Talking About Family

Do you look more like your mum or dad? What about when they were the same age as you – are you the spitting image of them? You could look more like your mum, but take after your dad, or you could be like chalk-and-cheese. They say blood is thicker than water, meaning family is most important.

Some of us have big families with many brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins, and some even have great grandparents. Some of us don’t! You might be an only child from a small family, so you didn’t argue with your siblings about something – no matter how small – when you were growing up. And because you were the only child, you might have been spoiled.

How often does your family have a family get-together? It depends on whether your family lives in the same area or is scattered around the country or world. Usually it takes something special like a wedding, christening, or a sadder event like a funeral to bring the whole family together – a time when you have to put things aside if you don’t see eye-to-eye with some of your relatives.

But these get-togethers are also a time to reminisce about the good ol’ days, and for you to see those family members who you get on well with, but never find the time to meet.

Childhood & Upbringing

Talking of the good ol’ days, do you look back on your upbringing with fond memories? I do. I remember during the summer my grandparents looking after me and spending time at their house, which was in a different area of my town.

They weren’t strict, but one set of grandparents were less strict than the others, so I could get away with more when I was at their house. Plus, one of the areas my grandparents lived in was also where many of my classmates lived, so it was a chance for us to grow up with each other, mucking/messing about outside.

In England we don’t always use the words “my grandfather” and “my grandmother” – they can sound quite formal. We have different names like nanny, nan, grandma and for grandfather we have grandpa and granddad. I actually used to call one grandmother “nan” and the other “grandma”. Weird, eh?

Different Family Situations

I was lucky growing up. My mum and dad were together and I had both sets of grandparents around who could take care of me if I was ill or my parents were away. But not everyone was lucky.

I had friends from single-parent families and broken homes, and a few cases where their dad – and in one case their mum – walked out on them when they were young, leaving the other parent to look after them and be the breadwinner.

Some of those mums found love again and their kids got a step-dad and some step-brothers and step-sisters. As we get older, we start our own families and need to decide how we will bring up our children.

Bringing Up Children & Family Traditions

Is it OK to smack a child if they keep misbehaving? Do we let them make their own mistakes even if we made the same mistake before? And how much pressure should we put on them when it comes to family traditions?

If being a doctor runs in the family, should parents push their children to keep this tradition going? One thing is for sure: you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family – and at times like this, they need you.