Irrespective of theoretical orientation, families matter. Families are the entity in which children are introduced to words, objects, shapes, and colors. Families are the people related in a myriad of conventional and unconventional ways that clothe, bathe, and feed its biological and acquired offspring. Influenced by race, ethnicity, income, and education, families relate not only to each other within the unit but to others in the neighborhood, the community, and beyond.
This book is about families and their children. This book is about those times when the family unit experiences distress. This distress may be found in the serious illness of a child or a parent. It may be the result of a reconfiguration of the family as in divorce and remarriage. Or it may involve the harming of a family member sexually or physically. In this volume, the authors explore what family means today, what functions it serves, and those circumstances that can make family life painful. Importantly, the authors provide readers with clearly written information drawn from the most recent scientific investigations suggesting how the topics in this volume might be addressed to either ease that discomfort (treatment) or prevent its occurrence.
Domestic violence knows no boundaries. It affects all ages, races, religions, genders and income levels. There are many women we encounter on a daily basis who are in the midst of domestic abuse. Sadly, too many of us are unaware of their plight. Coming forward is truly a brave and courageous step on behalf of the victim. The woman who has made the decision to share her terrifying secrets has already been through a wide range of emotions and thought processes before deciding to talk. Many people see one side of the abuser in public while his victim sees the other. It is the difference between knowing a person who is calm, humorous, social and pleasant, to one who the victim identifies with: a person who is mean, dangerous, and calculating. If everyone, as individuals, were to lock arms and unite hearts, we could stamp out domestic violence.
This book is a comparative study of family change, parental employment and social policy in the five Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. In all these countries family forms have been profoundly affected by lower fertility rates, lower marriage rates, increased cohabitation, higher risks of relationship breakdown and episodes of lone parenthood. These changes have also been linked to an increase in the proportion of mothers participating in the labor market.
While there is a growing body of research on the children of battered women, there remains little practical information on the subject of intervention with these children. This book remedies the situation; providing insight to this varied and complex area, it overviews current practices and strategies and highlights recent innovations in the field.
How successful have recent government initiatives been in preventing child harm and family breakdown?
From the age of three Jonathan Self had only one ambition: not to be like his father. Despite his determination to be a better man — and a better parent than his own had been — Jonathan was a twice-divorced father of three and, at age thirty-five, spiraling. Self Abuse is the story of Jonathan’s efforts to break free from the cycle of despair and dysfunction that characterized his youth. A brilliantly rendered, unapologetic memoir about the pain and joy of parenthood, Jonathan’s story is as heartbreaking, redemptive, and unforgettable as it is true.
Queer survivors piece together the clues to discover their own lives!
This is the autobiographical account of the life of a child named Queen, who was born to a mother who hated her from the moment of conception and did not even acknowledge her as a daughter. This child was abused both physically and mentally, unlike her younger brother and sister, who were favored and pampered. The fatherless family lived in grinding poverty. The young girl had to grow up quickly. She was often the only one who was providing for the family. In spite of her position as a virtual slave to the others, Queen was not appreciated by any of them. Her young adult years as a mother and eventually a wife were no less tumultuous. In spite of her mother’s tyrannical prohibition of her having any relationships with the opposite sex, Queen was raped while still a teenager and gave birth to her first child. The other men in her life, although they gave her children whom she loved very much, failed to provide her happiness and security. And always it seemed she could never quite escape her hateful mother and sister intruding and interfering. The only thread of joy and hope in this story is Queen’s relationship with her greatgrandfather. The main things he taught her were to believe and trust in God and to never give up. He instilled in her a faith which wouldn’t let her be hateful or disrespectful. But even this came to an end. The day her great-grandfather died, Queen wanted to die with him. But God wouldn’t let her because He had plans for her life.
“My mother’s and my memoir is sure to offend, even enrage, some people because it challenges a deep-seated phobia in our culture,” writes author, Tom Hathaway. “The love affair we enjoyed contradicts the establishment dogma that all incest is sick, dangerous, perverted, sinful.” More than just a shockingly candid confessional, Taboo is a tender love story. Women who want to know what men really want must read this erotic rhapsody.
