Family Strengths

In our discussion on what makes a family strong, I kept asking myself, does this really apply to me? Being from a divorced family, I often find myself looking in the past when my parents were together when I think about "my family." When my parents were together, my mom was always the take charge parent and did anything and everything she could for my brother and I. Even though we were the nuclear family before the divorce, I think my mom and I have a stronger "family" now that it's just the two of us. It was like my mom was already the head of the household when my parents were together. It was an easy transition for us as a family when they did get divorced. My mom and I spend more time together and we enjoy each others company more than ever.

I have particular interest in the coping with stress characteristic. Over the past year my dad was diagnosed with cancer. After my parents divorce, they would occasional spend time together, but there was a strong sense of detachment from my mom towards my dad. After my dad's diagnosis, my mom really stepped up to the plate. While I have worked hard to take care of my father, my mom is the person that has helped me the most. Even though my parents are no longer married, it is very clear to me that we still function as a family. Without my mom's care and support, my dad and I would have suffered tremendously.