Readiness Characteristics Key Terms
Kaila Boulden
Physical needs
Maintaining wellness of the human body and avoiding illness
Safety and Security needs
Keeping family members protected from harm within and from outside the home
Love and Acceptance needs
Having a sense of belonging and unconditional love, being wanted and included, as in a group of friends
Esteem needs
Feeling good about yourself and accepting a realistic view of your strengths and weaknesses
Self-Actualization needs
To become what we are capable of becoming
Youthful perspective
seeing the world through the eyes of a child or young person
Personal growth
learning about oneself
Family continuation
carrying on the family traditions and values
Lifestyle changes
changes in the way you spend your daily schedule due to child being added to family
Changes in relationship
changes in the feelings that a couple may have for each other after a child is born due to added pressures
Family
individuals related to each other biologically or legally
Healthy relationship
characterized by respect, sharing, trust, and support between two people
Extended
includes all relatives in a family, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
Blended
includes married couple, each spouse's children from previous relationships, and any children they have together
Foster
a family unit that serves as a substitute family for a child. These families may be nuclear, single-parent, blended or extended family structures
Authority figure
the person in charge of a family
Instant family
children that come along with a marriage in a blended family
Emotional fulfillment
something that is deeply satisfying, such as a child’s smile to a parent
Sense of pride
a feeling of a job well done---for example, the pride of a parent when children live independently and give something back to the world
New responsibilities
different tasks that parents will have to do due to having a child
Emotional adjustments
changes in a person’s attitudes and perspectives---for examples, worries and fears parents have after a child is born
Employment
having a job or career and responsibilities that go with it
Parent
caregiver that has legal responsibility for a child
Nuclear
includes husband, wife, and one or more of their biological children
Single parent
includes one parent and one or more children
Adoptive
parents and one or more children that are permanently and legally placed; these families may be nuclear, single-parent, blended or extended family structures
Transition period
a period of changing from one time in life to another