Thomas and Martha Neate, with Tutor. Joshua Reynolds ~ Oil on canvas. 167 x 180 cm. 1748. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.  Image courtesy of Olga's Gallery.

The Libraries

 

 Of Interest~

Articles and Links: Library of Relationship Development

This five-page PDF article from Jone Johnson of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society is entitled Extraordinary Relationships. Inspired by Roberta Gilbert's book, which bears the same title, Johnson takes a look at some of the core ethical principles that result in successful family interactions.

Dr. Michele Borba believes that ethical considerations have an immeasureable impact on our family relationships. She writes that the best way to ensure children to grow up to have good relationships with others is to build their  Moral Intelligence.

While common courtesy (like charity) begins at home and should be just as carefully practiced there as outside, we begin to rely more on simple etiquette to maintain our relationships as the concentric circles move outward from close friends to less familiar acquaintances. But does etiquette really matter anymore?  Aren't we free from outdated ideas of what constitute rudeness?  Not according to this 2004 LA Times article by Tina Daunt, entitled Manners Minded.

There are also good business reasons to understand why good manners make for good relationships. Don Burleson takes an entertaining look at Manners and Etiquette for Professionals.

Relationships: Love Ain't Enough, from Psychology Today Online.

In a family, as in a community, every member has a vital function. This site explores the Importance of Fathers to both entities.

Scott Lancaster, Stefan Korn, and Eric Mooij, founded DIY Father, a fast-growing site dedicated to providing dads with useful parenting information and helping them become "the best fathers they can be." In their own families, these dads (and others like them) are living testimony to the fact that nurturance and caregiving are not the sole province of moms, and that dads are vital developmental resources for children, even from the early weeks of pregnancy.

This article by Glenn T. Stanton entitled, How Fathers, As Male Parents, Matter for Healthy Child Development explores Dr. Kyle Pruett's book, "Fatherneed: Why Father care is as essential as Mothercare."

From the Population Reference Bureau: What the American Community Survey Tells Us About Marriage and the Family.  This article notes 2005 trends in American family statistics.

Just Whom is this Divorce 'Good' For?  is a November 2005 article from the Washington Post written by Elizabeth Marquardt.  In addition to being an affiliate scholar at the Institute for American Values, Marquardt is herself a child of divorced parents, a fact which led her to study the effects of divorce on children.  She has recently published "Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce" through Crown books.

Family Relations is an international journal of applied family studies from the National Council on Family Relations. A premier journal of family research, Family Relations is mandatory reading for all professionals who work with families, including: family practitioners, educators, marriage and family therapists, researchers, and social policy specialists. A one-year, individual subscription runs about $136 or £110.

Founded in 1962 by the Family Process Institute, the journal, Family Process is widely considered to be the pre-eminent publication of its kind in the field of family research and therapeutic intervention. The Family Process Institute has evolved into a multi-disciplinary, multi-national Communication Nexus encompassing both the online journal and an interactive Family Process website. It's goal is to "exchange information, foster collaboration, and inspire innovative development by connecting more directly with family research and clinical activity in a global environment."