Growing up in a joint family

Joint family culture in India was common until a few years back. Still in rural India we can see some people living in joint families but it is diminishing with time. We rarely see any joint family in Urban India these days.

My experience growing up in a joint family is one of the best things that ever happened to me. The joint family not only lessens the burden of housework but also acts as a safety net when financial difficulties, accidents or calamities arise. During times of difficulties, I know I have strong emotional support as someone or the other is always there to hear out my problems patiently. I learned to sacrifice in a good way. I learnt the importance of adjustment since childhood because we were 10 people living under one roof. It requires a lot of adjustment and understanding to prevent conflicts. These are small things but this helped me grow up to be a caring and loving person.

In Joint families ,the bond we form with our family members and relatives is very strong. I think we learn to manage our emotions as well. We all know our emotional intelligence has a lot of impact on our relationships. As a big family we always enjoy the festivals to our hearts content. We can always share our problems with our family members, sometimes an elderly figure or sometimes a sibling or a cousin too. I always have someone to talk to. I remember when my grandfather died I had an extremely hard time. But someone or the other in the family was there to comfort me from time to time. I have some members in the family who have unconditional love and support for me.

Joint families also help in children’s development. Children learn to be social, outspoken, learn to share, care, love and respect elders. They are open to challenges right from the beginning. I personally find joint families very rare today but I would say living in a joint family teaches us a lot of things and is a lot of fun too.

- Apurva Karwa