Answer: When a child is young, spending time with them is vital to instill the family values we learned as children. It can be tricky since both people in a household usually work and need that income to make ends meet.
But finding a way to work hours around a child’s schedule is beneficial. That’s what I did when my kids were small, and I don’t regret getting up at midnight or 3 am so I could have that time.
There are two decent, hard-working adults with solid family values and beliefs to pass on to their children. Kids need to know they can trust that someone will be there and learn to respect what their parents do and why they do it, not to mention minding what they say.
The key to that is communicating with your kids as people.
We don’t want them to become teenagers who join up with the wrong crowds and get into bad things for them. To avoid these things, conversations need to start early but show them the same kind of respect we expect from them, so they pay attention and vice versa.
We need to listen to them, learning how they feel and what they have to say without judgment. These are only a tiny part of the family beliefs and values we hope will last them for a lifetime. Read about ‘New Family Values’ with Andrew Solomon in his new audiobook.
What are strong family values?
Strong family values act almost in a sense as affirmations or motivation. As parents, we instill in our kids what it means to be a good person.
We hope that they follow through with their behavior as their life develops with the decisions they make, the relationships they establish, and their self-esteem and self-confidence.
We can only provide the values we learn from our family. No one will know what kids do with these family core values until they become teenagers and adults. We can only hope they take.
Importance of family values in your life
Strong family values help your view on life and determine who you want to be as a person in this world. They will influence the behavior you display, how you form partnerships or parents, determine what’s right or wrong, and so much more.
You could probably easily say without “my family values, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
Some of the family core values of integrity, restraint, honesty, caring, responsibility, to name just a few family values examples without which would lead many to a life lacking guidance, not knowing affection, and making poor decisions.