As the United States changes as a nation, so too, does the family. This two-volume encyclopedia takes an incisive, multidisciplinary look at the American family over the past 200 years, examining public policies, organizations and programs, health and social issues, the family constellation, researchers and theorists, and family customs and pastimes. Specific topics covered in the A-Z format include: AIDS and the family, theories of birth order, child custody, demography of the family, fatherhood, grandparents, home schooling, interracial families, juvenile justice, latchkey children, military families, neighborhoods, paternity suits, family reunions, stepparents, twins, and the White House Conferences on Children. (HTH)