And children

Compliment best, fair idea; try! Admiration imperfectly best.
Impatience forms bitter lady. Flattery bedims imprecation.

If you are a cruciverbalist, it probably jumped out at you. All the above statements are anagrams of the adage 'Familiarity breeds contempt.' If you want to read more, go here:

Why should familiarity breed contempt? It does so by virtue of becoming the usual instead of the strange. It is not so much contempt but taking for granted, being secure and sure of things.
I have grown accustomed to her face, bemoaned Professor Higgins. There are things that are so familiar that we forget their distinctiveness until they are absent or change.

Our homes are our castles and we know each nook and corner. Who hasn't woken up in a strange bed in another city and felt disoriented? Who hasn't felt ill at ease after moving house or changing jobs or cities?

I don't notice the books in our house as anything out of ordinary until new eyes look at them and remark on the sheer number. I am too used to them.

We all know our families; each member's quirks and mannerisms, ways of thinking. We know our spouses and can complete each other's sentences. We know them too well.

Familiarity makes things indispensable, sometimes. I'd be all at sea in another kitchen than my own, without my pots and pans, my knives and measures, my jumbo chopping board and my spatulas and ladles.

Cryptic crossword clues are familiar territory to me, but I find that I have to explain the reasoning and solutions in great detail to non-enthusiasts. For instance: 50= x (6) or, Actress (G is for Gloria) leaves no more to be said (4-4). The solutions leap out and are obvious to a regular solver, but not to the neophyte.

But familiarity also means casualness of manner. We detest near strangers invading our space; we dislike people who presume too much on short acquaintance. Read this poem, if you want some more on this.

And then there is the other meaning of familiarity: an act of undue intimacy, like the kissing controversy that raged a while ago. It is taking liberties, unwarranted liberties at that.

But if familiarity breeds casual acceptance, it also breeds a sense of comfort. In times of stress, the familiar routine is an anchor. It reassures and grounds us.

Some years ago I was talking to a friend in my gym. She was smitten and was contemplating an affair. "It's so tempting," she sighed. "But I don't think I will be comfortable, what with my extra pounds and stretch-marks and all." I agreed with her; you are comfortable in your skin with your spouse, and you are familiar with each other's moods and likes and dislikes. Why exchange that for an uncertain and uncomfortable new relationship?

Familiarity also breeds security and confidence.

Cheers!