
content and suggestions offered in this book provide an excellent insight
into the problems of the modern family unit.’
Lone Fathers
Association
‘This is a very readable, accessible and
interesting book ... The book includes a list of support agencies and should
prove useful for professionals working with families, and also for individuals
who are undergoing change within their own family situation.’
Professional Social Work
Published by Free Association
Books
200 pages ISBN 1 85343412 4
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