In the previous article, we talked about some differences between good families and bad families, focusing more on what parents should and shouldn't do to keep their children's childhood as great as possible. Today, we'll build on that topic, talking about what each and every member of the family should practice and why some families turn out better than others.

Willing to Admit Mistakes

All humans make mistakes, but they seem harder to admit to people that are closest to you. Most of the time, it all comes down to ego and humility. Having the ability to admit your mistakes , whether parents to children or the other way round, shows that you respect your family members and trust them enough to be vulnerable.

Always Defending Themselves

Bad family members will think they're always right and everyone else is wrong. They will start pointing fingers when something goes wrong, but never at themselves. This hard headedness can prove to be detrimental when no one backs down and even the smallest issue can cause a fracture in the relationship.

Willing to Help and Teach

Great families tend to help and teach each other. We're not talking about huge emergencies, but instead tiny tasks such as how to connect to the Internet, how to change a lightbulb, or how to open an online bank account. Young and old members of the family possess different skills and it is by sharing these skills with each other that a family can strive.

Unwilling to Help Each Other

On the other hand, some families jeer or laugh at their family members for not knowing something that is "so simple" or "common sense". Not only does this happen to older members of the family when it comes to tech stuff, it also happens to younger members of the family when it comes to handyman tasks. This will extinguish the flame of learning in them and discourage them from asking anymore questions in the future.

Openly Share Feelings

Families that are not shy to share their feelings with each other will form a stronger bond. This is especially true for negative feelings as many people tend to only share good news with their family members. Not only that, having family members that are willing to share also mean that we should be willing to listen and refrain from judging. It's the least we can do for our family.

Everything to Oneself

Meanwhile, there are some families who think oversharing is and intrusion of privacy. Some might just not be interested in what other family members have to share. They keep everything to themselves and wonder why nobody listens to them. In the long run, this might cause mental issues such as depression and anxiety.

Safe Haven

A safe home is a good home. Great families provide each other with a safe haven, somewhere they know they can always go to when things don't work out. Whether it is being fired from a job, or losing out on a competition, someone from a good family knows that they will always find love and support back home. This can be just the right thing to keep them going and keep them motivated.

Scary Nightmare

Sadly, there are also situations where people are just too afraid to go home. They are afraid of being judged, criticized or scolded because of their failures. Breadwinners unable to face the shame after being fired. Students unwilling to bring their bad results to their parents. They prefer staying out all day, rather than being nagged at home. If even their homes don't welcome them, who will?

It is a sad truth that there are plenty of bad families out there, but there are also good families out there. Whichever it is, we don't get to choose which to be born into. If we were born into a good family, we should definitely appreciate this once in a lifetime (literally) opportunity. However, if we are in not as good of an environment, then all we can do is play our part right, and give our future family members one that they deserve.