An Assessment of a Nontraditional Family

Abstract
This is an assessment of a three-member nuclear family. All members were present at time of interview and were open and willing to answer all questions or give feedback. The family consists of Ken 35 years old, Jessica (divorced) 31 years old and Jalen 12 years old. Jessica married Jalen’s father at the age of 19 when she became pregnant and were then divorced a year later. Jessica’s described her former husband as abusive and as having a “bad temper”. Ken is Jessica’s boyfriend of 10 years. They have lived together for 9 of those years in Ken’s house. Jessica is divorced and has one child, Jalen. Ken has been Jalen’s sole father figure for 6 of the 10 years he has been with Jessica. Jalen’s father moved to Florida about 6 years ago and has visited one time. He pays child support when he is employed and calls regularly. When asked about her relationship with Jalen’s father in the past, Jessica answered with a quick reply of, “not good”. This paper will explore the dynamics and functioning of this family.

An Assessment of Nontraditional Family

The nuclear family consists of two people, not necessarily married and their children (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2009). Ken does not have any children of his own, but considers Jalen to be his son. He is involved in decision-making and discipline with Jalen. Having her son at the age of 19 was very difficult for Jessica to adjust to. She had not graduated high school and made the decision to get her
G.E.D., while she worked a variety of odd jobs (cleaning, health aid, factory). Her sisters were the ones who primarily watched Jalen for her and were and still are her main support system.
They live in a 3-bedroom ranch on a 1-acre piece of land with an in-ground pool. Ken and Jessica sleep in one room, Jalen has in his own room and they have one guest bedroom. The house is well kept and clean, with many family pictures on the wall. Each room and hallway has a smoke detector and it is Jalen’s job to help test them each month.

In this family, Ken’s main role is the financial provider. He works for his family’s plumbing business full-time with side jobs on weekends and provides most of the financial support, as he is the homeowner. He expects Jessica to do the majority if not all of the housework and shopping. She works part time as a home health aid and has 2 house cleaning jobs, which adds up to about 20-25/hrs. week. Her financial responsibility is groceries and she gives Ken a set amount of money every week that goes toward bills. This is a big source of stress between this couple; money seems to be there main cause of arguments and stress. In the past it has been dealt with by arguing. Ken feels that he carries most of the financial burden and Jessica contributes very little financially. She did agree but also reminded him of all the housework she does, including cooking.

Jessica and Ken’s parenting style of control is primarily authoritative or democratic. Jalen is free to express his feelings and they are taken into consideration with regards to punishment or rules, but ultimately they stick to the rules. As an only child, Jalen has many of the same characteristics as a firstborn child: * More achievement oriented: He is described as always trying to be the best. Sometimes it is difficult if he loses a game or doesn’t do as well with something as planned. * More self-disciplined: Tends to be harder on him self then anyone else. * Identify more with parents than with peers: Jalen would rather socialize with adults at gatherings then with children. He is generally more mature then other children and has a hard time playing with his cousins most of the time. * Demonstrate higher intellectual achievement: Consistent good grades and a honor role student. * Begin to speak earlier in life: By the time Jalen was 2, he could name the president and vice president. He knew the alphabet and was constantly amazing everyone around him.
Jessica describes Jalen as very independent and mature. Every morning he wakes up for school and gets ready by himself. He also feeds the dogs as part of his morning routine. He performs these chores daily and rarely needs reminders. The usual discipline approach with Jalen is reasoning: explaining why an act is wrong and is usually appropriate for older children (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2009). If this doesn’t work, he is then grounded from his xbox. This is generally devastating to him because it is his favorite activity and he tends to spend too much time on it, if he isn’t monitored or set with time limits.
Based on this assessment, this family displays a more traditional family structure, with many strengths. Jalen is an honor role student and for the most part respects the rules of the house. Both Ken and Jessica work and both display a loving relationship. Their weakness is stress and how to cope effectively with it. They both admit that money is the main reason they argue. To improve this area, stress management to reduce the arguments would reduce the strain on the relationship. Getting to bed earlier, exercise, decrease caffeine intake and keeping a journal can all help reduce stress. Although Jalen is an excellent student he does tend to have a difficult time interacting with other children and would rather play video games. Exploring physically active hobbies or sports, especially on a team would help him interact with his own peers while learning to work together.

Works Cited
Hockenberry, M. J., & Wilson, D. (2009). Wong's Essentials of Pediatric Nursing. St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Mosby Elsevier.
Potter, P. A., & Perry, A. (2009). Fundamentals of Nursing. St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Mosby Elsevier.