Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn't listening.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Decades of research have shown that most happy families communicate effectively. But talking doesn't mean simply 'talking through problems,' as important as that is. Talking also means telling a positive story about yourselves.
When you look at a family, if you have a family that never interacts with each other, never has strong conversation with each other, never has disagreements, nine times out of ten you have a very cold family and they're not going to be, at the end, they're not going to be close.
Families need to have a time when they can cook together. They can eat at the table and you can look eye-to-eye. Phones are put away and there are no interruptions. And what you do is concentrate on each other. Listen to what they have to say, and let them listen to you.
Strange about parents. We have such easy access to them and such daunting problems of communication.
We're a very close family and we're a very real family, and I think every real family has real problems.
Everybody's family has problems.
When there's trouble in a family, it tends to show up in the weakest member. And all the other members of the family know that. They make allowances for the one in trouble.
Every family is dysfunctional, whether you want to admit it or not.
Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve the problem rather than finding the truth in what the person is saying.
I feel that if a person has problems communicating the very least he can do is to shut up.