An Unattainable Dream: An Ideal Family

                By Vic Odarve

Even though all families can be robust and healthy, only a few appear to have it "together," while others appear to fight to keep their own. An ideal family is a caring environment in which happy and loving parents and socially and academically successful children bind the members together. The members of the family share pleasurable experiences and work together as a unit, while the parents resolve conflicts constructively through efficient communication. However, only a few succeeded in the real world; for others, an ideal family remains a dream and imagination.

A perfect family remains an elusive dream

 In an ideal family, parents, as prime movers, must provide comfort and emotionally fulfill all members. They must be cheerful and loving and spend positive time together with the kids, building their wonderful feelings and relationship in the process. Talking, planning, and working on certain things together builds strong family ties. Since every individual is unique and disagreements arise, conflicts must be dealt with constructively. Effective communication provides an emotional and sound environment.

Outstanding family results in a well-knitted and strong child-parent relationship bonded together by love. They look at their parents as models. They should love each other as much as their father loves their mother. They learn how their parents do everything to keep the family connected and bonded together; how activities are managed and controlled to make the world go around harmoniously.

An ideal family is like a beautiful sunset of Mayana

But in married life, it is not always a picture of beautiful sunsets; sometimes the journey is rough, and temptation abounds along the way. When I visited a friend of mine a few days ago, his family seemed perfect; a beautiful home with three kids, beautiful cars of the latest model, a beautiful wife managing good company; everything, as it would appear, was perfect. And he was just promoted to an executive in a big company; his career is in high gear. But after spending a weekend with them, I noticed their family was not a happy one. There seemed to be a feeling of disunity among them. The negative attitude of the children was clear, as was the insecurity of love, etc. The wholesome relationship was obviously missing an ingredient that could not be replaced by all their material possessions and professional accomplishments.

A happy moment

Sometimes couples’ relationship and life satisfaction set off to their lowest point; turning sour, humiliation, distress, troubling, sleepless nights, and, if not well attended, ending in divorce and separation. Even kings, princes, and celebrities in our society separate from their wives or husbands one after the other. In 1527, King Henry VIII of England, after feeling dissatisfaction with giving birth to his wife, a son, separated from his wife Catherine and married Anne Boleyn. This act was not approved by Rome and, after years of conflicting views, England established their own Anglican Church. There are celebrities, too, that have been very successful in their careers, but not so successful in their marriages. One of them is the famous Elizabeth Taylor, who has taken sacred vows eight times and still finds the ideal family elusive.

Henceforth, for several people, the search for the ideal family exists only in their imagination. The commitment of love and dedication for husband and wife and children is simply out of the spectrum; numerous culprits wreak havoc on the relationship, which finally leads to an ugly end... to divorce and separation. When parents separate, it creates a great pain in the whole family, but as time passes, children learn to adjust and understand that family life is not at all ideal!

                                  THANKS FOR WATCHING.