Healthy Families
What we learn growing up has a big influence on how we handle our adult relationships, especially our relationship with a partner or a spouse. ’Modeling’ is the term used for behaviors we learn by observing. Inconsistency is one of the characteristics modeled in dysfunctional families. When one grows up observing inconsistency between what is said and the behaviors one observes in one’s parents, issues with trust, confusion and lack of confidence are the typical results.
What I’d like to talk about in this post is the characteristics that are important for healthy families. Stephanie Covington, an author and addictions expert, has listed the following 6 characteristics of healthy families.
1. Commitment – the family is a priority.
2. Emotional and spiritual wellbeing that fosters trust and the giving and receiving of love.
3. Open and consistent communication – verbal and non-verbal.
4. Appreciation that is expressed for others in the family.
5. Quality family time.
6. Healthy responses to conflict and crisis.
These characteristics are important as continual awareness checks. We all get caught up in our responsibilities from time to time. But coming back and staying grounded in this vision can help us correct course when we drift off track.
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I love this. I printed it to have on hand.