Treating Our Family As Good As Strangers
By NancyNY
@NancyNY (11)
United States
January 6, 2008 11:43am CST
Why is it we treat friends and in some cases strangers better than we do our own family. To give you some examples here are a few scenarios:
A father walks into the living room and all the seats are taken by various family members, he then yells at his son "get out of my seat". The same man walks into the same room and a few friends are over and all the seats are taken and he gets another chair from another room and happily sits.
A stranger opens the door for you at the store and you politely thank him. Your husband opens a door for you and you say nothing.
We say please and thank you to strangers or friends, yet are not that polite to the people we love the most.
Can you imagine how much nicer our home life would be if we treated our family as nice as we do the people we don't know or our friends. What an example it would teach our children. Maybe that is what is wrong with our kids today, because they sure are not as respectful as kids used to be. Teaching politeness has to start at home by setting examples for our children.
I know some might disagree with me, but I would sure like to hear from others and what they think about this topic!
1 person likes this
1 response
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
7 Jan 08
I have to say I disagree but listen first please.
My family is my world, there isn't anything I would do and I'd never treat them In such a way. Now, although my brother seems to have forgotten about me and my son I still very much feel I need to avoid how he acts. His partners really to blame, she likes having him to herself which isn't wrong however it is when she needs him 24/7 and gets jelous of a small baby boy.
As for my wife and son, I would dream of sticking them in the "strangers" section of my life.
Kudos,
~Joey
@NancyNY (11)
• United States
7 Jan 08
You are the exception rather than what I see over and over in families I am in contact with. You are doing the right thing, sadly though I see the opposite in families like my son's friends, neighbors etc.
I try very hard to show my own family respect at all times, my husband was raised by a family like I brought up, they are so rude to each other that getting together for holidays was so uncomfortable. We now live 1,000 miles away so it is not an issue anymore.
So keep up the good work and setting an example for your son to be just like his daddy!!!
1 person likes this
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
8 Jan 08
I see it happening too much to.
I think it's sad when it happens, I've always wanted to be close to my family and hate the thought of losing that connection I share with them. It's hard but to many people forget about what they did for us a children, one of my friends left home when he 16 and moved to london. His parents, they were really everything you expected from a loving family and he hated how "supportive" they was, which was one of the reasons why he moved. I don't think there in contact with each other, it's really sad.
^ I hope my son learns that family is important and although we can be a pain, we do have have our best interests in keeping it that way. (I agrue with my parents like everyone else) but I wouldn't forget that they're the most important part in my life, family is that.
Thanks for posting a great discussion! It makes me sad when I see comments about "coke vs pepsi" doing well and ones like this get ignored or few but don't let it get at you :)
