The Importance of Family

Article by: Jennifer Clark, PA-C, MPAS

ast week a friend of mine was faced with one of the worst imaginable situations, his wife

and mother of his two children suffered from a massive stroke at the young age of 35. After

several days of exhausting all life saving measures he made the most difficult decision of his life

out of respect for her wishes; he discontinued life support. Just like that his best friend, wife, and

mother to his children was gone. With all of the hustle and bustle of daily life, it is so easy to get

caught up in our jobs and careers and we can lose sight of what is most important…..family.

Sure we all have certain struggles within our families whether it be personality differences or

disagreements, but there is an unconditional love within a family that is unlike any other type of

relationship. This love is vital to many aspects of our own personal lives. I would like to spend

the rest of this article discussing some things that we may not be aware of in regards to the

benefits of having a good relationship with our families.

As we grow from infancy to adults our family helps to develop our personalities. Interactions

with our family teach us the importance of love, and what exactly unconditional love truly

means. Within a family a person can make a huge mistake, yet the love for that person doesn’t

falter, we accept our family members along with all of their imperfections and faults. We learn

from these imperfections and mistakes each other make and work together as a team to overcome

them. Family gives us a safe place to be imperfect and to grow and learn from adversity.

Perseverance through tough times helps create a bond which teaches us the importance of

interpersonal relationships. We also learn self-confidence, honesty, and humility from each

other.

These are just a few of the things that make having a strong relationship with our family so vital.

Many Psychologists have said that the most impactful influence on our lives is our family. Our

experiences within our homes help to mold who we become. Sure, not everyone has the perfect

home life, and a lot of times it is quite the opposite. I know firsthand what that is like, but taking

the good from the situation is so important. Life is precious and can be taken from us in an

instant. Enjoy the good times you share with your family and learn from the bad. Small moments

together are a blessing for the rest of our lives.

L