"Thomas Wolfe coined the phrase, You can't go home again, for his 1940 book of that title, but you can certainly get back in the neighborhood. Families can be like trees-shivering in the metaphorical winter winds and standing tall and strong in other storms. Sometimes boughs bend and sometimes they break. The December holidays may shake a family tree until its weaker limbs drop off and get discarded, or they may further strengthen an already stable sequoia."
"Distances need to be traveled, and gifts exchanged that may fall short or exceed expectations and cause further discussion about the appropriateness of said gifts. Under that tent, the relationships between multiple siblings unfold. It is typical to hold mixed feelings toward one or more siblings. Great love and affection often abound, but join hands with ambivalence and ambiguity about the relationship."
Families can be resilient or fragile, with holidays often testing bonds and causing weaker ties to fall away or stronger ones to solidify. Adult sibling relationships commonly contain mixed feelings, ambivalence, unresolved past injustices, and ongoing affection. Practical steps can ease tensions: take a breath, focus on what is working in relationships, and set clear boundaries around divisive topics such as politics. New in-laws introduce different traditions that require openness and adaptation. Young people need friends, so balance peer time with family obligations. Families can be protected and shored up to optimize their chances of long-term survival.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]