What makes a good family? It is the family that sustains its members, supports and
nourishes each other. A strong family unit has to create a good family values, positive
and supportive place for all members to thrive. They are able to utilize resources and
live together in a fairly healthy manner.

The adults in a strong family set the tone. They are the role models that lead by
example. They reach out to friends and community and teach their children the
importance of doing the same. They work together to solve problems, and they pass
their skills on to the next generation. Some important elements of a strong family are
cohesion, flexibility and communication.
Cohesion- In families, cohesion would be defined as the feeling of being loved, of
belonging to the group and being nurtured by it. Although closeness is good in a
family unit, there must be a balance between being together and being separated. A
person must be able to develop their individuality, while being supported by his
family. A few things that bring a family together are the commitment of other family
members and the spending time together.
Flexibility- Flexibility in a family would mean resilience with each member; elastic
in decision makings and workability with each other. We could compare a successful
family to a democracy. There are leaders, but the whole group is involved in the
decision-making process. Although the leaders are in charge all members develop the
ability to cope with stress, and at times they lead. While the family works to avoid
stressful situations, they work together to solve problems, without blaming, criticizing
and finding each other’s fault. Families that tend to have a strong spiritual base seem
to have a sense of well-being that facilitates this working together in times of stress.

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Communication- A lack of communication can rip a family apart and destroy them.
Things that facilitate communication are closeness, flexibility, time spent together
and spirituality. Members of the family must have the freedom to express themselves
freely. Another very important factor is the relationship between the "head" couple.
In a family that is parented by a happily-married couple, people are able to express
themselves more freely. A happy marriage seems to set the tone in the house. It spills
over from the family to the community. A healthy family will reach out to help others.
They do not tend to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Families must be
able to teach their children how to make good decisions. What the children learn
inside the house will to be carried by them. A healthy, happy family benefits our whole
society. With a healthy and strong families, there will be less crime, less divorce and
less emotional problems.

Answer the following questions.
1. What are three things that you’ve found from the text?
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2. Upon reading the text, what two interesting things that you’ve discovered
from it?
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3. What question would ask related to the text?
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4. What particular issue you have discovered from the text?
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