Things to Consider of Your Growing and Changing Family

With the passage of time, the needs of our families change and grow. With the addition of the first child, families learn to accommodate the round-the-clock needs of a tiny human being: and as the baby grows to be a school-aged child, we learn to balance the needs of a young child with the need to grant moderate independence. We strive to teach our children problem solving, the value of good decisions and being trustworthy, in addition to the need to be true to themselves. We watch our families grow and change and must recognize the need to adapt and grow in order to meet the needs of a transitioning family.

Ages and Stages

As our families grow, quite logically, their needs grow as well. Caring for a newborn is far more work intensive than caring for an 8-year-old. Although both require supervision, the kind and amount of supervision needed are different. On that same note, caring for an elderly relative will have different demands and requirements than caring for an 8-year-old. As time passes, needs change and it is up to us to gracefully adapt and adjust.

When the Work is Done

Change is a constant thing. Often we are caught off guard by all the changes that time creates and we don't know what to do. Take, for example, a couple that has just sent their youngest child off to college, they find themselves alone as a couple for the first time in many years. Although they've been together for a long time, it may be a bit awkward navigating coupledom without the presence of children. They may be forced to rekindle that part of their relationship all over again.

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Emerging Relationships

One positive benefit of the changes and transitions that families experience is the new relationships that can be formed with family members. Perhaps in the past, the type of relationship possible now, would have been inappropriate due to age or other limiting circumstances. With the possibility of new ways to relate to one another and spend time together, there is a new element of excitement. Perhaps now Dad can go quail hunting south carolina with his son, are now mom can take a road trip and share driving duties with her daughter. The possibilities are endless.

As time passes we may feel the desire to hold on or be resistant to change, but it is in letting go and adapting to the changing needs of our families that what's best, is actively cultivated. Say yes to change.