Family Love & Communication
When we understand and consider each other, family love gets stronger. Learn the way of communication to add more happiness to your family.
Positive Words
Seven children of a similar age teamed up with their mothers and played games. When a child was blindfolded and threw balls, his mother standing at a certain spot got the balls in a large basket. With the same time and conditions, five teams had more than twelve balls in the basket, whereas the other two teams had only seven balls. This was an experiment done at a broadcasting station. After the game, they watched the video of the mothers and their children exchanging balls. The difference between the teams that put fewer balls in the basket and those with more balls was what the mothers said. While the mothers of the teams with fewer balls said negative words such…
The Words That Should Not Be Spared for the Family
“Thank you” that makes the listener smile. “You need any help?” that makes the listener feel reassured. “Excellent job!” that attaches wings to the listener’s shoulders. “Good morning” that makes the listener start the day vigorously. “Did you eat?” that shows your love and care towards the listener. “You’re doing well” that strengths and encourages the listener. “Thanks to you” that makes you all become one in mind. “Sweet dreams!” that makes the listener sleep in peace. “That’s not your fault” that eases the listener’s sadness. “Thank you for your hard work” that recognizes the listener’s labor and effort. “I’m sorry” that calms down the listener’s anger. “I trust you” that makes the listener do his hardest. “Do not worry.…
Soft Words, Open Hearts
When you imagine the most comfortable position, you probably picture yourself lying in bed or relaxing on a sofa. Soft mattresses and fluffy cushions help your body release tension—and when the body relaxes, the mind follows. In the same way, for our words to reach someone’s heart with comfort, they, too, should be soft—like a cushion for the ears and mind. This kind of thoughtful communication becomes especially important in moments when conflict could arise: making a request, turning someone down, offering advice, or expressing a different opinion. In those situations, it is crucial to speak in a way that conveys your message without hurting the other person’s feelings. Gentle, respectful language helps your words land softly, making them more…
Thanks to ‘Thank You’
People rely on each other in countless ways. Unless one lives entirely self-sufficiently in a remote place, meeting basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter, we inevitably support and help one another. This fundamental aspect of life remains unchanged no matter how many years pass. When we receive kindness or assistance, whether significant or minor, we naturally feel inclined to give back in some way. At the very least, expressing gratitude is a simple yet meaningful way to acknowledge those who contribute to our happiness and well-being. Sometimes we leave words of thanks unspoken—because we feel awkward or shy, because we assume the other person already knows how we feel, or because we take their kindness for granted. Another…
Laughter Is Followed by Blessings!
Laughter is another name for communication. Communication is to exchange one’s mind and will; so there can’t be laughter between people who don’t share minds and will. Laughter lets people understand each other even if they don’t say what’s in their hearts. So we can say that laughter is the best way to communicate. If you smile before starting a conversation, the listeners must be ready to open their hearts already. The place where there should be more laughter than anywhere else is home, and the ones we should try to please more than anyone else is our family members. How can we find laughter anywhere else if we can’t find it at home? And how can we make someone else happy if we can’t make our own family…
Refusal, With Warmth and Consideration!
When faced with a task that is difficult to accomplish alone, or when we wish to fulfill a small desire or goal, we often turn to others for help—asking for big or small favors. And naturally, we hope the other person will say yes. Because simple favors seem easy to grant and difficult ones are hard even to ask for, the answer that anyone seeking help most longs to hear is, without doubt, “Yes.” If the other person readily agrees, there is no issue. The requester feels satisfied that their wish has been fulfilled, while the one granting the favor feels a sense of pride. Such moments can even strengthen the bond between them, creating opportunities for their relationship to…
Saying, “Good Job,” Makes the Whole Family Happy
“Honey / Yes? / Did you see the chick that was in the backyard? / Yes, I did. / Where is it? / I ate it for this weak and old body. / Good job! Good job! Good job! Good job! I’m proud of you!” This is a part of an old Korean song called “Good job! Good job!” When viewed objectively, what the husband did was not a good job at all. They could’ve raised the chick and sold it when it grew up. However, he ate it without even asking his wife for her opinion. Even if the wife had become mad in that situation, he would not have had anything to say. Nevertheless, the wife complimented her husband, saying that he did…
Conflict, an Opportunity for Everyone to Become a Winner!
