It’s hell getting old, but it beats the heck out of dying young.™
“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!” -- Albert Einstein
Family can be defined as a group of people related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption, or a group of people with a common ancestry. It’s where you begin, and where you end, and everything in between.
Having a healthy family enhances interpersonal relationships as well as individual self-esteem, because we learn who we are within and from our families.
How to Have a Healthy Family
- Commit to each other. Decide you are going to be a family and work together to support each other and the family goals.
- Spend time together. Healthy families do things together, whether it’s raking the leaves, going to a movie, or taking a family vacation. This builds bonds and memories that are fun to reminisce about later.
- Communicate frequently. Families must communicate in order to work as a unit. Come up with ways to involve the entire family in schedules, problems, successes, and decisions.
- Help each other. Family is there for you when issues arise. Knowing you have your family with you, and working together on problems makes the load easier and strengthens bonds.
- Encourage each other. Kids tease each other, but inside they’re really proud of their pesky brother or sister. Be sure to verbally and nonverbally praise, admire, support, acknowledge, and encourage each other.
- Respect each other. Families thrive when respect is given and received between all members—parents and children. Treat each other respectfully in actions and words.
- Allow room for growth and mistakes. Families are the solid foundation that allow us to try new things, discover who we are, and grow in new directions. Be gracious if someone fails or is wrong, and encourage them to try again.
Quiz
Which family is your’s most like?
- The Bunkers
- The Jeffersons
- The Brady Bunch
- The Huxtables
- The Addams Family