Why Family??

 Hello everyone!! And welcome to Contemplating Family!!

As I’ve been thinking about what to write and how to say what is in my heart, I’ve continually been impressed to simply talk about why the family is important to me. There is a lot going on in the world right now, and it can be kinda scary to try to navigate, especially in trying to manage our families. But the biggest thing I’ve recognized recently is the impact my family has made on me!!

I’d like to contemplate that thought for a moment.

Our families have such an impact on us: our lifestyle, where we live, what brand of cereal we like, who we tell all our secrets to, who you talk to at unearthly hours of the night, so many things!!

What kind of impact has your family made on you??

For me, my family has been something I’ve relied on heavily my whole life!! They are the people I know I can turn to in a moments notice. In my church, we believe that family is so important that God ordained it!! He created us to be part of these units to help us create safe, stable environments where we can cultivate feelings of love, patience, and respect for one another while also “living after the manner of happiness” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 5:27).

And yet, with the wonderful family that I have now, and the family I know God has prepared for me, it still scares me to start one of my own. This fear has been supported by popular culture today, stating that we need to take care of ourselves first, and we don’t need anyone else to be there or be in the way of ourselves, or that you need tons of money to have kids or a family. (This idea is called Individualism) In other words, family is not your first priority. 

But shouldn’t it be??

There have also been multiple studies which have shown the strengths that a family can bring to the table. Strengths such as being given a safe space to learn the basic principles of life, like basic survival skills, social skills, and life skills. It also  provides the groundwork for better health and wellbeing for everyone involved.

But why don’t we know more about these things?? Why, as the public, do we hardly ever hear about these basic foundational points of the family??

This is because of the difficulties that comes with researching family. As one can imagine, researching about the family is so difficult!! A scientist or researcher can’t ethically control a family or individuals’ experience in the family, that would just be wrong. Thus researchers have to find new and different ways to study the family that is not invasive to the members. So, what do they do?? They use methods of research such as surveys, questionnaires, or tests. Generally, this is done with sample groups that would represent the population as a whole. This presents its own challenges. Sometimes, those who are surveyed may be biased in their opinion of, say, their parenting. Or some sample groups may not do a great job at representing the population (for example, groups of Caucasian couples living in southern Idaho wouldn’t give a great understanding of the rest of the United States) On top of that, many researchers publish articles about families that could be biased and controversial, which may cause threats to come to the researcher or the publisher. This makes general distribution of the facts much harder to come by. This is why it is so vitally important to really contemplate the "why's" of the family, and look at the true supporting facts that come with it.

 

So, what have we learned:

That the family is an amazing cultivating ground for future life. The family holds so much importance in the world today, and yet people tend to gloss over the beauty of it. It is therefore our duty to really dig in and understand the workings of the family for ourselves so we can lead lives in line with the true ideals of the family.

 

I know of the importance of families. Yes, I may have some hesitancies, but I know that it is such a sacred responsibility that our loving Heavenly Father has given to me and to each of us!! What have YOU learned?? I would love to hear some of your thoughts and questions in the comments!!

 

 

Comments

Kira Jensen said…
This is so inspired! we need more voices telling women that the family is important and meant for everybody one way or another
October 4, 2021 at 6:53 PM
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