North York Central Library Blog

February 18th is Family Day and families are interesting groups of related people with different and dynamic personalities.  Whether one creates, joins, or is born into a new family, everyday is an emotional adventure.  Today, there are many new and different types of families available and a matching number of challenges each family type faces.

The manner in which people connect with their kin can be arbitrarily grouped into three simple categories:

The Good

Ideally, we would all want to have perfect families where everybody gets along with each other and be as happy as The Brady Bunch.  Alice would be downstairs in the kitchen preparing meals, vacuuming the livingroom, or folding sheets in the laundry room.  The Brady mom and dad are free to work and mentor their six children. 

For the the rest of us in less than ideal circumstances (with no home assistance), here are some titles that may keep family life running well:

Building better families

The kids grow up

7 Habits of highly effective families

The Challenging 

Family life does not always run as smoothly as portrayed on television.  Today's social and financial challenges increase the stress in work and home environments.  Margaret Mead adds,

Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do.  With no relatives, no support, we've put it in an impossible situation. 

~Margaret Mead from The Quote Garden.

Raising a family is no easy feat yet most families succeed and do quite well.  Good communication is key in establishing trust to face and endure life's challenges. The following titles offer some useful guidance:

In good times & bad

Realistically ever after

Healing from family rifts

. . . and 'the meh'

Raising a family is fulfilling for many but may not be suitable for everyone.  For those who choose to remain single, childfree or both, perhaps being a relative or friend is sufficient.  The titles may interest this particular group:

Childfree and loving it!

Two is enough

Going solo

Enjoy your February moments with friends, family, or alone with good plans for Spring!