Are You Raising One of the Next Generation of Hoodlums:

The Importance of Family

It is very important to assure that your son internalizes the significance of family. One of the reasons so many men are able to walk away from their families, seemingly without looking back, is because as boys they were not taught the importance of family. And, of course, the best way to guarantee that your son internalizes the importance of family is to model this by demonstrating in your actions that one of the reasons why he is so important to you is because he is part of your family. And you  can do this by treating him and other family members in such a way that it becomes obvious to your son that family members are really special to you.

There was a time in our history when we just took for granted that each child internalized the importance of family by the mere fact that the child was part of a family unit. But that time is long past. As important as family life is, it is a BIG problem in today’s world where the family units are breaking up more often and divorce rates are high. The higher divorce rates result in more broken families and a broken family does not model for a young boy the importance of family.

Your son’s family unit is the unit which shapes his personality. How he behaves and what he becomes in life are very much dependent upon his family life. Psychologists believe that a child learns the most from his or her family life. The way your son’s family members deal with him has a life-long effect on his personality. Keeping these facts in view, the importance of family and family life cannot be overly emphasized.

The family unit happens to be the most important part of your son’s life during his formative years. Children in a family are usually closer to their parents and siblings than to anyone else in the world. As children grow up, they find good friends and spouses. They have their own children and meet colleagues with which to share their lives. Although time will bring these changes, the importance of family remains intact.

Children who have sound family backgrounds and who belong to families with strong family ties are almost always happier and more fulfilled. Thus, one cannot deny the importance of family nor the importance of family life.  Consequently, as a parent you are in the unique position to model for your son the importance of family and the value of family life. You do this in numerous ways, including celebrating special family days, taking care to assure that family holidays are spent together with family, by spending quality time talking with your son about topics of interest to him and about things you deem essential to his overall well-being and wholesome development.

Be alert to teachable moments, times when you can point out, refer to and/or discuss with your son events and situations that take place, especially ones to which he is privy. These can assist your son to begin to internalize the importance of family.

Your son’s family life is also important since it is the part of his life which has most impact on him, as compared to any other part of his life. The way a mother and/or father treats his or her son is actually the deciding factor of what he will be like as a human being when he grows up.

Parents: Recognize that teaching the importance of family is an essential element of your son’s education, and that it is teaching that you must care enough to provide!