Your Family's Health - What You Probably Don't Know

The basic unit of structure and function in society is the family. Within the embrace of the family, individuals are nurtured, develop identity and form values and beliefs that will become the basis of their actions and decisions later on in life. Social skills as well as lessons about health and wellness all start with the family. They are also an individual's primary means of support during personal upheavals and major setbacks in the life of an individual. Family health plays a large role in a person's state of physical and mental health. Wright and Leahey (2000) outline the five functions of family that promote the health of both the individual and the family. These are: 1) management, 2) boundary setting, 3) communication, 4) education and support and 5) socialization. Adults assume the responsibility of allocating resources and setting rules as well as planning for the future. The role of adults and children in the family are determined by boundary setting. Meaningful communication is a mark of healthy families. Precise, honest and meaningful communication is crucial to family health. A physically, emotionally and socially healthy life is developed through education while manifesting love and affection is the hallmark of cohesive family support among its members. Socialization is the family's function of transmitting culture and acceptable behaviors and norms that an individual needs to function and integrate well into the world. Confronted with setbacks, troubles and distress whether in the form of illness, job loss of the breadwinner, strained relationships or death, the family needs to rely on each other in order to cope and handle the situation effectively. When they are unable to do so, emotional withdrawal, physical distancing or physiologic manifestations in the form of illness occurs in one or all members of the family. Most cases of addiction and alienation are the results of a family's lack of time and communication with each other. The busy and hectic schedules brought about by the demands of school and career of children and their parents, respectively, have made family communication almost non-existent. This has caused kids to turn to peers, food or other substances for comfort and coping. Parents, then, must initiate moves to promote family health. Communication lines can be opened through spending mealtimes together and doing physical activities and games together as a family. This does not only promote family bonds and wellbeing but each member's individual physical health as well. And this kind of communication starts when kids are still young enough to consider everything parents say as the law. When started early enough, spending mealtimes together only becomes a matter of habit. The same also goes for setting strict television and computer hours and making exercise a fun part of weekend times together. For healthy family functioning, all the five functions mentioned above must be fulfilled. When adults in the family manage the finances and plan the future well, when boundaries are set, when communication is encouraged, when education and support are nurtured and when socialization is effective, a family becomes truly fit and healthy.

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