Landing in a good spot in life is a very fortunate thing. So many are thrust into unfortunate situations. Watching children being raised in a stable environment is so comforting to observe.

I’m no expert but I feel the pressures on families now are greater than when my generation raised families in the 80s and 90s. While many challenges are the same. Childcare is costly and almost takes away the incentive for both to work. We tried something that wasn’t ideal but work where we worked different shifts for several years. That has downsides also and it’s not for everyone. And not available for every career path.

Also there seems to be far more financial pressure on the middle and lower income now. Jobs are probably in the most difficult to predict where the future skills and opportunities will specifically lay. Even if you’re lucky enough to get retrained in something, it could be an upheaval for many.

Broken families come in many different forms and ways. There can be illness, passings, divorce, or just disfunction. A lot of us have seen the devastating effects of any one of those.

Children are always the unfortunate victims. Some survive fine. Some repress things for decades. Some develop the same traits of disfunction in their own relationships later on. And some lucky ones just don’t have the latest games or clothes in their childhood but are smart enough to know that doesn’t make happiness.

There is no perfect family. There are a lot of people working for it and that is all you can do. Each day you’re reminded it’s going to take an incredible effort and even with that, some things go wrong. Things you might not have control over like health of a family member.

Some families will fracture and splinter. Some elements will float like a solar system and make infrequent appearances. All will have different lives and experiences. Some will want regular hugs and handshakes. Some will want to be held at arms distance. Some will put great distances between you and their voice is what you get. And unfortunately, some will disappear.

Sometimes that is better for the rest of the family. And the remaining family members continue to pull strength from each other.

Time doesn’t heal all, but I have seen time help families mend. And that is a pretty good thing to witness.

A good family never stops being a good family. Even in the tough times. Especially in the tough times.