EDITORIAL ON FAMILIES IN SOCIETY

The National 14 May 2018 Strong family units make strong societies.

It is time for foreign and national hate campaigners to stop the hate game and give the affirmation that families need.

What happens in a family unit should be setting the foundation of how children will move and interact in the community.

All fingers point to any government of the day, blaming it for diverting its focus away from matters that should be addressed.

Realistically, given the current situation the country is in, the Government can only do what it can do and the rest of it now falls back on families.

Changes may not just happen overnight but it can be achieved if all efforts are put into empowering a family unit, especially the father and mother with the help of the church.

They can be empowered with the skill to impact the message of love, sharing and forgiveness.

The family is where children can be raised in a safe and stable environment. Both father and mother have an important contribution as each has a different perspective.

They can uniquely help children of both genders to learn important skills relating to marriage, education, work, morality, ethics and social interaction.

Families are a place where three or four generations can care for one another from cradle to grave. These include the sick, the vulnerable, the disabled and the aged.

It gives family members a sense of purpose and meaning that paid jobs can not do. The family is the basic unit of society. But do we as a society really think about what that means?

The bonds between husband and wife, parents and children, are firmly planted in history that we often take for granted until the bonds break down from time to time.

Ask any child to draw his or her family and you get the traditional picture of father, mother, brother and sisters with perhaps the family cat or dog thrown in for good measure.

The theme for the 2018 United Nations Family Day is “Families and inclusive Societies.” The family is the nucleus of society. 

Every time a family breaks up, the society is affected in some way. When long lost families get together, societies benefit.

Parents are the epicenter of any household. We should not be alive today if not for our parents. So when families bond as friends and intermarry, they tend to share everything.

If constructive beliefs  and moral values are built and passed on to the next generation by each family, a great nation is developed.