Nowadays, crimes occur among family members very frequently in our society. A lack of communication makes even the members, whom you should love and care most, the objects of crime. Long-term conflicts deepen emotional confrontation and may cause a drastic action. Someone said, “Running a home is like gardening.” If you don’t pull out weeds at the proper time, even a beautiful garden will be covered with weeds. Conflicts are like weeds. There are always conflicts even in happy and ideal homes. A conflict is a proof that they are alive and that they love each other. Just because there is a conflict, it doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other; and just because they love each other, it…
Happiness Enters Through the Door of Gratitude
There was once a young man who was perpetually dissatisfied. He would criticize his professors for not meeting his expectations and frequently lash out at those around him with words laced with irritation. Dissatisfied with his reality, he set off on a solo journey in search of escape. Yet his journey was filled with setbacks—flight delays, a lost wallet, and one mishap after another. While wandering in despair, searching for an affordable place to stay, an elderly woman kindly invited him into her home. As she served him a warm bowl of soup, she said to him gently, “There is a remarkable phrase that invites good things into one’s life.” Intrigued, the young man listened intently. He took her words…
Health, the First Condition for Happiness!
There are warning signs ahead for the health of modern people due to increasing environmental pollution, bad eating habits, improper diet, lack of exercise from convenient transportation and computerization of work, and so on. Medical skills continue to improve, but emergence of unprecedented diseases and of mutant virus is also one of the factors that threaten health. So people today pay more attention to health. Almost everybody takes dietary supplements and healthy foods, gets regular checkups, prefers organic products, and purchases anything that is known to be good for health. Many books introduce secrets to living healthy, and health related information overflows online. Why is it that people are interested in health and make lavish investment in it? It’s because…
It’s Time to Give Love to Elderly Parents
To a little child, his parents are like a huge tree that stands strong even in the heavy rain or strong winds. The child eats fruit from the tree, avoids rain and winds, runs around to his heart’s content, and sleeps peacefully under the tree. And when he grows up, he leaves the tree and lives independently. The tree that seemed to be green and strong forever is only left with thin branches after giving everything to the child. Humans, unlike animals, need their parents’ help for a long time until they can live independently. It takes humans about a year to barely start walking, and three years to be potty trained fully. It takes them some twenty years to…
Take Care of Your Emotions and Your Family’s
Feeling satisfied from eating delicious food; feeling awkward when encountering a person you are uncomfortable with in a narrow corridor; feeling confident when solving a difficult problem; feeling sad when breaking up with your loved one; feeling sorry when you are late for an appointment; feeling scary when walking a dark night street, and so on. Emotions lie in everything that we experience in our lives. An emotion is a feeling caused by the situation that you are in or the people you are with. But emotions don’t just end in the mind. Not only does the corresponding expression appear on the face such as laughing or frowning, but also the body reacts such as stiff neck and shoulders when…
When You Open Your Ears, Your Mind Opens
Everything has its partner: teachers and students, patients and doctors, sellers and buyers, and leaders and followers. The same is true for conversations—speakers and listeners. A conversation consists of speaking and listening; a speaker and a listener exchange words with each other, which is called communication. However, most people misunderstand that a communication centers on speaking and pay less attention to listening. A unilateral speaking is not a conversation, but a declaration or a push. If you don’t listen to the other person but only pour out your words, you may feel good for the moment, but you will eventually lose communication with the people around you. If you don’t pay attention to the other person or are distracted, the…
Different and Wrong
