CHAPTER III

Building and
Strengthening
Relationships
 Lesson 9: The
Teenager and the
Family
What kind of
family do you
 How are the
relationships between
and among the
 Do you see your
family as a positive
contributor to
The family is the basic unit
of society, and the quality
of families naturally
affects the kind of society
that exists.
 In one way or
another, people are
all products of the
families where they
Certain family characteristics tend to
repeat themselves across generations.
Knowing and understanding your family
roots may help you understand why
your present family is the way it is, and
even why you are the way you are.
 Genogram
A family diagram that can
show the relationships
between and among family
members across generations.
Chiara Lubich, who in the
book Essential Writings
describes the family as a
“treasure chest of love.”
 Lubich says that
what binds a family
together is LOVE.
If the family has failed in the
world, it is because love has
grown less. Wherever love dies
out, the family falls apart.
-Chiara Lubich
You need to take care of that love
within your family. Whatever the
level of love is in in your family,
you can always do something to
keep it growing even more.
 There are many
concrete things that
teenagers can do as
an expression of love
In the family, ones learn to
share, and those who are
capable provide for those
who cannot do yet or can no
longer provide for
Education begins in the
family, and even
punishment and
forgiveness are given
Suffering and sacrificing for each
other is natural, and so are
solidarity and faithfulness. Life is
precious, and the members of the
family are concerned over one
another’s health and well-being.
 Nourishment, clothing, and
having a roof over each family
members head are important in
the family. Communication is
spontaneous and everyone
The Basic
Types of
 Family Structure refers “to the
combination of relatives that comprise
a family. Classification on this variable
considers the presence or absence of:
legally married spouses or common law
partners; children; and, other relatives”
1.Nuclear Family
A nuclear family or elementary family, in
it simplest form, comprises a couple and
at least one child. It usually center on a
married couple – a husband and his wife
– hence, are also called conjugal
families.
2. Single-parent Family
This kind of family structure
consists of one parent, either a
father or a mother, exclusively
taking up the responsibility to
3. Extended Family
The extended family is that which
extends beyond the immediate family.
An extended family household is that in
which parents and their children co-
reside with other members of one’s
4. Stepfamily
Also called a reconstituted family, a step
family is that which is formed by joining of
two adults through marriage, cohabitation, or
civil partnership, in which either one or both
of the adults have a child or children from a
previous relationship living in their home.
5. Grandparent Family
A grandparent family is
composed of the
grandparents and the
children living together as a