Your Family and Your Personality

Consideration. There are times in everyone’s life when he realizes that someone in his family is very consider­ate of him. When this happens to you, what do you do about it? You might stop and wonder whether you have done as much to help your mother, father, or brother. It is wise to remind yourself that everyone in your family wants to be treated the way you do. Their feelings are like yours and they need the same kindness and under­standing you need. You can see the wisdom in treating people with the same consideration you would like from them.

Growing with your family. During your early teens you are beginning to enjoy new interests and activities. You may find that your interests are changing but that those of your par­ents and brothers and sisters are not.

When these differences become noticeable, you may find that you have to find new ways of understanding the other members of your family. They, in turn, have to find new ways of un­derstanding you.

One of your new interests is prob­ably an increased desire for indepen­dence and self-reliance. Because this feeling of growing independence is a new one, your parents may disagree with some of the responsibilities you want to assume. You should try to have patience and exercise self-control in your attempts to show your inde­pendence.

As you become more and more in­dependent you will find that conflicts are most likely to occur in four areas. They are disagreements over spending money, outside activities and social life, time spent doing schoolwork, and clothes. These disagreements do no one any good and should be eliminated by talking about conflicts and by respect­ing others’ points of view.

Sometimes you can confide in adult friends outside your home. Your teach­ers, your pastor, or a counselor may be
a good person to confide in.

As you talk with your parents and friends about differences of opinion, you will find that you and they will reach a deeper understanding of each other’s wishes and needs. This process helps you to grow up and makes the path of growing up less troublesome than if you walked it alone.