Families Are Built with The Heart
True families guarantee the welfare of their youngest members and are built with the heart. They’re made with bonds of empathy and pillars of security which allow children to grow up with dignity and happiness.
Let’s face it, the concept of family has changed a lot and that’s certainly a good thing because we can all admit that there are many different types of family dynamics.
Single moms are now seen differently. Single-parent families have also become so common that it doesn’t even surprise us to see many fathers raising their children alone.
There are many parents who say their child is being raised by a “village.” The family dynamics which were once only confined to parents and children is now supported by indispensable roles such as grandparents, siblings, friends and even educators.
All of these people are very significant when it comes to bringing up our little ones.
However, there is a detail that we must not neglect. No matter the size of the family – large or small or whether they live in a house with many square meters or a humbler one with a few rooms – the material that builds the best homes in the world is the love that is shared among its members.
What about you? What kind of family have you built?
A family is more than the medium for our children’s socialization. Above all, it’s a close space that can either nourish them emotionally or on the contrary, create shortcomings and deficits that will put up barriers blocking their integral development.
First off, we should differentiate between a functional family from a dysfunctional one.
A functional family guarantees the social and psychological development of all of its members. A dysfunctional family, on the other hand, disrupts affective and social development.
After clearing up that difference, we can then classify the family nuclei according to the relationship of its members. It’s also important to point out once again that the size, forms or ties that make up these relationships in the household don’t matter.
It doesn’t matter if the mother is raising the child alone or if the child is adopted. The quality of the family is made up of the authenticity of its emotional ties.
Types of families
- Nuclear family: this is the typical family that is made up of a couple and their children.
- Single-parent family: this is a model that we’re seeing more frequently. It’s when the mother or father takes charge of the family unit. The task of maintaining and educating the little ones relies on them.
- Adoptive family: this is when a couple decides to adopt a child.
- Family with separated parents: this is another dynamic that is also very common. It’s important to differentiate them from single-parent families. In this case, although the couple doesn’t live in the same house, they take care of the child by sharing the different necessary tasks.
- Extended family: at the beginning of this article we mentioned the “village” concept. An example of this is seen in extended families, where several nuclear families coexist under the same roof.
- Same-sex family: this is where two dads or two moms of the same sex raise one or more children. This is another kind of family that is being seen more frequently in our society.
Three things that make a happy family
When we make our own family, it’s very common to use our own childhood as a reference. It was the family that for better or worse, defined us and shaped the people we are today.
This often makes it clear to us what guidelines to follow and which ones to avoid in order to give our children the best upbringing and education possible.
Although it’s clear that the foundation for the happiest families is love, sometimes we don’t know how to show it.
We don’t always make it clear or sometimes the other members simply don’t notice it. That’s why it’s important to keep the following simple strategies in mind.
The bond that unites your authentic family is not blood, rather mutual respect and joy.
Share moments together
It’s important to know that sharing moments together is all about knowing how to make others happy. It’s not enough to just “be”, you have to “know how to be.”
This means knowing how to take care of our children, look at their faces, read their emotions, listen to them, make them happy, offer them support, hope and love.
Speak about how the day went
Every day is unique. When it comes to the little ones, every day brings along many discoveries and challenges.
Being interested in their experiences and feelings is an important way to build authentic trust with our children and our partners as well.
Pay attention to the details
A parent who takes care of the little things is also taking care of their quality of life and that of others. Parents who pay attention to the nuances and tiny details take care of things on a large scale.
Parents who take advantage of the little subtleties in life will be able to live in a more conscious, simple and happy way.
For children, every detail is a fantastic universe to explore and enjoy. If we’re there to share those details with them, we’ll be investing in their happiness.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Bowlby, J. (1986). Vínculos afectivos: formación, desarrollo y pérdida. Madrid: Morata.
- Bowlby, J. (1995). Teoría del apego. Lebovici, Weil-HalpernF.
- Garrido-Rojas, L. (2006). Apego, emoción y regulación emocional. Implicaciones para la salud. Revista latinoamericana de psicología, 38(3), 493-507. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/805/80538304.pdf
- Marrone, M., Diamond, N., Juri, L., & Bleichmar, H. (2001). La teoría del apego: un enfoque actual. Madrid: Psimática.
- Moneta, M. (2003). El Apego. Aspectos clínicos y psicobiológicos de la díada madre-hijo. Santiago: Cuatro Vientos
