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FAMILY


The Power of Family


Then, parents and children went away to work in factories rather than working together on a family farm or trade. Laws were put into place to protect children from fac- tory work but nothing protected them from the effects of having ab- sentee parents. Now, the idea of an intact, two-parent family with children seems almost quaint.


A


majority of kids grow up without daily interaction with two par- ents. Even so, families are not a lost cause—they can’t be. Though families are increasingly marginal- ized in our media and culture, the family is still the single most power- ful influence on any individual, and the basic building block of society. It is only through empowering fami- lies that we can empower individu- als, communities and societies to work towards peace, progress and unity. As women we must re-dedi- cate ourselves to the task of shap- ing, strengthening and sustaining


our families, for therein is the power to change individuals, communities and nations.


The need to be purposeful in choosing which influences direct our families is more important than ever.


By Julia Bernards The whole concept of family seems to be increasingly elusive


my professor admitted that even though we were to be study- ing families, we didn’t have a good definition of what a family is. Since the industrial revolution, the societal forces tearing families apart have multiplied.


these days. Over a decade ago as I sat in a college class,


by appreciating them, demonstrat- ing our commitment to them and the family, spending time together and communicating positively, we are laying a foundation for our abil- ity to shape the family and the indi- viduals therein.


As natural and man-made


disasters unfold around us, as media becomes increasingly ubiq- uitous, as pressures on the fam- ily increase daily, we must act to share our knowledge and impart our values within our families. As women, as mothers, step-moth- ers, aunts, grandmothers, sisters and girlfriends, we have the power to shape the minds and hearts of those around us, if we are willing to make the effort to use it. In the many familial roles that we hold as women, our dedication to and love for other members of our family open them to our influence. As we nurture the individuals in our family


There are many levels on which


“...we have the power to shape the minds and hearts of those around us...”


our families need our shaping in- fluence. Everything, from how we respond to disasters to the food we choose to eat, bares consideration and cultivation on our part. With- out a firm, guiding force, families and individuals are subject to the chaos of whatever external forces may act on them. With an unwav-


25 INSPIRATIONAL WOMAN MAGAZINE


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