Guillem Garcia
Illustrative Essay
Family is the first social circle in every human being’s life. The effects of family bonds reflect
on the individual’s personality, way of life and self-confidence. However, the question is what
defines a strong family?
In my opinion, attention is the most important element. However, it does not mean the high
“volume” of attention will be healthy conduct in every case, because people have different
natures so their nature is unpredictable, which means there is a different formula for each
family in which the attention element decreases or increases. In other words, attention
should be in reasonable rates, especially from the parents towards children.
In different areas of the world, family relations have different forms. For example, here in the
Middle East, parents commit to raise their children for an unlimited period by spending
money on their education, health care, and food, and the wedding costs for each gender. On
the other hand, in western communities, families are committed to raising their children until
the age of 18.
Children older than eighteen years are left on their own. Nevertheless, in the return children
are not committed to take care of their parents when they age. In this time, Middle Eastern
people are obligated to look after their parents financially and emotionally when they become
old due to the traditions and religion. The previous examples of family commitments indicate
how families are internally attached in different areas around the world. However, each
model has its pros and cons. For instance, the Middle Eastern model is good for the old
people, but it is not good for the young people.
The family supports an individual and builds their confidence hence self-esteem. The family
members know the right amount of attention to give to each individual so that they do not
feel smothered or alone. Individuals who grow up in a family that has cohesion become
confident self -assured individuals who know that they can pursue their own goals and count
on the support of the other family members.
Furthermore, communication is important in a family. Factors that contribute to
communication are family closeness, time spent with each other and respect. Families that
have good communication channels allow the members to express themselves.
The children who grow up in a family that allows people to express themselves have an
opportunity of talking about things that bother them and the parents can help them. On the
contrary, families that lack good communication do not function properly as members feel
alone with no one to talk to and an individual may seek attention outside the home from
wrong people.
Communication makes members of the family feel important because others pay attention to
them. Good communication also includes courtesy, honesty and obedience. Children who
are taught to be obedient listen to their parents’ instructions and advice and hence live
harmoniously.
In conclusion, family is the mirror of human beings. This means if you see a stable and
decent individual, the family construction has a large effect on his or her personality. A
healthy family is good for individuals and the whole society. Children in healthy families grow
well with less emotional challenges. They in turn start strong healthy families when their time
comes because they learnt good value families from their own. It’s crucial thing to consider
thinking about a good and healthy family
