OUR FAMILY'S GREAT STRENGTHS

These are troubled times for families.  Jobs are scarce.  The pace is too hectic.  The media look vulgar. Fewer attend church.  Schools have drugs

Parents have the world's toughest job - raising kids.  It's time to remind ourselves of our family strengths:

• Family roots are deep and powerful despite problems 
• Family spending and saving control the economy 
• Politicians still rely on getting the vote 
• Media ratings are controlled by family members 
• Families are still in charge, not schools nor courts

In these troubled times, families are nearly alone in their wellness efforts.  That is the big reason for the Family Cybermall and Family Wellness, Now!

These are resources families can now use for the well-being of their children, parents and grandparents.

Please see:   www.familycybermall.org.
 

"The Family is One of Nature's Masterpieces" - George Santayana

THE FAMILY BUSINESS


Not so long ago, the family business was the farm, the shop or the store. It was more than a business. It was a major family bond where members worked together. The income is what sustained the family. Money was working to preserve family cohesion.

Now business and money separates family members. Parents go to their own jobs – for most today that keeps them very busy. Children go to school where success means good jobs and money. All this are combining to fragment the family.

The old family business had a bigger job than money. There, the rules and values of life were shared in their daily relationships. Now those rules and values come more from the school and the jobs. This makes fragmentation much more serious.

So what is the business of the family? Its job is to raise kids and provide a safe place for relationships that build character and prepare the members for a good life. That preparation includes discerning what is healthy and what is not. Today’s environment gives plenty of examples of both.

The experts in strategic planning know that when there is a complex muddle, one clear, practical goal can make a success and clear away a lot of fog. How would our daily family problems look if we were targeted on getting kids ready to be parents? If we were clear about our main purpose, our problems would look smaller and very different. In fact, we could use them as practice for parenthood.

The Family Cybermall, www.familycybermall.org, and its New Hope Covenant are designed to help families decide what their real business must be.

Does your family know what their business is? Tell us about this latest FAMILY CHALLENGE.