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| Celebrating National Family Month |
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November 5, 2009 |
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| By Wilma Lindquist | |
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November is “National Family Month” and the Fulda Reading Club salutes the families of our nation with a series of articles this month. What is a Family? The family is the oldest human institution. It makes up the basis for every society as it serves three vital human needs. First, it is the means of producing children and continuing the human race. Second, the family provides protection and early training of infants. (Human infants are perhaps the most helpless of all living creatures.) Third, the family sets the division of labor so that each has a responsibility. Looking at the first human need we note that most of us will belong to at least two families in our lifetime. The first being as children and the second as parents. We are born into the first family but we establish the second. The first we have no choice but the second, in our society, we do have a choice. Other societies have pre-arranged or different forms of marriage but most recognize only monogamy and this, in turn, allows for family order. All our life we have needs from infancy to old age and the family unit should be in control for protection and instruction. Many of the protection issues have been assigned to societies charge, such as police, firemen, and military. The first experiences in the home are the beginning of education and religion. The instruction issue has been handed to the schools and the only instruction from the family, in many instances, today is telling youth to do as I say instead of as I do. If a child sees such traits as love, honesty, and fair play presented at home, he will probably continue these traits into adulthood. We rely on these traits to aid us in governing and controlling our society in future generations. Family living is an adventure in cooperation. From the beginning of time the family has shared in responsibilities. Traditionally, the father, as head of the household, has “brought home the bacon” and the mother has tended the home and trained the children who were given certain duties to perform. Our culture today is changing this traditional format. In many cases these changes are out of necessity but the adventure still continues and the family must share its values and concerns with each other so it can react accordingly. As form President Jimmy Carter has stated, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” Historically, family units gathered together for protection and aid. With the passing of time these needs became more troublesome so outside assistance was necessary. With the coming of the Industrial Revolution many important changes have resulted. More inventions allowed fewer responsibilities for women at home giving them more time and greater opportunities outside. Families have become smaller in size. Shorter working hours and more leisure time gives today’s families greater opportunities to have fun together and thus depend more on love and companionship than blood relationships. “A Family” By Julie O’Brien To be part of a family is to feel love’s warmth, Or we’d be like a wick without flame from a match. To grow as a family is to openly share, Or we’d be like a door that has no latch. To learn as a family is to help one another, Or we’d be like an actor without any lines. To care as a family is to gently guide, Or we’d be like a road that has no signs. To trust as a family is to slowly let go, Or we’d be like a brook that does not run. To believe as a family is to learn of God’s love, Or we’d be like the sunset without the sun. |
©Fulda Free Press 2010