Having a House but Not a Home: A Critical Reflection on Prioritizing Youth Perspectives and Well‐Being in Research on Family Structural Transitions

ABSTRACT Having a house but not a home is a metaphor that aligns with themes I highlight in this critical reflection on the personal, professional, and political experiences that have shaped who I am and fueled my scholarship centering youth perspectives and well‐being in the context of family structural transitions. Rooted in feminist reflexive analysis and life course theory, I outline components of my personal life that catalyzed my career as a family scientist. I then discuss elements of my professional training to which my scholarship and academic identity have been firmly anchored. Along the way, I also attend to the political, attempting earnestly to articulate and critique issues of power and their institutional engines that have shaped both my personal and professional experiences. Finally, I seek to bring it all together, striving to unearth the authentic core of who I am and what motivates me as a family scientist.