ABSTRACT

The Alexander family lives in a small apartment in an inner-city neighborhood in a medium-sized city. The family consists of a divorced mother, Susan, age 46, and her two daughters, ages eight and 12. The children’s father lives in the same city but has limited contact with the family and does not provide consistent financial support. Susan has several other children-three daughters and a son-who are now adults living independently. All of these children except the son live in the same city as Susan. Susan often relies on her older daughters to provide childcare for the younger daughters as well as intermittent financial support for things like food and rent. Susan relies on her brothers for support as well. Susan’s neighbors in the apartment next to her often take the daughters out on excursions (e.g., to museums, movies, and the park) to give Susan a break and to give the girls respite from their stressful environment.