What makes a strong and resilient family – what are they, how do they work?
***Key Points***
Strong families have children who grow up feeling safe and secure have the confidence to be themselves and find out who they are.
Strong family relationships include: warmth, care and positive attention; good communication; an environment that is dependable; and good relationships with other family members.
***Key Points***
***Love, time and relationships***
Showing love, warmth and affection can be achieved by: spending quality time together, physical touch [hugs], smiles and praise, telling them you love them and positive communication. This can result in the child having a more positive experience learning about the world, they tend to develop better relationships with friends and other important people in their life and have less conflict.
Relationships can be strengthened by using good communication about both positive and negative things. This can demonstrate to children that it is okay to talk about feelings like embarrassment as well as positive things that have happened. The parents are the role models with good communication, children will learn from how adults around them communicate.
A dependable family environment may include things such as routines and family rules. Children feel safe and secure when they can anticipate what will happen at home and what to expect of each day.
Children can develop a strong sense of self when they develop good relationships and connections with other people such as extended family members, neighbours or others in the community. Having a good support network can be good for the whole family.
***Love, time and relationships***
REFERENCES:
Raising Children Network – Strong families, what they are how they work
Roadmap for reform: Strong families, Safe children
