Life is much easier when you have a supportive family that sticks with you through thick and thin. Family relationship is important for a person at every stage of life. When life gets hard and starts to grip away from your control, the kind words of your mother, spouse, or siblings calm your soul and give you the strength and courage to take on life head-on. In this post, we talk about the importance of family, its characteristics, and ways to build a strong relationship with family members.

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A family constitutes people who are related to each other and share an emotional bond and similar values. Family members can be related by birth, marriage, or adoption.

Your immediate family includes parents, siblings, spouse, and children. And your extended family includes people you are related to, such as grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles, nephews, nieces etc.

Families are of different sizes — nuclear (a couple and their children), joint (a couple, their children, grandchildren), blended (a couple, their children, and children from their previous marriages), etc.

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A family is important because our mental growth, well-being, and stability all depend on our family.

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Each family is different. But all strong families have some common features. A few of them are listed below:

Remember that all these virtues of a strong family do not come overnight. You need to work together for years to build a healthy family.

Here are some ways to build strong family connections:

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Set aside some time (maybe meal times) every day as family time, when you can talk about things and laugh together.

When your children or spouse want to talk, respect their need and listen to them with attention. Give them enough time to express themselves properly.

Appreciate every member for performing their duties well. For example, praising and thanking a teenager for taking care of a younger sibling will make them feel important.

A good family always cherishes the uniqueness of each of its members and acknowledges their abilities and strengths. At the same time, they help each other correct their shortcomings.

Do not bring up previous issues every time you have to address a problem. In that way, you can avoid unpleasantness and instead, focus on the issue at hand.

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When your family works as a team, every member feels acknowledged for their contribution. Share household chores. Allow little children to participate in chores like picking up their toys or putting their shoes back.

Make family rules that clearly mention how every member should behave and treat each other. For example, “We talk respectfully with everyone in our family,” or “In our family, we help each other no matter what.” Such small but clear rules can make the family stronger and peaceful.

Healthy families teach its members how to apologize, and forgive others when someone makes a mistake. It teaches children to take responsibility for their actions. Try to have fun family rituals, which are special to your family, to increase the sense of belongingness.

1. What is a family relationship in simple words?

A family relationship involves interaction between all the members. It typically includes living under one roof, communicating, taking care of each other, dealing with challenges, carrying forward family traditions, and giving each member a sense of belonging.

2. What makes a good family relationship?

Just like any relationship, a family relationship also requires constant nurturing. A good family relationship is possible only by prompt and effective communication, spending quality time together, protecting and caring for each other, and providing emotional and other support.

3. What are the examples of a family relationship?

Family relationships include various kinships in a larger family setup. Examples of family relationships are husbands and wives, parents and children, in-laws, and family of spouses, to name a few.

The first relationship that you establish after birth is with your family. When life seems challenging, your family plays a role in supporting you. Good communication, a feeling of togetherness, and constant support are common features of an affectionate family. To establish a stronger bond with your family, spend quality time with them, appreciate their efforts, and work together. People living in loving families have better attitudes and richer values. However, creating such families is not easy. It requires hard work and dedication to stay together and achieve a common goal.

Having the support of your family members through life’s ups and downs gives you the strength to face all kinds of situations and emerge stronger. The infographic below presents a list of characteristics that define a strong family. Please read and share it with your kith and kin. Save

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

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