Ch. 12 Media Illustration - The Family Cycle

For my media illustration I will be talking about the seven stages in the family cycle. The first stage is establishing a family. This occurs when a couple decides to settle down, either as a married couple or cohabitants, and work out expectations and a daily routine. They get accustomed to living with one another and may decide to have kids.
The next stage is enlarging a family, which is the addition of children. Children become the primary focus of parents' conversations and lives, and they usually have to schedule around them.
The third stage is developing a family. This is part of the process of raising kids. Mothers tend to communicate with their children more in this stage, while fathers tend to talk with their daughters more but engage in activities with their sons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Fxvp4RZ4U In this clip from Boy Meets World, Cory vents his frustration about his relationship with his father, whom is brother shares a more common relationship with by doing activities.
In the fourth stage, parents encourage independence. This is when children seek to establish their own identities and learn to become less dependent on their families. It is an essential part to becoming an adult, which is why parents should encourage independence in this stage. 
The fifth stage involves launching children. This is when they leave home to live on their own, either going to college, getting married, or just getting their own place.
The next stage is the post-launching of children, and usually occurs when all the children have left home to be on their own. Partners may have to redefine their marriage and relearn how to be together without having kids around. Some couples have grown so afar apart they decide to divorce. Others experience a renewed love in which they finally have a chance to spend a lot of time together without the hassle of raising their kids.
The final stage in the family cycle is retirement, and it offers people a chance to do what they want to do without having to focus on earning a living. Some people get bored and want to do more activities. The family may grow again in this stage with the addition of grandchildren. The trailer for "The Bucket List" shows an example of how two men might spend retirement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOuQwKy8t78.


References:
Wood, Julia T. (2012). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.