Family Relationships

      One of the most difficult things about having a relationship with other people is communication. It’s hard to fully understand another person and what is going on in their mind. There are so many things that play a role into how we convey feelings, ideas, and thoughts to others. If I’m having a rougher day than usual, it’s challenging for me to focus on others and what they’re trying to emit to me. I’ve found that my attitude, perspective, past experience, knowledge, feelings, and many other factors all directly impact the way that I communicate with the people in my life. Seeing this has made me realize that to properly communicate with another person in a healthy and meaningful manner, it often takes a lot of work and effort of my part. In turn, I have the power to contribute to a growing relationship by doing my part to nourish it. It’s a valuable skill to develop and maintain healthy habits of communication, and I’d like to break down what this looks like. ...

     I often think about what it will be like to be a parent in the future. I’ve heard from many family members and friends that parenting is hardest thing they’ve ever done. I’ve seen some of its challenges by watching others, but I can only imagine what it’s actually like. This week, I’ve been thinking about why parenting is actually important. I’ve learned a lot about the benefits of parenting children, and I think the world would be very different if parenting became nonexistent. Let’s talk about what good parenting can look like.      We’ve all seen children acting up in public. I’ve noticed that a lot of parents seem to be embarrassed when it happens. From my perspective, it seems normal and common, and there’s no need to feel embarrassed. However, when I put myself in their shoes, I think I would feel the same way. It’s hard having other people watching you, and you not being able make your child stop. I imagine that a parent feels very powerless in ...

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the different roles that everyone plays in a family. We all have our spots in our own family, whether that be oldest, middle, youngest, or only child. We generally grow up with each other and learn how to act around the others. When we look at our parents, often “mom” is seen as more kind and caring. “Dad”, on the other hand, seems to be perceived differently. I’ve noticed that everyone describes their dad in different ways. The popular opinion I heard growing up was that “dad” was the strict one that made rules and ‘cracked the whip’ around the house. As I get older, I’ve learned of a more vast description of many peoples’ dads. It’s been interesting for me to observe a difference in the way people view their dads the past few years. In this article written by Howard Todd-Collins, I read some great descriptions of things that ideally describe and encompass a father-figure. Five attributes, in particular, stuck out to me on which I’d like to expan...

     When I was growing up, I remember my family undergoing many events that put everyone through stress. Throughout this stress, I noticed that the family changed and adjusted in different ways. I’ve come to learn that that’s how families work. They go through certain stressors as a family unit, and they grow and change with the stress. It can grow, or diminish the strength of a family, depending on how it is dealt with. I’ve been thinking about stressors that I might face in my future family, and I think it is best to come up with a game plan for how to deal with them.      One of the first relationship stressors I can think of is the stress of actually getting into a relationship. It can be really scary to start a relationship and not knowing what the future holds. It could end in so many different ways, whether the guy breaks it off, or the girl. Or, it could progress to the point of marriage. Both are intimidating futures to wonder about. I think the b...