The ABCs of family

Title: The ABCs of family
Artwork by: YMI X Jasmin Lacay (@jasmot_illustrations)
Description: Picture-perfect families are the realm of social media posts. In reality, all families are flawed, and there’s nothing like being cooped up in close quarters with them 24/7 to magnify and highlight our quirks as tempers flare and feathers are ruffled.  

But we can still use this time to strengthen our bonds and cherish our imperfect families. After all, Scripture says we’re to “make effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). 

Here are 7 lessons, one for each day of the week, that we can adopt. And guess what, they’re as easy as ABC!

Share this project with that sibling (or siblings) you can’t live without, or show your love for your parentals in the comments below!

#InternationalDayofFamilies

We all have that annoying sibling (or siblings) who’s busy pulling pranks or borrowing items without permission. Or maybe it’s the reverse, and we’re the annoying ones. But when they try to make amends, how willing are we to forgive them? And if it’s the other way around, are we sensitive enough to know when we’ve hurt them?

A broken window caused by a carelessly aimed ball, the missing cookies that were meant for after-dinner treats. In moments like these, who better to blame than your butter-won’t-melt-in-his-mouth brother? But at the same time, you know he’ll be the first to defend you if someone’s ganging up on you, or mum is chewing your ear off for something you’ve done. These complicated family dynamics are what make family life.

Parents can sometimes be hard-to-please, and it might often seem like they’re more interested in criticizing our every decision, instead of providing constructive feedback. But their comments are usually from a good place—they care for us. And in turn, we too can watch our response to them, choosing words that edify, instead of ones that might spark heated arguments.

The sisters who could not be miles apart in their fashion tastes and hobbies. One’s the girly-girl, while the other is happier in jeans. No two individuals are alike, and being from the same family doesn’t mean every member has to like or enjoy the same things. Instead of teasing our siblings for their “weird” tastes, we can support and celebrate our uniqueness.

Goofing up in front of siblings would probably mean providing them more fodder for their teasings. But embarrassing moments are part of daily life, and instead of avoiding those situations, we can embrace them. These lighthearted occasions make for good memories to reminisce over in the future.

Zoom meetings that sound like a shouting match is happening (but it’s just a bad wi-fi connection), parents nagging about us leaving our things lying around. Life with our family members can be especially frustrating when we’re confined in a tiny space, but these are difficult times that we’re all going through, so being patient and ready to forgive will go a long way in maintaining harmony at home.

Whether it’s the family member who enjoys piling their unwashed dishes in the sink, or the one who’s notorious for using up the toilet paper without replacing it, these little inconveniences are enough to turn anyone into Oscar the grouch. But beneath the grumbles, we know they’ll still be the ones to stick with us through thick and thin, so we give in and wash the dishes or change the toilet paper for the umpteenth time anyway. After all, isn’t that what family’s all about?