How Much Do You Talk With Your Family?

May is often called a family month in Korea. This is because there are
several days related to families such as Childrens day and Parents day. Despite
having these events that remind us of what a family really means, people have no
time to talk with family. A recent newspaper article demonstrates that, according to a
survey conducted by the Korean online job portal in 2016, only three out of ten office
workers have intimate conversations with their family (Kim). The majority of workers
who did this survey are lacking in family communication since all family members are
busy and tired. Although they recognize the importance of communication with
family as far as it goes, it seems difficult for them to gather and to exchange the
words. But strong communication is one of the most important pieces to complete
the puzzle of any familys happiness. And this interaction affects family members
positively in many ways more than we think.
One of the beneficial things derived from effective communication is that it
helps children to build up a good relationship in society. To begin with, children will
know that it is important to listen carefully. While they wait until the speaker finishes
to think and pay attention to what he or she says, they will be an attentive listener.
Furthermore, they can learn how to speak to others with empathy. Sometimes their
family may discuss their concerns. When they participate in this situation, children
need to be thoughtful speakers and express how they sympathize with that matter.
As the family is a social connection children establish for the first time, how well they
communicate with family leads to how well they do so in the society. In addition, how
parents communicate also has effect on how their children improve their social skills.

Some studies show that the quality of parents communication can affect childrens
problem-solving skills (Goodman, Barfoot, Frye, & Belli, 1999) as well as childrens
ability to relate with peers (Burleson, Delia, & Applegate, 1995).
Besides, an active conversation forms tight bonds with the members of a
family. It encourages all family members to share their thoughts and feelings. It
does not mean that they express them without control but shows that they are
respected and their relationship is based on trust. When they feel respected, they
are willing to talking about what they are going through and it will pull down an
invisible wall between them. Since people regard their individual lives as important,
they hardly have a talk about what is going on. At last, many families grow apart and
this deserves the lack of communication. In the end, it will create distance and trust
issues. On the other hand, the stronger family ties with positive and meaningful
conversation will provide more opportunities to create an interaction. The interaction
enhances life satisfaction of each one in the family. In detail, persons within
households with stronger family ties are considerably more content with life than
persons who have limited interaction with family (Lelkes, 2006).
Also, communication in the family has a lot of positive impacts on health.
Firstly, strong family communication can reduce the childrens risks for obesity.
Families who routinely engage in positive forms of direct communication and show
genuine concern about each other's activities also have children who are less likely
to be overweight or obese, or engage in unhealthy eating habits (Czaja, Hartmann,
Rief, & Hilbert, 2011; Fiese et al., 2012; Jacobs & Fiese, 2007; cited in Fiese and
Bost, 100). Secondly, communication causes the family to keep interacting and the
interaction plays a key role in mental wellbeing. For example, a study on social

relationships and depression shows that the quality of social relationships such as
family is a main factor that can increase the risk of depression (Teo, Choi, &
Valenstein, 2013). Moreover, the ways of family communications and the methods in
which the family members express their ideas and feelings are considered to be one
of the most significant factors that influence the psychological health of family
members and their functions (Noller and Fitzpatrick, 1993; cited in Koerner and
Fitzpatrick, 2002).
To summarize, the family whose members communicate well can develop
social traits and skills they will need for their future. Secondly, the intimacy among
the family members thrives on healthy communication by say what is ding to them
and how they feel about it. It is also likely that family communication is somewhat
related to physical and mental health. In conclusion, each family has its distinctive
characteristics such as religion, lifestyle, tradition and others. However, one thing
that all families have in common is a desire to be happy. In terms of various
advantages that the family communication has, it is necessary to keep in mind the
significance of communication with family and to make effort to have conversation
continuously.

Reference
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