A family almost made me cry tonight — not because they did anything wrong or bad — but because of the love I saw they had for each other.
Most families tend to depress me when I observe them. The dynamics I see — between husband and wife, between parents and children — frequently range from shocking meanness to simple indifference. (I’m never sure which is worse.) Sometimes the man is a sullen bully. Sometimes the woman is a bitter complainer who’s eager to criticize everyone.
There are dozens of variations. The worst are the ones in which you can see confusion and fear in the faces of the younger children — and cynical copies of their parents in the older children.
I see so many families which are some version of this, where the ugly realities of choices they’ve made have left them resentful and hollow at best. They’re people who seem defeated by life — and who are determined to take out their frustrations on the people they live with. Because I see this so often, it makes me happy to see something which appears emotionally healthy and positive.
I can force child to obey me, but obedience comes with high cost
THE McELROY ZOO: Meet Emily, the cat who sleeps on top of me
What kind of hypocrite gives advice but won’t practice what he preaches?
We’re neither friends nor enemies, just strangers who share the past
‘This path leads to somewhere I think I can finally say, I’m home’
When love finally dies, it’s like a fever breaks and the pain is gone
Emptiness can bring panic that feels like being stalked by fear
Media and mass hysteria lead us into madness of celebrity worship
Should I become prophet of doom or fade quietly into the darkness?