The Family: CORE VALUES

Phillip F. Notaianni,

            After reading the article you wrote The Family: A Look at Utah History, I seemed to have a better understanding of the moral and social values of those family units living in Utah.  In your article you declare that the main values of the families coming to Utah were to survive their families socially, economically, and spiritually.  All though a lot of this is true I believe that it is no longer relevant when comparing the values of those same families in the present day and time.  It is my proposal that in today’s society, most family units center their efforts around two things; economic success and spiritual well being.

            In the past it was extremely important to the family unit to be sure they survived.  That was their main priority.  In our present day it has become the priority to make sure there is a strong spiritual value in the home and that they are financially stable.  If not just financially stable, they are successful and have sufficient funds to purchase and supply in excess their needs and wants.  According to The Family: A Proclamation to the World we have a better understanding that the family unit consists of a father, a mother, and their children.  It is the sole responsibility of the father to provide for the family and to be the patriarch.  In fulfilling this responsibility it is his duty to be sure the family is going in the right direction as to make sure his children are successful outside the home.  However, there is a second part to this success for his children outside of the home.  That has to do with the mother.  It is her responsibility to nurture the children and make sure they know how to take care of themselves and to make sure they know right from wrong.  In the opinion of Kristen Ketteringham (Single Parent Households – How does it Affect the Children) we understand that families can be successful under the direction of just one parent, but it is more successful when headed by both a mother and a father.

            We can come to a better understanding of what a family unit is and what their core values are when both a father and a mother are there to collaborate together to determine those values.  There is no pin pointed mold of what a family should look like and what values should be in a home to determine the success and over all well being of that family.  There are so many different equations that will ultimately come to the same conclusion.  We just need to find the equation that fits best with our own family.

Resources:

“Single Parent Households – How Does It Affect The Children?” –Kristin Ketteringham (Yahoo Contributor Network)

THE FAMILY: A Proclamation To The World

Thanksgiving.....Family!

This time of year is so much fun.  I love being able to reflect on my experiences as a kid during the holiday season and try to create similar wonderful experiences for my own children.  In fact it may seem a little funny but as adults, during this time of year, every year, we seem to all become like children.  We all seem to reflect on those childhood experiences and recreate them each and every year.  We just finished up thanksgiving and it was so much fun.  We had the opportunity to go to my in-laws home this year and spend time with my wife’s siblings and their families.  Even though I never grew up with these individuals it is quite amazing how close I have become with my in-laws.  I really enjoy being around them and conversing with them for hours while our kids wreak havoc on the rest of the house.  This is the one time of the year that we could care less that the children were doing this.  Every year during the holiday season we are completely focused on each other and focusing on enjoying the moment.  It is so funny how this time of year brings out the best in every one.  We all seem to set aside our struggles that we face on a daily basis and just come together as a family.  I noticed as we gathered together as a family at the Harris household that there was not a lot of sitting around the television.  We all seem to recognize that we could be doing this at home on our own time.  When we gather for thanksgiving we all sit around the dinner table or help in the kitchen and just talk and laugh.  The conversations always seem to be centered around previous experiences.  All though they are not experiences that I have had I still enjoy listening to them converse and laugh at each other.