Had a
wonderful weekend with my family and friends. One full day BBQ for my
daughter’s 40th birthday and
a bank holiday ‘girls’ shopping expedition. It is so wonderful to be in the
company of my family as the family is the one place you can be yourself and
feel loved and supported unconditionally.
All through
my long career as a Health Visitor, I was privileged to be invited into the
homes of a variety of families and extended families and I value the importance
of a good family. I have supported and advised families on a myriad of subjects
and have been a small part in their successes and shared in their sad
experiences. In all of these situations
I am reminded of the importance of communication as a lack of communication is
often the cause and effect of breakdowns and negative experiences.
A child in one
of these families was demonstrating problems with her behavior and I had asked
the mother to keep a diary so that we could identify problems and techniques.
As an alternative to a written diary, the mother had used a cassette to record
events but one day had inadvertently left it recording. When she played back the
recording she realised how often this child had been speaking to her or had tried
to gain her attention and the mother had not heard her. This had not been done deliberately,
but the mother was amazed how often the child had unintentionally been ignored.
Needless to say, the situation was reversed, and as the communication improved,
her behavior also improved.
How we interpret the meaning of the spoken
word can cause misunderstandings and further hurt if further communication is
not used in order to clarify or voice hurts. One of my daughters recently
attempted to reassure me about a situation in her life but I had interpreted
her justification quite differently and it had not reassured me but had the
opposite effect of reinforcing my original concerns. Thankfully this was sorted
out a few weeks later as it had started to form a barrier between us.
So in my
written communication, I celebrate the true meaning of family, with all its positive and negative aspects, its support, its
blessings and most of all, its continuing unconditional love. We don’t choose our family but
I am so happy and privileged to have the one I have now.