by Joan Inong

Created on: May 01, 2009

Everyone should strive to establish and maintain healthy family relationships. Most of us have had the feeling that the world is going backwards, that humans as a race are not progressing. Perhaps, if we start improving personal relationships, we can somehow contribute positively to society as a whole.

However, fostering good family relationships is easier said than done. Family dynamics are not widely studied; instead, psychologists, counselors, and sociologists are perhaps the most informed about the way that the family works and should work.

But, this doesn't mean that each of us can't make our familial relationships better.

The first thing that any person should do in a relationship is establish boundaries. People who establish and respect boundaries will eventually create good, healthy relationships. At the same time, communication plays an important role in creating and respecting those boundaries.

For instance, if you are a parent who doesn't establish boundaries with your teenager, chances are, your relationship will suffer for it later on. And, if the teenager doesn't respect the boundaries that you do establish, then ultimately your relationship will suffer.

In the midst of all the boundaries, you should foster good communication. Family members who are able to communicate fairly and well with one another will have good relationships. For example, when most of us get into heated arguments, all we want to do is stay in that situation. We want to keep aggressively fighting. But, good communication helps prevent us from acting out that way. Instead, if we were to have good communication skills, we would sit down, talk about our feelings, and reconcile in a way that makes all persons involved happy or at least satisfied.

Good family relationships are also created when the family members spend time together. Spending quality time together not only enhances communication, but it lets you get to know one another better. At the same time, you can practice your communication. Why shouldn't we know our family better, since we are all blood-related? If we know our best friends, and if our best friends are not family, then what excuse do we have for not knowing our own family?

Creating good family relationships, however, will take some time. It is a lifelong journey that requires much effort, time, and patience. As with all relationships, if you are committed to making your family relationships the best they can be, you will achieve it.

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