What Makes A Healthy Family

Functional Or Dysfunctional Families

Families can be either functional or dysfunctional. While from the outside a family may look functional it really may not be the case at all. If you were to be a fly on the wall in the house of a dysfunctional family then you would see some of the things that make the family that way. You would see children arguing with their parents over even the slightest request of them to do something. You would see a husband throwing his weight around and belittling his wife and making her feel inferior to him. You would see grandparents interfering with the way the parents are raising the children. This should not be so and a healthy family takes measures to prevent these from happening.

Families that are functional have parents who treat their children kindly but demand that they comply with their instructions and that the children respect those older than them as well as authorities. The children are taught and understand that since their parents are responsible for them, then they need to follow their guidance. Children have a voice in the family. They are allowed to give their opinions on family matters but they understand and accept that their parents’ have the final word.

Healthy families are run by parents and not by grandparents. Grandparents mean well but do not always uphold the same standards on their grandchildren that they upheld on their own children. Grandchildren quickly become spoiled because of all the pampering they receive from their grandparents. Then, after this has happened, they don’t listen to their parents well.

The relationship of the husband and wife is of utmost importance to the functioning of a healthy family. They should be on equal footing. They each should share household chores. Neither one should put himself or herself on a higher level than the other. Both should have respect for each other and keep their disputes away from the sight of their children.