Family – You Can’t Choose Them

“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
― George Burns

“All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.”
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

“That’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable.”
― Deb Caletti

“Parents were the only ones obligated to love you; from the rest of the world you had to earn it.”
― Ann Brashares

If there’s conflict – put your cards on the table and be open and honest. Clear the air. Build bridges

Let go of some things. Pick your battles. Acceptance is key for some areas of conflict or disagreement

Learn from the past

It doesn’t always have to be about winning – sometimes it’s okay to ‘agree to disagree’. Accept that there is a difference of opinion and work with that instead of forcing your way on to another person.

Just because someone is family does not mean you have to keep them in your life. Especially if they are toxic and nasty. Dysfunctional family member who are bitter and twisted and keep bringing up the past will only bring you down. Try to talk to them and keep it amicable but if all else fails, it is okay to walk away.