Family Stressors

All families deal with stress over the years that come in many forms. One major stress is financial stress. Financial stress can come from many things but a big one can be for medical disabilities. One of my best friend’s has a little sister who has Osteogenesis Imperfecta which is also called Brittle Bones Disease. She is such an awesome and strong girl. She is so fun to be around and is a huge blessing to her family members and to those around her. She has had countless broken bones and countless surgeries. This has caused their family to be financially stressed. This is just one example of a stressor in the family.

Another stressor can be when there is a death or even a birth. Having a baby is a blessing, but it can also turn your life upside down. I have seen it in my family where my sister-in-law wanted a baby and had one and then experienced postpartum depression for a couple months and it can be stressful for the mother as well as the husband. The death of a loved one can be extremely hard on the family and friends of the loved one. My grandpa passed away last April. He had Alzheimer’s Disease and although it was good that he passed, it was hard for my family and especially my grandma. For the past several years, she spent all her time taking care of my grandpa. She didn’t know what to do with herself after he passed and it was hard for her. My grandma is an amazing quilter and ever since she took care of my grandpa when he got Alzheimer’s, she was never able to work on quilting. Once he passed, she went back to quilting to keep her mind off of his passing, but it was still hard for my grandma. My grandpa was a strong, enthusiastic, hard working man and it was hard to see him get so fragile and see him go downhill up to when he passed away. It was hard to see him suffer. It’s difficult to see someone you care so much about suffer.  Another example is of my cousin Tyson. Tyson was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 11 and passed away at age 12. He didn’t get very much time to live after he was diagnosed and it was challenging for my aunt and uncle their family to overcome his passing. I was very young when he passed away, but I still remember spending the last day with him. He was surrounded by family and by those who loved him before he passed away. I remember how it impacted his family. Loosing a loved one is never easy and can be a stressor for the family.

Another stressor in the family is divorce. Since divorce happens more often then it used it, it doesn’t really become stressful until it happens to you, or to someone you care about. My aunt and uncle were a happy couple and had been married for 25 years when they decided to get a divorce. It was hard for my aunt because then my uncle turned their kids against her and they didn’t want anything to do with her. It was hard to think that my uncle would do that because he was such a great guy. It was hard when we started to not see him around. We will never get to see him again and that was very hard for my family. It was hard for us to understand why they would want to get a divorce. It was especially hard for their kids. My cousins changed. They changed into people you didn’t think the would ever become but are. It was hard to see the change that was made throughout the years and how that impacted the rest of us. Divorce can change the family and sometimes it is not always a good change.

There can be many challenges and trials that we experience in our lives. Anything can become a stressor in the family. We learn from them and it can either tear us apart or help us become closer.