Family...

Time for a buoyant dose of family...first a short visit to Mary and Jess in Melbourne and then Hubby’s mum is coming for a week and a half....Riannon is on school holidays and Jenni is back from Adelaide...Dian pops over to borrow pizza trays and Andreas cooks a mean bbq... good times. It’s always nice to connect, share and have time for family. In this fragile world and amidst the chaos we have seen in recent months I am very aware of the preciousness of this. So many trains of thought have debunked the family and its way of life....feminists have seen family as promoting standard gender roles and that families in general only serve to promote a patriarchal society....Marxism has had its say about how the family helps to maintain class differences in society as the rich can afford to give their children a better start in life than the poor; many researchers in esteemed fields (such as psychology, anthropology, and of course sociology) have expressed concern that the (nuclear) family can indeed have a dark side. A major issue for concern and a significant possible cause of negativity in the family has been ascribed to the increased isolation of the over-idealized nuclear family; it's become very much introvert and separate from the outer world…. On the other hand members of the New Right have promoted how family is the ‘cornerstone of society’, and yet they are only willing to accept nuclear families as valid ones……the same ones that apparently afford a sense of isolation….. Personally my experience is that a family consists of a group of caring individuals ( who often take many forms, same sex parents, step-parents, ‘Brady Bunch’ families, single parents and even no parents)…who share their journeys in an inclusive and supportive way…they are full of differences and there is nothing nuclear about them when they function well because they are often bringing new members into them and expanding their collective horizons…there is no set format for them and they do not promote a patriarchal or matriarchal hierarchy but rather an inclusive and equal one…the only thing one family will always have in common with another is the existence of unconditional love…without this, a family ceases to be just that…..and in my experience where there is this sort of love, individuals blossom and the world becomes a better place for it!! Don’t misunderstand…all people who have children together do not belong to this thing called family, this is not enough to constitute family, and family can consist of members who have been enfolded into their heart without the ties of DNA, family is about love…non-judgment and the joy of sharing…family is a safe place to be yourself…and a place where advice comes with real affection, a place of warmth, respect and genuine interest in each other, family is patient, its full of hugs and cuddles and it takes the time to listen….and most important of all, family forgives. For all of the above, I am grateful for my wonderful little family! There is no joy greater than sharing with them!