Managing Communication And Child Development In A Joint Family: Everything Parents Should Know

Introduction

A joint family is a rarity in modern times. As more and more family units separate and become independent nuclear families, you may wonder which is more suitable for your needs. A joint family involves living with all extended relatives and family members under one roof.

Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, parents, and siblings comprise the entire household. A nuclear family commonly refers to a family consisting of parents and children. While various kinds of nuclear families exist, each has its respective pros and cons, like joint families.

Residing in a joint family makes sure your kids remain in touch with their traditions and culture while learning to share their belongings and the spotlight with others. Children also get to live and grow up with all their cousins and grandparents, ensuring an abundance of love and friendship.

However, joint families also curb independence and prioritize overall family happiness over individual choices and joys. Therefore, the biggest and most significant impact joint families have is on communication and child development. Here’s a quick guide to understanding and managing communication and child development in a joint family.

Understanding And Managing Communication And Child Development In A Joint Family

Single Point Of Control

In a joint family, control and final decision lie with a single individual, usually the head of the family, aka the patriarch or matriarch. As a result, individuals in families may often feel a lack of control over their parenting choices and children’s development. In such cases, it is important to maintain open communication by expressing your views to them in a constructive manner at your turn.

Healthy Support System

Joint families are an excellent support system for working parents. They can easily leave children at home with their grandparents and work in peace. Joint families also have your back in times of distress unlike any outsider or friend, they are a haven of safety for your children in this way. It is ideal to make good use of this support system in times of need.

Parenting Style Issues

In a joint family, parenting does take a backseat at times to cater to the advice of the other relatives. For example, you may not wish to feed your kids anything with sugar after dark, but their aunt refuses to pay heed to your decision and sneaks them homemade sweets after dinner. While this may be a sweet and kind gesture it does disrupt your parental goals and creates miscommunication between children and parents. Try not to create conflicts directly with any family member and have a polite but direct conversation about it.

Inculcates Family Values

Joint families help teach children traditional and family values from a young age. It helps kids learn healthy moral behavior and ethics by emulating their elders and listening to stories. This helps create a wonderful nurturing environment that encourages children to prosper.

Conflicts Between Parents

Joint families can create conflicts between parents at times. For example, the head of the family might make a decision that has not settled well with one of your parents, while the other agrees to it. This can create communication issues between parents and hamper the healthy development of children, as they are very astute. It is ideal to keep all conflicts and arguments away from your child’s eyes and ears. Try taking the matter up privately with the family head to arrive at a compromise.

Stronger Emotional Bonding

Joint families usually have stronger emotional bonds among their members. This means children develop a higher level of love and appreciation for their parents, siblings, and family members. Also, as kids in joint families receive less attention and priority compared to an only child in a nuclear family, they value the love and adoration they receive from all.

Lack Of Individual Choices

A joint family often cannot cater to individual choices and desires, as the entire family’s well-being and welfare are the top priority. This can often cause resentment among independent individuals and kids. To avoid this, try finding a middle ground or approaching the family head separately to address the issue.

Less Modern Approach

Another quirk of belonging to a joint family is learning to live with individuals with all kinds of mindsets. Some may be modern, some too traditional, while others do the balancing act between the two. While most people learn to compromise or be open about their needs and core beliefs in a joint family, it is ideal to maintain open communication and boundaries to bring up and nurture your kids according to your choice.

Conclusion

Joint families come with their respective set of benefits and challenges. They sometimes create gaps in communication and disrupt parenting goals, but it is not possible to weigh its pros and cons like that. They depend on every parent and child’s mindset and needs. Therefore, it is ideal to identify and count all the blessings and challenges of joint family by following the above guide for optimal family bonding.

References

https://raisingworldchildren.com/2018/06/08/pros-cons-parenting-joint-family/