Why Family Values Matter: Benefits for Students and Families
“Mom, I'm hungry. Please give me some food.” Or, “Dad, I'm getting late. Please come fast.” Have you listened to these phrases? What? What are you saying?
No.
You are saying that you have used them, all of them. Oh, that is great. What do you think your parents offered when you asked them the same? Probably you are thinking about some food or dropping at the right time. Isn’t it?
Your mother is not just offering you food, she nourishes you with her unconditional love. Your father is not just dropping you off at the right time to your school, even becoming a person in your life to whom you can call in any difficult situation and seek help. This is Family.
Values we learn from family
What are Family Values?
Family values have a wider definition. Before getting into it, we must know a few terms. Let's get started with them.
What is Family?
Family is a group of people where one or more parents live together with their children as a unit. Sometimes a pet also becomes a member of the family. Families are of two types, nuclear family and joint family. Both offer different family values; however many of them are similar.
Nowadays, in the modern world, the concept of the nuclear family is trending, especially in urban areas. In nuclear families, parents live with their children, and as they grow they make a separate family. Whereas in the joint family, parents live with their children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters. Joint families could be seen in rural areas usually, and very less in urban areas.
What are Family Values?
Family values are something that we get from our parents in the form of love, care, trust, honesty, kindness, empathy, compassion, perseverance, and many more. They instil these values in us knowingly or unknowingly to make us good human beings.
Family values are sometimes called cultural or traditional values that show the beliefs, roles, attitudes and values of one's family.
Though nuclear families and joint families are very different in nature, being a family, parents try to instil the same core family values that they get from their parents.
Some of the core traditional family values are the following:
1. Unconditional Love
Undoubtedly, this core value is built in each one of us by our loving and caring mother or grandmother. This value you can only learn from family. They pour their love into food, which eventually makes us a little fat. Isn’t it?
This value teaches us to show love to all people, animals or nature. It not only makes us a kind-hearted person, but one who could feel the pain of others and take care of them. Unconditional love is the purest value that strengthens a person to stand alone on this planet.
2. Spiritual and Religious Values
These values somehow instil self-awareness and belief in the power of nature or God. It also motivates us for charity or donation. In many religions, tithing is performed. Also, regular family worship unites us as a unit.
3. Character Values
Character values are those values that we receive from each of our family members in the form of honesty, positivity, courage, grit, kindness and integrity.
4. Social Values
Social values are the combination of our behaviour towards family, society, and environment. We all are social animals. We have to follow certain rules and regulations and cooperate with each other. Acceptance, empathy, respect, appropriate language are some of the key factors of social values. The main purpose of instiling social value in an individual is to foster them to serve society.
5. Work Values
Your mother cooks the best food and still manages her office work perfectly, whereas your father washes the dishes and follows his job routine strictly. Do you know what values you learn from this? You learn team spirit, cooperation, punctuality and always to do one's best. These are the work values that you need to adapt to flourish your life.
6. Civic Values
These are the most important principles to live a life with dignity and respect. In a family, we nurture with love but are never allowed to do something wrong or unjust. Civic value teaches us the fundamental rights of a person, which includes freedom of speech (without damaging the other people) and standing up for the rights of others.
7. Home Values
Home values include the value of the time we share with family. Sharing meals, going for a picnic or spending some special quality time with our loved ones maintains a freshness in relations. This value teaches us to cheer each moment of life and be together in any circumstances of life.
These are some of the values we all learn from our families. We believe each child gets the best parenting values while growing. These values are the lesson for life. It helps them to deal with society, its issues and to make the world a better place to live.
Sharing the values that you hold, is the best part of parenting. While parenting not only a child learns in each step, it also involves the parents. No one family is perfect, yet the healthy environment of a family makes a happy family.
Tip for Parents
Character and social values come directly from our family, so we request all parents to behave well. Your child will grow up to be the person they see rather than the one you teach. We sincerely request each guardian to never disrespect each other, any family member or even the person who worked under you. Your gestures, actions or words will reflect in your kids. Remember, your good deeds result in a better society.
Thus, people say, “As you sow, so shall you reap”.
FAQs on Family Values: The Key to Strong, Respectful Family Bonds
1. What are family values and why are they important?
Family values are the core beliefs, principles, and attitudes that a family holds as important. They act as a guide for how family members treat each other and interact with the world. These values, such as honesty, respect, kindness, and responsibility, are crucial because they help build strong bonds, foster a supportive environment, and shape an individual's character, helping them become a good human being.
2. What are some of the most common core values learned in a family?
Families teach many essential values, which can generally be grouped into several core types. These include:
- Character Values: Such as honesty, integrity, and courage.
- Social Values: Like empathy, cooperation, and respect for others.
- Work Values: Including punctuality, teamwork, and doing one's best.
- Unconditional Love: The ability to care for others without expecting anything in return.
- Civic Values: Understanding one's rights and responsibilities in society.
3. How do family values help a student in their school life?
The values learned at home directly impact a student's success and behaviour in school. For example, the value of honesty helps in academic integrity, while respect ensures good relationships with teachers and peers. Values like perseverance and punctuality contribute to better academic performance and discipline, while social values like cooperation are essential for group projects and making friends.
4. How can a family practically build and strengthen its bonds?
Strengthening family bonds involves spending quality time together and practising shared values. Simple, practical ways to do this include sharing meals together without distractions, planning regular family outings like picnics, celebrating special occasions, and openly communicating with love and respect. Working together on household chores also teaches cooperation and shared responsibility.
5. What is the main difference between a nuclear family and a joint family?
The main difference lies in their structure and size. A nuclear family typically consists of parents and their children living together as a single unit. In contrast, a joint family includes multiple generations living together, such as grandparents, parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins, all in the same household.
6. How might the way values are taught differ between a nuclear and a joint family?
While core values like honesty and love remain the same, the teaching method can differ. In a nuclear family, children primarily learn values directly from their parents. In a joint family, values are often taught and reinforced by multiple elders, including grandparents, uncles, and aunts. This can lead to a stronger emphasis on community, sharing, and respecting elders, as children observe these values in a wider family dynamic daily.
7. Why are parents considered the most important role models for instilling values in children?
Parents are considered the most important role models because children learn more from observation than from instruction. A child's character is a reflection of the behaviour they see at home every day. When parents demonstrate kindness, respect, and integrity in their actions and words, their children naturally adopt these values as their own. This makes parental behaviour a powerful tool for shaping a child's moral compass.
