I grew up in a family environment that had a great deal of anger and violence expressed.  I left home when I was 13 years old and over the years the various family members have scattered geographically.  Several years ago I made it a point to locate all those immediate family members who were alive and have a conversation with each.  Some of the conversations went fairly well, others drifted off into nothingness.  Years have passed and we're all isolated in our own worlds again.  From time to time I wonder what it would be like to have a nuclear family unit based upon understanding, caring and tolerant behavior.  Unfortunately, this seems to be something that will elude me in this lifetime.  So I artificially create my own family unit depending on the situation.  Some times it's people at the gym, or in the work environment, or at my ballroom dancing activities.  I've found I can have a healthy bonding experience without making demands on an individual so that we both come away from the experience a bit happier.