UNL For Families

Kathy Bosch, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences
College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska

Families are the basic unit of our society. Families are important to our communities, schools, government and parts of life. However, many families have difficulty functioning in a healthy mode. It takes work to make a family work. It just doesn’t happen automatically. It is essential that each adult in the family system, regardless of how your family is comprised, takes time to nurture each individual family member and the family as a whole. Ask yourself some important questions such as:

--Do I spend enough time with my partner?
--Do I spend enough time with my children?
--Am I taking care of myself so I can care for those I love?
--Am I doing the best job possible as a parent?
--Am I caring for and nurturing my spouse or partner?
--Do others in my family know I love and care for them?
--Am I finding an appropriate balance between work and personal life?

Each person must answer these questions and will answer them differently. What is OK for me, might not be OK for you. But it’s important to gauge how things are going by the others in your family. Do things seem to be going well? How is communication between you? Ask others if their needs are being met. It’s a mistake to think you can read another’s mind.

The University of Nebraska has an UNL For Families website packed with ideas and information about parenting and family life education.

Tab into this web site and learn about specific topics of interest to help you with partner relationships, communicating with families and friends and parenting issues.

Back to Family Strengths page

Updated Jan. 3, 2007
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