Why family is important?

Asked by Anonymous
Answered
05/11/2021

Family values are something that, for many, holds high importance.  There are many reasons that family is important.  Although what makes family important can change from family system to family system.  For some, it is the emotional support that makes their family important to them. At the same time, others may have high family values due to cultural/religious reasons.  And then there are some logistical reasons that family is important.  Let us take a look at each of these:

Emotional support: Family are the people that have been in your life since the very beginning (blood relation or not); they have watched you grow and understand the core of who you are as a person.  For that, these are the people that can sometimes provide you the best emotional support out there.  Sometimes family knows to want to say to help you feel better during difficult times.  They will help lift you when you feel down; they will try to protect you from being hurt, and they will fight for you when you feel you cannot fight for yourself.  Having this kind of emotional support is so important to have emotional wellness. 

Cultural/religious reason: For some, it is part of their religion or their culture to stick by their family.  They are raised to understand that above all else, family comes first.  This type of mindset can provide a different type of comfort; you can take safety in knowing that no matter what type of hardship you face, you know that your family will always be there to care for you if you need it.  Vice versa, sometimes knowing that your family needs you for support can give you strength when you feel down or weak. 

Logistical reason: At first reading, the word logistical may seem strange to consider; but in reality, having family has some logistical purpose behind it.  We as humans are a community-based organism; we thrive best when we work together as a family.  Even financially, you are more likely to be financially stable if you have a family working together to support one another versus one person working only to support themselves. 

As noted above, the family does not necessarily always mean blood or marriage relation.  So whether your family is someone of kin or folks you have grown a bond with that goes deeper than a friendship, having this community is important to maintain.