Smooth Sailing or Stormy Waters?: Family Transitions Through Adolescence and Their Implications for Practice and Policy

Smooth Sailing enhances our understanding of the family’s transition through adolescence by examining qualitative data about the experiences of parents and teens across multiple relationships and social contexts. This volume follows the same 60 families described in the authors’ first book, Becoming a Family (2000), relating their stories about their transition from childhood to adolescence. Collectively, the two books provide a unique longitudinal perspective on family development using two distinct data collection formats and time frames. Interdisciplinary in nature, the book draws on theory and practice from the fields of social work, psychology, and sociology.

Smooth Sailing reveals a picture of the transition to adolescence as it is influenced by intrafamily relationships as well as social context factors. Initial chapters lay the foundation for the study’s methods. Proceeding chapters present the participants’ stories, organized by context - developmental changes, interpersonal relationships, education, and work. Each chapter follows a similar format: an overview of past research; interview and coding techniques; and a presentation of parents’ and teens’ qualitative descriptions. Chapters also include an analysis of gender and conclude with implications for practice and policy. The final chapter in the book summarizes this work and looks ahead to the next developmental period, emerging adulthood.

Intended for researchers in a variety of disciplines such as social work, psychology, and sociology, this volume also serves as a supplementary text for courses on the family and/or adolescent development.