When it comes to parenting and having healthy family relationships, a lot of families tend to struggle with it. We are currently living in a time where millennial children are being brought up by Generation X and Baby Boomer parents. Millennials are becoming very accepting of other people, and more motivated to make their own decisions and step outside of the norm. The Generation X parents were raised by Baby Boomers and above, which makes them more conservative and non-accepting of different people and also less likely to undergo changes and do things outside of the norm. This is where the problems start to arise in families because of the differences in how they go about living and making decisions.
One family that tends to understand the generational differences between the parents and children is the Smith family. (Will, Jada, Jaden, and Willow). They are a great example of a healthy family relationship that we should all take a few notes from.
They allow their children to become their own individuals and support them throughout it.
From a very young age, Jada and Will have allowed their children to make their own decisions and allowed them to figure out who they want to be. Yes, their children have gone off to do some unusual things. But, in whatever they did, they were supportive of anything they wanted to do. They mentioned in an interview that they do this to let the children experience the consequences of their actions on their own. Parents should take after this and allow their children to experiment and figure out the person they are becoming while supporting and accepting their decisions.
They set out time in their busy schedules to have healthy discussions regarding each other’s mental health.
In black families, it has become a widely known trend to ignore mental health and not take it seriously. The Smith family does and they also take time out of their busy schedules to discuss it. A lot of you are familiar with Red Table Talk, a talk show hosted by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith and Jada’s mother, Adrienne. In a recent episode, the Smith family came together for a healthy intervention on Jaden’s eating habits. Families need to check in with each other to have those necessary conversations.
They also make time to spend time with one another through vacations and trips.
If you didn’t know, the Smith family vacations are pretty serious. They are always going on vacation together around the world and have the most amazing times. Of course, it doesn’t have to be around the world but spending time with each other away from distractions like work and school is a very healthy and entertaining thing to do with your family.
We all have to come to love Will and Jada Smith since the beginning days from Fresh Prince and A Different World, but who would’ve known they would become one of our favorite families and family relationship goals to take notes from.