Basic concepts

• A family is made up of people related by blood, marriage or law (formal or social).
• There are different kinds of families including nuclear and extended families, which may be monogamous, polygamous or one-parent.
• Each family member has roles and responsibilities. Together the parents are responsible for providing the needs (physical, emotional and social) of their children.
• When young people can identify and analyse factors which influence family size, they will be able to make rational decisions about family size and the effect on standards of living.
• The possibility of adequately meeting children's needs - nutrition, education, recreation, affection, - increases when parents make informed decisions about family size and child spacing.