ABSTRACT
In first marriage or nuclear families the patterns of the family develop slowly over an extended period of time — father may rake the leaves and mow the lawn, mother may take charge of the marketing and cooking, and the children set the table and wash the dishes. Everyone in the family knows what is expected and the consequences of not performing these routine chores are predictable. Other activities may also be routinely scheduled: Father drives the children to school in the morning and they ride the school bus home in the afternoon; weekends are devoted to Little League baseball or an occasional picnic at the beach or other outing.
