To the best of my knowledge credit for this goes to Dolores Curran (1993)
The 15 most commonly found traits in healthy families:
- The healthy family communicates and listens
- The healthy family affirms and supports
- The healthy family teaches respect for others
- The healthy family develops a sense of trust
- The healthy family has a sense of play and humour
- The healthy family shares responsibility
- The healthy family teaches right and wrong
- The healthy family has a strong sense of kinship with many traditions
- The healthy family has a balance of interaction
- The healthy family has a shared religious core
- The healthy family respects the privacy of one another
- The healthy family values service to others
- The healthy family fosters family table time and conversations
- The healthy family shares leisure time
- The healthy family admits to problems and seeks help
Dave and I have one more item to add to this list. Obviously a healthy family is one in which God is at the centre.