Treat your family as you do your friends

The characters mean harmony of family. The small characters on the right say "Harmony of family will make everything great".

Conflict can easily occur in any close-knit family. It can have disastrous consequences that weaken the family. We lose as an individual, and we lose as a family member when there is a conflict in the family.

As an adult, I reflect all of my childhood experiences and the very close bond I had with my brother. All youngsters have a period in which they announce: "When I grow up I am going to be different from this or that relative." Then when they grow up, they become exactly like that relative. The family is never static. Children grow up, parents grow older. Siblings get married and change due to a variety of reasons. Adjustments means the acceptance of a fact of life.

My father always preached empathy to me. I believe it is easier to get along with other people when we have some conception of what they, themselves, are feeling and experiencing.

We should not be afraid to face our family problems. Hiding them does not make them go away. In fact, they become larger and more difficult to handle. We need honesty and the willingness to open up emotions. We shouldn't let embarrassment, pride or self-isolation keep us and our family from achieving true family happiness.

It's my personal belief that one good way to insure the healthy family integration is to play, pray or at least dine together as a family. It is not the particular type of activity that matters, it is the bringing together of the family and the striving for a common goal that are important.

My family: Hon, ACE, Dad, Mum, Bro Ben and his wife