Family Systems

Something that I found most interesting this week in my studies was the fact that families are a system. Each family member impacts and effects the other family members. It is a system kind of like a machine. When one part of the machine is broken then the whole machine is affected by it and might even stop working altogether. Also something else that effects the family is the way heritage whether good or bad that was left for them. Children learn many things from their parents consciously and subconsciously. The way that parents treat each other effects how the child will most likely treat their future spouse. It is really fascinating how interconnected the family is. Everything that happens in someone’s “personal” life effects their family whether or not they like it.

I have seen this work in my own family. The decisions that I make effect my family, the ones that I live with and the ones that I don’t live with. Like the decision that I made to change my major. That of course will affect my future family but it impact my current family as well. When I was trying to decide what I wanted to go into, I talked to my parents and two of my older brothers. They all gave me good advice and shared with me their experiences when they were picking their majors. It helped me to make my decision. That is just a simple example of how or decisions and life effect our families lives as well.

It’s interesting to think that we really will never be alone or be able to make a decision that will not affect somebody we know. We cannot be completely an individual. It’s impossible. God made it that way. I know that the greatest happiness that I have ever found or will find will be in a family. Working together. Laughing together. Loving together. Growing. Learning. Finding ourselves as part of a whole. We are not meant to be alone.