What are your values? Are you sharing these virtuous rules with your kids? If yes, then it will decide their behavior in tough situations, will help them make better choices, and strengthen your family bond. So, once your value is passed to the next generation, it becomes family values. In case you don’t have a list of family values, then it’s not very late to start.
What are the types of values?
The list of family values differs, but some categories generally define all the values that exist in our world.
10. Social values
Factors that affect your family as well as others in society. For instance, equality, justice, freedom, and peace. Some of the examples of social values that you can include in your list:
- Never hurt anyone around you and help those who are weak
- Be respectful, polite, and courteous while communicating with others, especially elders
- Use your skills for the betterment of others
- Honesty is the best policy. So, remain true to your work and family members
- Work with the team, do not take anything on your ego
2. Political Values
You can be liberal, moderate, or conservative about the opinions on how the government should act or run. However, there are a few points that you can include in your family values.
- If you or your country has achieved something, then try to set an example for others
- Be patriotic
- Treat everyone equally irrespective of their sex, religion, race, education, or language
- Accept new things with wide arms
- Work hard to achieve your goals
3. Religious values
Based on beliefs and faith, religious values define how you think about yourself and others. It changes according to the person, state, or country. However, there are some common values that you can share with your family members.
- Show support to the people who are in need
- Treat others similar to the way you like to be treated
- Continue to learn and grow physically, mentally, intellectually, and spiritually
- Keep your behavior modest with others
- Remain non-violent if someone commits a mistake that results in your loss
4. Work Values
The factors that determine your professional and financial success are generally included in the work values. It includes your attitude about your job, how you manage your finance, and how you save. For kids, work values are inclined towards school and how serious are they about education. Some of the instance that you can include in your list:
- Doing the best work for your business or company
- Save a part of your salary or income
- Find a job, business, or any other platform to express your ideas and interests
- Make goals to do well in life
- Know the value of your job
- Treat colleagues, students, clients, and management in a respectful and polite manner
5. Moral values
The definitions of right and wrong are not the same for all individuals. Moral values are your thoughts that mostly depend on your experiences and what you learned from your parents. These factors determine your behavior and decision making power, especially in adverse conditions.
- Be reliable, honest, and trustworthy
- Show courage when you notice something wrong or illegal
- Giving up cannot be an option
- Add value to your life by helping others and doing meaningful things
- Patience is an important key to success
- Take responsibilities for your mistakes
How to make your family values?
Creating a list of values while sitting with your family might be a tough task. Keep in mind that there are no thumb rules to making the points. So, the first step should be to get inputs from all the members. Be patient because it might take more than one meeting to jot down all the factors. Make sure that the values showcase the character of your family. Check the following tips to make the process easy.
- Think of a mission or motto that can reflect the core of your family. It can be about loyalty, kindness, working hard, or spreading peace, etc. Which phrase or punchline can describe your family? Choose the same.
- Discuss with your family and think about what’s important for all of them. Talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each family member before finalizing any point to the list. Allow each member to think about a particular point before including it in the values.
- Note down all the points in the first meeting. You can filter and narrow down the things in the future.
- Ten ideas are sufficient to balance a family. The values can be more or less, but 10 is an ideal number.
- Once ready, you should display the list at a place where everyone can see it without making any effort.
- Refer to the values when you want to guide the family members. You can use it as teaching material during unwanted discussions or fights.
- Add more points as your family evolves.
Sample list for your help
Families differ and so their values. However, we are giving you a sample that will be helpful to create some points to follow.
- Speak and act only after thinking about the consequences
- Respect all the religions and follow the guidelines given by your own
- Do not let modern values clash with traditional values. Discuss with the elders in such situations
- Always spend time with your family.
- Try to develop and pursue personal interests
- Make a mindset according to the values, do not only read and talk about them
- Always be respectful and polite to others
- Put your best efforts into all the tasks, whether professional or personal
- Keep learning to excel in life
- Do not be afraid of failures, learn from them
- Celebrate your achievements
- Spent money wisely
- Be kind to animals and treat pets like family
- Do not act or speak instantly, especially when you are in a bad mood
- Never damage public property and treat personal or others possessions respectfully
- Stop making disrespectful friends
- Listen to all the opinions, especially if they are coming from an elder or experienced person
- Maintain safety while driving
- Be honest with your work
Traditional and modern values
Family values need to be flexible because time and culture change according to the environment. Traditional values tend to practice extended family wherein more family members are working and living together. However, modern values shift the focus on independent living and development. These factors promote self-centered behaviors instead of togetherness.
Impacts of society on family values
Society and its people are highly affected by the advancement of technology. Families used to live together or nearby to their life more comfortable and convenient. They used to share more time. However, things started to change after the industrial revolution. Now, the members are open to shifting and spreading out to cities or places where they can get some work.
Change in gender roles
Traditional values encourage women to stay home and take care of the household while the man joins the workforce to earn. On the other hand, modern values allow both men and women to enjoy their jobs or business irrelevant of the fact that they are parents or not. A perfect nuclear family is where both mother and father raise the kid and helps them understand the world.
Update your family values regularly
You can change the family values whenever required, especially if you want to include everyone. For instance, you as a parent decided the points after discussing with elder family members. However, you should include suggestions from your kids once they are grown up. Family values should reflect all your family members. So, it’s a bright idea to promote young lads to provides inputs in these important discussions.
Takeaways
Now you know all family values that will be helpful to create a list. Make sure that the points or motto reflect your family. For instance, if your family is happening and fun-loving, then your list should showcase the same. If the members are spiritual, then the values should be spiritual as well. In other words, you should include all the activities that are important for the mental well-being and health of your family.