I Can Be a Better Hostess

I love having house guests. But I often wonder what kind of hostess I am.
When I welcome people into my home, whether it be for an hour, a night or a week, I tend to treat them as family. In the big picture, that is probably best. But when it comes to the chemistry of the relationships between guests and hostess, it can be awkward.
Family to me means, what’s mine is your’s. If it’s here, you are welcome to it. If you’re hungry, open the pantry or refrigerator door and eat what you find and like. If you are thirsty, open a cabinet door, find a cup, fill it with a thirst quenching beverage that’s on hand. If you’re dirty, I have plenty of extra soap and shampoo and clean towels on hand, so take as long as you like in bath or shower. Don’t wait to ask me for any of those things, just do what needs to be done as though you live here all the time.
Not that I don’t also serve them by cooking meals, cleaning up the dishes afterward and vacuuming if they’re here long enough; it’s just that I also want them to have a sense of freedom while visiting.
But my guests are still guests. They are respectful of my home and my place in it. Unless they are ‘legally’ family, they may feel as though they are intruding on my privacy and are cautious as to how far they move on their own.
Perhaps my gift of hospitality is not so well-defined afterall. Perhaps I need to better hone the skills of servant when my guests enter my home. Perhaps then they will feel more welcome. Like family.