A healthy family is a family where its every member is happy and lives in harmony with its other members. Being a happy family requires great efforts on the side of its members. The main characteristic of a healthy family is the deep commitment to each other. There are a lot of obstacles that can set families apart, for instance, disagreements, problematic children, domestic stress, money issues, and so on. However, when such situations happen, in order to stay a happy family, instead of losing control and falling into despair, all members of the family must stay strong and support each other (Gladding, 2015).
An unhealthy family is a family where at least one of its members is unhappy, as this member always influences the whole family. One of the main characteristics of an unhealthy family is the presence of never-ending conflicts that appear from nowhere and are being resolved for a long time. Misunderstandings are normal in the family life. However, the family members must communicate with each other, respect each other’s opinions, learn to make compromises, and do not hold grudges against each other (Gladding 2015).
The given family is considered an unhealthy family, as one of its members is unhappy and causes problems to other members of the family. In this case, it is a teenage boy. Although it is quite a natural situation, as teenagers are often difficult to handle, I should give the recommendations to the parents to prevent the deterioration of the situation. First, the parents should establish an effective communication with their boy, as the teenagers and their parents often misunderstand each other. The parents should remain calm in a conversation with their boy. They should express empathy, support, and a little humor to show their understanding of their boy’s problems. Then, they should make some kind of an agreement where they make some compromises and give some freedom to their boy, and in return, the boy must respect and follow the family’s rules. It is crucial to make the boy understand that if he violates these rules, continues being aggressive towards his mother, breaking the curfew, and doing poorly at school, he will receive a fair punishment (Novik & Podgórecki, 2015).
References
Gladding, S. T. (2015). The professional counselor’s desk reference (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Novik, N. N., Podgórecki, J. (2015). A model of developing communication skills among adolescents with behavioral problems. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 10(4), 579-587.