Family values aren’t usually something most people think about until they need to teach their kids a lesson in response to an unwanted behavior. However, the importance of family values should not be overlooked. Thinking about what your family values are and instilling them in your children early, can teach your kids how you expect them to behave when you’re not around. Children learn by what you do and say. Live your family life in way that makes you proud and encourage positive family decisions and and behavior.
Why Are Family Values Important?
Family values pertain to the family unit, family members, and the society we live in and help us determine what is right and what is wrong. Not only do family values have to do with our morals but also with our roles, beliefs, and attitudes.
Family Values Help Create A Firm Foundation
Family values are important on many different levels. They establish a foundation for your family and create structure. With a strong foundation, your family can stand strong against opposing beliefs. Above all, your kids will know there is always a safe place to express themselves.
Family Values Help Create A Sense Of Identity
Strong family values also guide you in making decisions, parenting your child, and knowing how to protect your family from dangerous outside influences. Additionally, they make you who you are, both as a family and an individual family member.
Family Values Help Guide Decisions
The importance of family values goes a long way to helping your children know what is right and wrong. In other words, having strong family values can help your children live up to their ideals. They will more naturally make decisions they know you’ll be proud of.
Important Family Values To Teach Your Kids
There are a variety of core family values that you may find important to teach and instill with your children.
Family Values Around Work May Include:
- team work
- commitment to getting the job done
- being creative
- working towards financial responsibility and wealth building
- having an understanding for budgeting and living within your means
- being productive
- being well educated
Family Values Around Social Interactions May Include:
- giving back/volunteering
- being respectful, courteous, and kind to others
- standing up for other people
- your attitude toward other people
- the words you choose to speak about yourself, others, and the world around you
Other traditional family core values you may find important to instill in your children might include:
- honesty
- trustworthiness/ reliability
- patience
- gratitude
- persistence
- the growth mindset
- the ability to laugh at themselves
- empathy and compassion for others
- integrity
- a positive outlook on life
- quality time as a family
With these and other family values that you may find important to teach your children, they’ll grow up knowing how to behave, how to treat others, how to have a strong work ethic, and how to be happy. Whether you are talking about an extended family, traditional family, or a blended family, the importance of family values is clear.
Strong family values help young people understand who they are and where they come from. They learn more than just how to behave in one particular situation. Children live with values and learn how to act in daily life, regardless of the situation.
How To Instill Family Values
In order to establish strong family values, you first have to know what values are important to you and what you want to pass on to your children. You can create a family mission statement as a parenting team or with the whole nuclear family. Then, use family activities and positive parenting to reinforce those core values whenever the opportunity arises. For instance, compliment your children when they do something that supports the values you’re teaching them. Furthermore, recognize that your behavior is an important part of teaching through example.
You can even create your own family traditions that support your values. Create holiday rituals, weekend rituals, and family practices that support the values you find important. Spend time together and call a family meeting if something needs to be discussed or refocused on.
I love this quote on family values.
I was raised by a single mother who made a way for me. She used to scrub floors as a domestic worker, put a cleaning rag in her pocketbook and ride the subways in Brooklyn so I would have food on the table. But she taught me as I walked her to the subway that life is about not where you start, but where you’re going. That’s family values.” -Al Sharpton
Teaching your children to understand and respect your family values will help them build a strong foundation for life. How do you teach your kids about the importance of family values?
Such a great post and you see the rewards of sticking to these values as your kids get older.