In Korea, crows are considered birds of bad luck, but in England they are considered auspicious. In Japan, people hold their rice bowl with their hands while eating, but in many other countries people put them on the table. In some countries vehicles drive on the left side of the road and in other countries they do on the right side. Some countries use knives and forks when eating, while others use chopsticks or eat with bare hands. Countries have different languages, climates, geographic characteristics, historical backgrounds, and foods. In the same way, cultures vary from one county to another. You cannot say that a certain side is wrong. Likewise, people are all different. However, the difference often becomes the…
Love Is Not Easily Angered
You may get angry when the situation does not work out the way you want: if you get stuck in traffic when your appointment time is near, or if it rains when you put on new shoes. However, anger is mostly caused from human relationships. When you get angry, your blood vessels swell, your face turns purple with rage, your eyes are opened wide, your breathing becomes faster, and your blood pressure increases. You may easily spit out remarks that hurt or ignore the other person you want to attack. Obsessed with your prejudice, you cannot figure out the situation and even your ability to solve problems declines. Anger is not only harmful to your health physically and mentally, but…
Exercise Keeps Family Happy
In our modern lives, we can receive the items we want at home without going to the market, and we can get documents without going to a government office. We can go anywhere by various means of transportation like car. Thus, the development of civilization has brought convenience and leisure to our lives, but this reduced the chance to move our bodies. Even the most basic exercise, walking, is not done properly. Lack of exercise leads to obesity as well as various diseases such as metabolic syndrome and chronic illnesses. Medicine is developing, but the number of patients with heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and cancer is increasing; this is because of lack of exercise. The diseases caused…
Focus on Good Points of Your Family
“He’s too distracted and lacking in concentration.” “I’m worried that my child is indecisive.” “My wife is perfect in everything, but too strongly insists on her own way.” “I wish my husband will change his hot temper,” “My younger brother is so greedy.” . . . When we talk about our family, we might often point out their shortcomings or what we are dissatisfied with rather than their strong points. In the world, there is not a single person who has merits or demerits alone. All people are imperfect with advantages and disadvantages. However, the human brain tends to look at negative qualities more than positive ones, so that you may make the error of clinging to one disadvantage more…
Difference Between “Interest” and “Interference”
“Honey, which one do you think is better for my homecoming?” “Let’s see. The dress looks a little gorgeous and the suit looks too formal.” “There is nothing to wear except these.” “What about this jacket? Neither distinctive nor heavy. This looks perfect!” “But I have no suitable skirt for it.” “You have this checkered skirt!” “Oh, the color doesn’t match.” “What about these pants, then?” “I don’t like it.” “You say, ‘I don’t like this, I don’t like that.’ What should I do?” “Just forget it. I’ll take care of it.” “You were sorry for me not to have interest in you last time, but now are you troubled by my interest?” Both husband and wife became displeased. This…
Happy Play for Both Parents and Child
Dr. Garry L. Landreth, a master of play therapy and neuroscientist, said: “Birds fly, fish swim, and children play.” For growing children, play is their everyday life and everything. The reason they do not stay still even for a moment but move constantly is because they want to play. However, experts say that children’s happiness depends on who they play with rather than what they do. In 2014, according to a study by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, Korean children pointed out their parents most when asked, “Who was with you at the happiest moment?” Parents were also at the top for the question who they want to play with. Thus, playtime with parents is more valuable…
If You Can’t Stop Time, Enjoy It!
Whenever the end of the year comes, we hear people grumble, “I’m going to get another year older.” Everybody wants to live long, but doesn’t want to get old. It is not a pleasant thing to get old, because getting old means losing physical strength and having less time to live. As 365 days—the time takes for the earth to revolve around the sun once—pass, we become a year older and our bodies get older. We are just riding on the earth that revolves like a spinning top, but our bodies get older, which is something interesting in a way. There are many theories on the cause of aging. The Wear and Tear Theory of Aging proposes that some of…