Tap to Read ➤

Importance of Family

Shrinivas Kanade
A family they say, mirrors society in itself. Its importance lies in the fact, that it provides the building blocks for you as an individual. And healthy individuals within healthy families cement a healthy society and nation.
Nothing in the world could make human life happier than to greatly increase the number of strong families. - David R. Mace

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Since the dawn of civilization, humans have tried to cohabit in groups, tribes or families for physical, emotional and communal support.
Over the ages this concept of family has undergone various transformations and changes, yet the essence of being in a family has survived throughout the world.
Pause for a few seconds and ask yourself, "Why do you work so hard?" What motivates you to do so day after day? Most readers may reply, my family, and may provide reasons to support their answer. But, what is a family? All of us inherit our physical attributes from our parents. Families are our most intimate social environment.
They are the places where we begin the vital processes of socializing our children and teaching them how to survive and thrive in the world. Values such as patience, care, understanding and commitment, that were instilled in you by your family, differentiates you from the rest.
If you are already a successful person, and I don't mean it in the monetary sense only, then it only underlies the values you inherited and the importance of family in your life.
Provides Basic Needs
Your family ensured that you were fed sheltered and most importantly loved. Love is the only source of happiness and a family is an endless source of love.
A peaceful safe environment is vital for a child to grow into an independent and right-minded individual. A peaceful and understanding family will ensure that the child is nurtured is the right manner.
Educates You
Your family creates the right environment where you learn to use your faculties, you learn your first words and to understand and cope with the physical world.
It is the place, where you learn how a family works, by observing how your parents, grandparents, your siblings and rest of the family members deal with each other.
With the passage of time, you mature and start observing and learning about interacting with people other than your family and understand how your family members interacted with them. It is at this point in your life, when you learn what is meant by a healthy relationship and how to make a relationship last. You also understand how, as a family, to cope with the ups and downs of life. Consequently, a family acts as an emotional refuge for an individual during times of personal crisis.
Instills Values and Identity
What you learn from your family shapes your values, perceptions, and actions. Your parents' example often makes it easier to believe you can do the same.
It is said that a doctor's child has more chances of turning out to be a doctor than the rest.
In the true sense, an individual is known by his or her actions. Have you ever noticed that your actions always confirmed to the basic values you acquired from your family.
One study of 1,500 schoolchildren were asked, "What do you think makes a happy family?" Few replied that toys, cars, television sets, fancy homes or Disney World made a happy family. Most children said that a happy family is one that does things together, and that genuinely enjoys the times family members share with each other.
In strong families, seeking comfort or support is met with hugs or encouraging pats on the back. Genuine care and support foster positive feelings among family members.
Life in families can bring us great joy or excruciating pain, depending upon how well individual relationships in a family are. A healthy marriage and family can be a valuable resource for helping us endure the difficulties that life brings us. Dysfunctional or unhealthy relationships can create terrible problems that can persist from one generation to the next.