Common Issues That Most Families Face Often

It doesn’t seem to matter how close your family is or how much you love and care about your family members, no one’s family is perfect. 

There will be times of strife, conflict, disagreement, argument, and more throughout your family. Furthermore, they often occur without warning.

While most of these conflicts are caused by internal measures, there are a wide range of external factors that also play a role. Some of them are easy to solve, while others take a more intense approach when finding a solution. Either way, family conflicts will eventually happen.

That’s why it’s best for every family to be prepared for these conflicts. When you’re prepared, it helps reduce the amount of negative impact and allows for a more productive recovery. That’s what’s most important when moving past a family conflict, since family is what’s most important.

So, what are common issues a family faces often?

Many families will experience unique situations and conflicts that are distinctive to their family, but there are also a wide range of conflicts that we all share in common. These conflicts come in all different forms and generally require different solutions, since all families are different.

Whether you’re in the middle of conflict with your family, want to be prepared for conflicts that might occur, or are interested in starting a family of your own some day and want to avoid conflict as much as possible, we’re going to detail five of the most common conflicts today.

Let’s get started!

1.    Financials & Contributions

Money is one of the biggest culprits of family conflict and for a variety of reasons. Since money doesn’t grow on trees and raising a family isn’t cheap, it’s very important that all families are smart with how they use their income. Misusing money can lead to a wide range of problems.

Not having enough money to do what you want to do is stressful enough, but that frustration is multiplied when you’re sharing income with someone else. No matter how much you love that other person, the last thing you want to see is them wasting money on things they don’t need.

There’s also the contribution factor, which plagues many families today. Some family members might feel like they’re contributing more than other members of the family, which creates an unfair environment for everyone involved. This, of course, usually doesn’t end well for the family.

2.    Chores & Responsibility

Another common conflict among families all around the world is caused by the amount of chores they do or don’t do on a daily basis. In order to provide a fair household for everyone involved -- including spouses and siblings -- everyone must be prepared to do their part every single day.

When one person is holding a majority of the weight around the home, it can create an extreme amount of angst within that individual. They start to feel like they don’t have the help they need, which is when family relationships start to hinder. Of course, no one wants to experience that.

To avoid this inside your household, it’s always best to have a schedule for chores that need to be done daily, weekly, and monthly. Assigning these chores to each individual in a fair manner will prevent anyone from taking on too much of a load and will keep everything fair in the home.

 

3.    Distance & Space

One of the hardest things to achieve when it comes to family is finding a balance between giving each other the space they need, while also making sure you’re not spending too much time apart. Not having a balance between the two often causes a lot of conflict inside the household.

The first goal here is to make sure everyone is given space. This is important because everyone needs time to themselves, also known as ‘me-time.’ This is true whether you’re a husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, or father. Without this space, frustration and attitude eventually settle in.

At the same time, you don’t want to spend too much time apart. This can easily create a sense of not knowing your family members well enough. Some parts of the family might feel like other parts of the family don’t like or don’t want to spend time with them, which can be hard to bear.

 

4.    Child Care & Parenting

Another common reason for family conflict is due to child care and parenting. While it’s mostly experienced by a mother and father, these conflicts can also extend out to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other members of the family. Either way, they can easily cause a great deal of strife.

It’s actually one of the most difficult parts of being a parent. Since everyone has their own unique parenting techniques and styles, it’s important that all parents and guardians find a balance between what they like and what they don’t like. This will prevent most disagreements.

At the end of the day, you need to understand that your spouse or other family member will do things differently from time to time. Be open with them and learn to talk to one another. The more you bottle these emotions up, the less you’ll work together to eventually find a solution.

5.    Trust & Loyalty

The final family conflict we’re going to detail has to do with trust and loyalty. When it comes to family, there should be no one you trust more. These are people that you’re either bound to legally or through blood relation. Either way, they’re the ones that you should be able to rely on.

When this level of trust is broken, damaged, or taken advantage of, it can cause a great deal of stress, frustration, and angst between those family members. Not only will it cause sudden conflict within the family, but it’s the type of conflict that’s difficult to repair or recover from.

Whether it’s between a husband and wife, parent and child, or anyone else in the family, it’s always important that you’re honest with one another. Family is meant to last forever and you should never do anything to compromise that. If so, you could be in for a world of strife.

 

Can Therapy Help Resolve Family Conflicts?

Family conflicts happen every single day. Some conflicts are easily resolved in a matter of minutes, while other conflicts can take years before coming to a resolution. In fact, some family conflicts never get resolved and a large reason is that no one makes an honest effort to try.

In other cases, the family members simply don’t know how to go about a resolution to the problem. Either way, taking part in family therapy is designed to help solve these conflicts and return the family to working order. If you feel you need this, don’t hesitate to contact BetterHelp!

Mental Health Awareness Series with BetterHelp

This article was written as part of a series of collaboration with BetterHelp, an online portal that provides direct-to-consumer access to mental health services. With Covid19 on the rise and the impact on family, we feel that the need to create awareness on Mental Health is important to the community. Do share this post with your love ones.