Family and Business

One of the hardest things about working with your family is, well they are your family. You can get angry with your boss and think they are the stupidest, most ungrateful wretch you have ever had the misfortune to meet, but that takes on a whole new meaning when the business is owned by someone you are having dinner with that evening, discussing who's bringing the turkey for thanksgiving. You can have a loud heated verbal altercation with your family and (at least in my family) calm down, forgive each other and work through what ever set you off. Try that with your coworkers and you will shortly find yourself looking for new ones. When you combine work and family it seems that all of the coping mechanisms we develop suddenly become inappropriate. The segmentation breaks down. Leaving the house at home and the job at work becomes nigh on impossible. This would not be a problem if we could all talk freely and openly, without baggage, but lets face it, how many of us can be angry with our family without thinking of that awful irritating thing they do, and they know it irritates you and yet continue to do it. There they are doing it now, don't they know how it sets you off. And suddenly you aren't discussing where to irrigate but something else entirely. This has been on my mind a lot lately as I contemplate the next phase in my life.