What Happens When Couples Marry after the First Baby? A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Kelly Musick, Cornell University and Katherine Michelmore, University of Michigan September 16, 2015 One of the consistent findings of sociological research in recent decades has been that couples who had a child before getting […]
Topics of Expertise: Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Couples Conflict, Separation & Divorceparenting
Homesick Kids and Helicopter Parents: Are Today’s Young Adults Too Emotionally Dependent on Parents?

As colleges across the country begin the new school year, we hear a chorus of warnings about a generation of young adults unable or unwilling to “leave the nest.” Phrases are bandied about: “Failure to launch”; “the Peter Pan syndrome”; “boomerang kids” who can’t seem to leave home and establish an independent life. Undergirding these warnings is a fear that the younger generation is growing soft, losing the pioneer independence and rugged individualism that once built this nation.
But a glance at the past suggests it may not be the behavior of youths that has changed so much as the response by adults. Only over the past 90 years did American culture come to define young adults’ continued reliance on parental guidance and their longing to return home as a sign of psychological maladjustment.
Topics of Expertise: Child WelfareChild’s Play: It’s Serious Business

Isabelle Cherney, Ph.D. Michael W. Barry Professor Director, Honors Psychology Program Professor of Psychology Creighton University Have you ever asked yourself why children need so much time to play, not only during the summer but all through the school year? Play is a crucial aspect of healthy development. Children are active learners who acquire new […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Parenthood: Motherhood/FatherhoodUnderstanding Low-Income Unmarried Couples with Children

Why do so many low-income couples postpone marriage but fail to postpone childbearing? Which couples eventually do marry? Why do the rest of the couples break up? How would knowing the answers to these questions affect public policy? A new briefing report by the Council on Contemporary Families offers an advance look at the […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Couples Conflict, Separation & Divorce / Transition - Couples to Parenting