Family and Child Values
People say that families are the basic unit of society. It is within the context of families that a child learns values such as honesty, integrity and lawfulness. Families provide children with the stability that they need in order to develop their own skills and knowledge. As they struggle to find their place in the world, many children can experience frustration and doubt. However, the encouragement and support of a loving family often provides the encouragement that a child needs in order to meet these challenges.
It is within the context of families that children first begin to develop social relationships with others. It is crucial for such bonding to occur early in life. Psychological studies have shown that children who did not have the benefit of forming such bonds could develop varying degrees of attachment disorder, making it difficult for them to establish social and personal ties as adults.
Conversely, those who do benefit from such ties gain the trust that they need early on, allowing them to "risk" being involved in personal and intimate relationships as adults.
Additionally, children who grow up in supportive and loving families are more likely to provide similarly stable homes for their own children.
The importance of the family thus goes beyond individual gains. By helping children to grow into loving, stable and well-adjusted adults, the institution of the family contributes to society as a whole. Children who are encouraged to follow their dreams end up being happier in their chosen careers and therefore "give back" to society as professionals. These children can also contribute by continuing the cycle and raising happy children when they do start their own families.
In doing so, they help to ensure that each generation will have the thoughtful and kind citizens who contribute to society as well.
