All this talk about family

"Thanks Paul, for the well wishes," Esther wrote on my FB wall post. "I had fun at BLR with my family.. :)"

We hear a lot of talk about "family" these days. Politicians talk about "family values." A lady I'd interviewed spoke about "wanting to spend more time with her family." We excuse behaviour we would otherwise not tolerate with the all-forgiving comment, "Well, they're family."

Family represents a sense of belonging. It feels that if we can fit into our family, we can fit into the world. The more impersonal, complex and overwhelming the world gets, we turn to our family for comfort and belonging.

The other side of the coin is this: if members of our family - those who presumably know us best and care the most, are critical, then who will love us?

From left: Ben and Fab