How often do you hear parents say their teen wants to hang out with them instead of going out? Not very often at all if you ask me. Spending quality time together is one of the most beneficial and obvious ways to improve your parent/child relationship. Unfortunately, this is what most families forget. Respect is another quality that disappears in families. Children treat their parents as if they are simply responsible and not as a mother or father. Communication between family members should be on a personal level, where they can share their feelings, experiences and achievements. Having a good relationship with your child will impact the decisions they make and the way they live their life. Why do young adolescents seek love and affection from someone outside of their family? I would say their parents don't have a good time together. A girl who does not receive enough attention from her father will seek attention from someone of the opposite sex. I know a family who can directly relate to this situation. The father is always either at work or at the gym. He chooses to have no contact with his loved ones and rarely sees his own family. Just recently, he was on the verge of divorcing his wife. I'm not saying this just to show that being away from home can cause relationship problems between parents, their children or even loved ones. Not giving a child the attention they need can manifest in their life and will negatively affect them. This man's daughter, an only child, has been interested in boys since she was 10 years old. She's now 14 and can't count on her hands the number of guys she's "dated." Parents need to be an example to their child...in the middle of a piece of paper...you don't learn to communicate effectively, problems will arise, and they do. Communication involves conflict, and it happens in every family. But families don't fall apart because of conflict; they break down because the family is not able to resolve the conflicts that arise. Good communication is the most remarkable aspect of a healthy family. This allows your family to become closer, whether through conflict or laughter. When I think of family, I think of comfort, openness and support. I can go to my family members when I need to and be there for them when they need me. I am able to talk to them, show respect for their decisions and at the same time joke and tease them. And sometimes this closeness is slightly awkward and embarrassing. But because of these things, no other family is like mine. This is what makes my family a family.