Family.
We all have them. And they are all so different.
I have been blessed with an amazing family.
This is my dad with me and my siblings on his back…a long time ago LOL. My parents just left yesterday after coming out for almost a week to free me to work on edits for two August 1st deadlines. They sent me flowers ahead of time to thank me for letting them come!
Did I mention I’m blessed?
But not everybody is so fortunate. They didn’t grow up with loving parents in a secure home. They didn’t receive hugs freely as a kid to have them to give to their kids. They didn’t hear that they were treasured by God from an early age.
Experiencing that marked me. It made me the woman I am today.
Not hearing or experiencing that is just as scarring. It makes people who they are.
So think about your characters…what’s their family like? Are their parents married? Divorced? Were they an only child or surrounded by siblings? Did their family have money? Were things hand to mouth? Did they grow up in a family with parents who led them to God? Or did their parents give them a warped image of God? Those questions matter because the answers change how they will respond to the life and challenges you’re giving them today.
So what about you? Was your family more functional…or dysfunctional?
Comments 2
My parents were wonderful, gave my brother & I a secure, happy childhood. They are gone now, so it’s my brother & me. He lives in FL, I live in MD. He has been through so much! He moved to FL for his wife, who divorced him after he had a 7 heart bypass. In addition to that, he had kidney failure, going to dialysis 3 days a week, not on the transplant list yet… He had blood work done last week & indicates cancer. He is only 53! He won’t move home because his daughters, who live with him, ages 11 & 9, would be made to stay in FL by their Mother… I just want to hug him, take care of him, I don’t want him to go through this alone… It tears me up inside. I know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but I don’t know how much more he can take… Please pray for him? Sorry, you don’t have to post this… I guess I needed to express how I feel to someone… Thank you.
I had some dysfunction in my family, but the one thing I had in abundance was a mother who taught me about the Bible, God’s love and Jesus very early. And she was a voracious reader of good books, so I was, too. My dad was functionally illiterate but very smart, so I grew up with a huge desire to help others learn.
It really does shape you into the person you are as a grown up. And it can prepare you for some hard things, too. I grew up really tough and independent with a fierce desire to protect others. 🙂