Close-Knit Families: A Case Study [Teen Article]

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Kelsey is a crazy 17-year-old from Franklin, TN. She loves writing, acting, and hanging out with friends. Her favorite subject is English and she hopes to teach it herself when she gets older. Close-Knit Families: A Case Study

Objective:

To determine the characteristics which set apart and contribute to closely-knit families.

Method:

1) Find a closely-knit family.
2) From an insider’s perspective, study the selected family’s habits and inner workings.

Findings: [These findings are based on the case-study of my own immediate family, which
has successfully remained close since 1981.]
It appears that no one specific trait or characteristic can be pinned down as
the sole cause of a tight familial bond. Rather, there seem to be several
contributing factors.
A – Traditions. Traditions give families something to share, something constant that
they have in common and can look forward to; whether it’s caroling together
every Christmas, or carving Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.
B – Chores. Some families hire other people to do house and lawn work for them.
This may be more efficient in some cases, but doing the work as a family
instead gives each member a feeling of responsibility as well as a valuable work
ethic.
C – Weekly Family Night. Kids may try to get out of this one. Parents might, as
well, at first. But it has been proven over the years to provide families
with great enjoyment. Have a short lesson or activity, some games, and
dessert. Invite other families to join in. Just schedule one night per week to
spend together.
D – Shared Activities. These bring families together through the common interest
and support they uncover. Share one activity to always participate in as a
family, or at least support each individual in their separate activities by
attending each event as a family. A common spirituality or religion, for
example, is very family-friendly.
E – Dinner as a family. Gives the family some time to converse and get to know
each other.
F – Talking. Be open and honest with family members. Talk about daily activities,
events, and feelings. Talk about surprises. Talk about school and about work.

These are my findings after seventeen years of living within the walls of a very closely-knit family. Some methods may differ from unit to unit, but for the most part these factors listed may be considered universal. Experiment within your own family to reach the happiest medium.