For many of us, the idea of a family is a lot narrower(狭窄的) than it used to be. Today children go away to college, and take up jobs wherever chances seem greatest. So instead of growing up in a family with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, many of us are truly connected(有联系的) only to our parents, brothers and sisters.
Many kids today know little about the lives of their relatives and don't care deeply about them.
Whether we realize it or not, this feeling of being disconnected makes people feel kind of lonely. "People need to feel connected," says Joy Browne, a doctor in the U.S. "And they will do it in the easiest ways." When family members aren't connected, what could be easier than forming a connection to famous people?
For that, we need to stay connected to our own families. Parents can help by telling their children stories about their grandparents, aunts and cousins, and by telling them the children's latest activities and interests.
We can use technology to keep connected with each other. It's easy to send e-mails to grandparents and take a vacation with members of your relatives – not with any other person. A week or so of relaxing vacation can be a great way to tie up family ties(纽带). And when a bad thing happens, no one can be as helpful as your relatives. Because no matter how much we cry for the famous people, they can't be there to cry for us.
