Family would not be family without fighting and strife among members. Arguing is almost synonymous with family and gatherings. A family without the typical crazy and embarrassing member or troubles in general is a rarity indeed. Difficulties in dealing with each other are normal occurrences. After all, it is extremely difficult to get along with the people that you know better than anyone. In my family, troubles occur regularly, but it is how we deal with them that we become stronger as a family.
I think we can all look back on our early teenage years and realize that we might not have been the nicest people in the world. Hormones, changes in school, and growing pressure all make early teenage life not always pleasant. For a large family such as mine, troubles for one person usually turn out to be a problem for everyone. My Brother Ryan is fourteen, which my mom calls the "second age of terror". This name is rather fitting aa my brother pretty much hates everything on the planet. I don't think he does it on purpose, and I know he isn't consciously attempting to himself on death row with my mother, but he currently is a very angry child. I myself was a huge brat at his age. I hated everyone and everything. My sister Abby was also the same way, except her teenage attitude was dulled by the fact that she became a hermit at 13, and I didn't see her leave her room until she turned 15, earning her the name "Gollum". Despite the problems though, we as a family manage.
Dealing with problems such as raging teenagers really does present problems for families. As I said before, many families struggle through having estranged members or having dire problems and conflicts. In society today, families are often presented as these fractured entities that fight non stop. Reality TV distorts our view of the family, and instead of a strong family, we see back stabbing and hatred. As a result of rising divorce rates, financial troubles, and many other factors, family life is more difficult than ever. However, the remedy to the situation is not as far fetched or unattainable as it might seem. In my family, we deal with problems together everyday. Some of the problems between us have been harder than others in the past, yet we owe or success and strength as a family to simply communicating, and in my mind, a healthy respect of my parents.
Families are given to us. We don't choose them, and they do not choose us. Often times, coexisting can be nearly impossible. However, we only get one family. We will only ever have one family, and it is our job to be a part of it, and cherish it as best we can.
Tim, the nicknames in your household are priceless. On a more serious note, I also believe we're lucky just to have families with which we can argue. These arguments enable the happier moments to seem even sweeter, too. Good post.
ReplyDeleteConflict in families are usually unavoidable, and I always envy families who seem to rarely fight or have problems. But they probably do have the problems, we just don't see them. Great post!
ReplyDeleteVery true comments, conflicts in the family seem to be more common than those outside. But if we deal with these properly we can get the best family relationships we have ever had.
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