Our families play a key role in who we are and our own personal development. Throughout our lives, they have served as our own support system to help us learn how to make important life decisions and overcome obstacles. Much of our own behavior and thought patterns stem from our own family teachings and from what we observed growing up. Since no family is perfect, we may have picked up both positive and negative family values from our own families, which is why it is important to identify the negative and replace with positive in order to establish and reinforce positive family values to be passed on to the next generation.
How can I establish healthy, positive family values?
- Be open while also respecting privacy: It it important to communicate with your family, but it is also important to respect each other’s privacy and alone time. It will help if you are able to find a balance between openness and privacy that works best for your family.
- Be supportive: Make each other aware of your own personal goals and support each other to create a warm, positive family environment that can foster personal growth. This will create help unify your family through trust and a sense of belonging.
- Family activities: Sometimes, family members have different schedules and it may be hard to find the time to spend quality family time together. In order to schedule in some family time, decide on fun, family activities to put on the calendar that the whole family will enjoy. This way family members won’t get too wrapped up in their work or school life and will be able to take a break with the people who support them the most.
- Parenting guidelines: Emphasizing the values of respect, responsibility, and honesty are important parenting guidelines to keep in mind. Setting these behavior expectations, while also conveying love and support, will help your children develop a sense of self-discipline.
How can family counseling help?
Therapists who specialize in family counseling will help you determine your family’s weaknesses and provide you with tools and guidelines in order to devise a plan to work on those areas together.
A family that actively tries to provide respect, support, quality time, and positive parenting will feel much more strong and unified. Although all families are different in terms of dynamic, culture, and size, they all have one thing in common: they can benefit from working on strengthening the family bond.
Search UB Therapists who specialize in family counseling.
Discover more family resources in UB’s Wellness Directory.
Wilner, J. (2011). How to Strengthen Your Family Bond. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 28, 2015, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/positive-psychology/2011/09/how-to-strengthen-your-family-bond/
Wilner, J. (2011). Grow a Healthy Family Tree Through Positive Family Values.Psych Central. Retrieved on January 29, 2015, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/positive-psychology/2011/03/grow-a-healthy-family-tree-through-positive-family-values/