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I have received information and materials from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post.
I’m about to tell you something for which I maintain a bit of family pride. Just to be clear, though, I’ve no delusions. We have our fair share of flaws and dysfunctions, too, but this particular facet of our family dynamic I am proud of. In telling this, I hope you will be inspired to join in the conversation and share something that makes you particularly proud of your family, too.
Greeted Him Individually
Last week, we were chatting with my husband’s cousin. We don’t get to see her often, but she and her son came to our wedding in Mexico 14 years ago, and so we were laughing and reminiscing about the events of that wedding week, which seem so very long ago now.
All of this got us to talking about the first time we met each other’s families, and all the hilarity and confusion that come with such cross-cultural exchanges. One of the memories my husband had was my family’s display of good manners while greeting family.
Matt, my husband, mentioned how impressed he was when he met my family. Specifically, how each member, even the smallest, came to him and greeted him individually with no urging from parents. At the time he thought this might be because he was a bit of a novelty, or more precisely, an oddity to them.
But he said the same thing happened when he met my family in Los Angeles, where meeting a guy like him wouldn’t have been unusual at all. There, we were seated in my aunt’s living room for a family get-together. With each arrival, that new arrival would circle the room and greet each person individually. It wasn’t just the adults, mind you. Every man, woman and child did the same, including teenagers who were just stopping in for a drink of water on their way back out to the basketball court. None of it required any nudging from parents, either, and there were no blanket “hellos” to the whole room. There were no exceptions.
Good Manners
What impressed Matt wasn’t simply their good manners while greeting family, but how naturally and genuinely the good manners were expressed as everyone greeted each other. He says they clearly weren’t just going through the motions.
Of course, to me, all of this was very natural, because it’s the way we have always done it. It’s “how we family,” as it were. I wouldn’t even have noticed it if my husband hadn’t brought it up. I don’t remember having any family meetings about it or even any particular directions about it as a child. It’s just something we’ve always done and has come from years of consistent practice with the greatest teachers of them all, my family. But I’m proud of it anyway.
Every family has its story to tell. What makes you proud of your family? Learn more about the campaign on the TYLENOL® #HowWeFamily webpage and join in the conversation. Share your own story using the #HowWeFamily hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
Enjoy!
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