Family Science at Miami University

05/01/2026

Who do Americans spend time with?

This changes a lot over the course of their lives.

In their teens, Americans spend a lot of time with friends and family.

In their 20s, time with friends and family starts to drop off. Instead, Americans begin to spend more time with partners and children.

Throughout their 30s, 40s, and 50s, Americans spend much of their time with coworkers.

As they get older, Americans spend more time alone, but surveys show this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re lonely.

This data comes from the American Time Use Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Our colleague Tuna Acisu recently updated our charts with the latest data release.

Explore the updated data in our interactive charts: https://ourworldindata.org/search?datasetProducts=American%20Time%20Use%20Survey

04/14/2026

04/05/2026

“…Older siblings have put relationships, careers, and education on hold, substituting as caretakers for their younger brothers and sisters.

Their story illustrates some of the less-seen effects of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, scrambling the lives of American citizens who were raised by undocumented parents who chose to raise their family in the United States despite the risks.

Immigration stories like theirs are under increasing scrutiny, as the Supreme Court considers arguments about birthright citizenship, which guarantees that nearly all babies born in the U.S. are citizens.

‘We are not going to deny that they crossed illegally, like many people here have done,’ Andrea said as her siblings nodded their heads. ‘They did it for a better life’.”

Andrea García and her siblings are carrying on in a home reshaped by fear, loss and new responsibility.

04/04/2026

Happy February!
Our new issue explores the complex internal and external factors influencing relationship success and instability. Featuring robust systematic reviews and empirical research articles, dive into marital locus of control, body image, divorce, and more.

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wmfr20/current

NCFR
Groves Conference on Marriage and Family
Taylor & Francis Psychology and Mental Health
TxCFR - Texas Council on Family Relations
Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science
Teaching Family Science and Psychology
Institute for Family Studies

03/15/2026

The Trump administration has detained more than 900 children for longer than 20 days, which is the limit minors are supposed to be held.

Roughly 270 of those children were confined for more than twice as long.

Vilma Bautista Torres, who fled Honduras and sought asylum in the U.S. in 2021, said she and her 9-year-old son, Kenek, spent more than 80 days at Dilley before their release on parole last week.

Kenek, who has severe autism, grew increasingly disoriented and distressed as the weeks dragged on without access to therapy, she said, hitting himself, crying through the night and begging her to let him return to his school in Louisiana.

Read more: nbcnews.app.link/u1W4V0aTt1b

03/06/2026

March is here, and so is Child Life Month! All month long, we’re honoring the dedicated professionals who support children and families through some of life’s most challenging moments. Join us in celebrating the heart behind the work.💚

02/28/2026

As of 2024: 81% of US women have kids by their 40s, down 9 points from 1976.

79% get married (seven-of-eight of them have kids).

21% don't get married (half of them have kids).

Since the 1970s, married with kids dropped about 20 points, while never-married with kids increased 10 points.

02/28/2026

In the most recent data, US women's average age at first birth is 27.8 (2025), and at first marriage is 29.8 (2024). The fact that age at first birth is rising faster is consistent with the fact that birth rates are dropping for single women, but not married women.

02/09/2026

Before she arrived at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center last fall, Kelly Vargas said her 6-year-old daughter was thriving. Maria loved school and spent her afternoons drawing and playing with her cat.

But Vargas said that within days of the family’s being detained and sent to the prisonlike facility in South Texas — where guards patrol the halls and the lights never turn off — her daughter began to unravel.

Accounts from detained families, their lawyers and court filings describe a facility that functions far more like a prison than a child care center: constant surveillance, rigid schedules, overnight bed checks. Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.

Read more: nbcnews.app.link/lSeCjwDDC0b

02/08/2026

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/well/aging-parents.html

Many families put these talks off. But having them now can lead to better care later.