6 Dr. Joyce Brothers Quotes on Family

Dr. Joyce Brothers quotes on family

5. When you look at your life the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.

24. Strong families use the word 'we' a lot, but 'I' is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on their own, even if the direction is one that 'we' have never followed before. The family message is, 'We're behind you, so you can be you.'

25. While parents are naturally in a leadership role, strong families strive to share decision-making. They resolve differences by respecting other viewpoints and accepting compromise solutions.

26. In strong families, positive strokes out-number negative broadsides by a wide margin. Members regularly express appreciation: 'Thanks for fixing the drainpipe.' 'You look so nice in that dress.' 'The dinner was great.' Criticism is offered gently. After all, strong families figure, if we can be kind to strangers, why not to one another?

27. Strong families value their extended family, particularly grandparents. In one study of college students, a majority thought their interactions with grandparents reflected high family strengths. It's important to create continuity between generations, passing along traditions and making roots ever stronger, so the tree continues to reach for the sun.

28. Religious belief, trust, a sense of connection to the universe - no matter what you call it, there is a spiritual component to strong families. They see their lives as imbued with purpose, reflected in the things they do for one another and the community. Small problems provide a chance to grow; large ones are a lesson in courage. A mother whose son died of a brain tumor bravely returned to the hospital where he had died in order to set up a research fund. When she saw the parents of children who currently were suffering, she told her son's doctor: 'If any research you do produces any advance, my son's passing won't have been totally without purpose.' It takes a certain type of spiritual grace to see beyond one's own misery to the needs of others. Strong families try to live so they can look outward - and inward - every single day.