Wednesday, 14.02.2007
Family Relationships

We are family. I got all my sisters with me. Or perhaps you don't. Maybe your siblings can't stand to be in the same room as you. This can change with a course in family relations.

A family relations course will teach you how to cope with the people who are going to organise your funeral. You can choose a course that deals with general family problems or you may decide to do a specific course on the unit of the family that you are having the most trouble with. Unsurprisingly, parenting is the most popular course in the family relations stable.

You might consider taking a parenting course if you are about to become a parent or just want to know more about the development and care of children. It's handy to know things like how often to feed and water them and how long they can be left in the sun without wilting. Your course should also deal with subjects such as the general care of babies and young children, child development, safety and first aid.

You learn more about your teenager and yourself by attending a course that tells you exactly why you are, like, so embarrassing. Talk with other parents and pick up new tips on fresh humiliations to try out on your own Daria or Kevin. Your course should delve into contentious issues such as drugs, alcohol, sex and education and tell you how to cope when things go wrong.

A parenting course can help you handle the changing face of family in the 21st century, including topics such as stepfamilies, lone parenting and adoption. For example, you might be uncomfortable with your new title of stepmother, associating it with poison apples, Cinderella and evil. At a course, you can meet with some like-minded people and learn some new titles that are a lot easier on the ear.

If you feel that the magic has gone from your love life, then a relationships course can encourage you to canoodle once more. Perhaps your husband's idea of foreplay is to use clippers instead of his teeth to trim his toenails. Maybe your wife minces around your flat in a housecoat, shrieking, "You are the Weakest Link…Goodbye!". Whatever your problem, a course can't make things worse.

General family relations courses can help you deal with sister, brothers, parents, children and that strange man who lives in your garage and calls you mamma. Harmony is the key to familial love-ins and a course can teach you tips and tricks to deal with even the most Baby Jane of situations.

So if your family puts the funk in dysfunctional, then it's time to make a change.

Related Articles

• Counselling
• Dream Interpretation
• Guide to Empathy
• Hypnosis
• Meditation