Lately,my 90-year-old mom has been more and more quiet and sleepy.This is very odd and disturbing.At the same time,my 92-year-old father has been suffering his own health problems.It is terrible to see my father struggle to get her to talk,say something,when she doesn’t have the energy.

The other day,I recalled how my mother used to visit a woman named Mrs.Demopolis,a Greek immigrant,who made the best baklava（果仁饼）!She gave lessons on baking hem to my mother.Also,my mom used to bake baklava often for a time and that was absolute pleasure.As I spoke of this over the phone,my silent mom cheered up and said how much she’d like o have one again.

Now,they live in Florida and I like in Wales,UK with my husband and children,so I can’t go and bring her some baklava or even make some in her kitchen.But what I did suggest was that my father or sister should buy some baklava at a Greek Restaurant and I should do she same,and wouldn’t it be fun to eat our baklava at exactly the same time and so,be together sharing the moment and the pleasure?Both parents loved the idea and we decided to do it.It was lovely to hear a little happiness in her voice.

Tow days later we both had our baklava and shared the experience.It meant a lot to my parents,and to me,to do this.My mother said she wants to do this again,maybe with another food or even baklava again! Why not?And as she only keeps losing weight instead of gaining,it is good for her to find foods that appeal to her appetite.It is becoming harder to find ways to communicate over the phone,but this was this was at least a very good way to do so.And it was nice,as well,to remind us of pleasant memories of our past.

Family communication refers to the way verbal(口头)and non-verbal information is exchanged between family members.【小题1】In other words, an important part of communication is not just talking, but     listening to what others have to say.

【小题2】It enables members to express their needs, wants, and concerns to each other. Open and honest communication allows family members to express their differences as well as love for one another. 【小题3】Lack(缺乏) of communication will make it hard for family members to deal with problems together.

Effective(有效的) communication is an important feature of strong, healthy families. Research shows communication is an important building block of strong parent-child relationships. Just as effective communication is almost always found in strong, healthy families, poor communication is usually found in unhealthy family relationships.【小题4】However, poor communication is unclear and indirect. It can lead to many family problems, including ineffective problem-solving and weak emotional bonding(情感纽带).

【小题5】 Family researchers have discovered that unhappy family     relationships are often the result of negative communication patterns (模式). In fact, one researcher discovered that the more positively couples rated their communication, the more satisfied they were with their relationship five and a half years later.