Information for Preteens: Home & Family

Families in the 21st century come in all shapes and sizes – traditional, single parent, blended (more than one family together in the same house), and gay and lesbian parents – just to name a few. No matter the "type" of family you have, there are going to be highs and lows happening in the household.

The highs – the happy times – are good and don't take a lot of effort or work. The lows happen when families become blocked in their relationships by hurt, anger, mistrust, and confusion. These blockages are natural and normal; all families have at least a small collection of these blockages.

But it is possible – with a few simple changes in the way we look at the world and deal with other people – to create happier, more stable relationships. Families need to be units of mutual caring and support; they can be sources of lifelong strength for the individual.

It is never too late to begin the process of improving family relationships – even if they are already of good quality – by developing some simple skills.

This section deals with some of those situations and problems we face in a family. A "problem" is defined as "something that lacks an easy solution."

The first step in approaching a troublesome family problem is to think that the solution is in there somewhere – all you have to do is find it. A different approach is to treat the problem as something you have to tolerate – you believe that the problem will always be with you unless it just happens to go away one day.

These two approaches can have very different outcomes that can greatly affect you and your family. It is important to try to work together with your family members to find a solution to your problems first, before simply ignoring the problem and hoping that it solves itself one day.

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