Forever Families
Families are ordained of God and are the most important social unit in time and eternity. Our Heavenly Father’s divine plan of happiness allows family relationships to endure beyond the grave.
The family is the fundamental unit of society and the primary setting in which children develop virtue. God has placed families at the center of His eternal plan for the happiness of His children.
In a family, children learn about love, trust, loyalty, cooperation, and service. They learn how to behave in a community and develop the attributes of good citizenship. The health of any society lies in the strength of its families. Thus, strengthening families will strengthen communities and nations.
Home should be a haven, free from the conflicts of the outside world—a place where everyone feels safe, respected, and accepted. Ways to facilitate this feeling of harmony in your home include:
- Loving and serving one another. The Savior Jesus Christ demonstrated perfect love in His unfailing service throughout His life on Earth. Serving others teaches humility, builds self-discipline, creates unity, strengthens work ethics, and leads to greater love and compassion.
- Spending quality time together.
- Instituting and maintaining family home evening? once a week. Family home evening nights should be centered on building and maintaining family relationships. Activities can include games, songs, discussions, treats, short lessons, family stories, and so forth.
- Preparing and eating meals together can stimulate conversation.
- Adopting a family hobby.
- Taking family vacations.
- Spending time in wholesome recreational activities.
- Participating in children’s schoolwork and activities by volunteering to coach, lead, or chaperone; attending sporting events, performances, and any other activities whenever possible; getting to know teachers and coaches; finding out about long-term projects or assignments and assisting with goal setting and planning.
- Communicating effectively. Good communication skills can help your family express love and respect for one another and develop feelings of confidence and self-worth.
- Consistently building unity with your spouse. The partnership of marriage and the resulting family are central focal points in God’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
- Establishing limits for use of electronic equipment in the home. Agreeing on reasonable time limits for television, computer, video games, and other electronic equipment will facilitate stronger family communication.
- Teaching children about Jesus Christ and helping them follow His example. Children need help in learning to recognize the Holy Ghost. Teaching them how to know what they are feeling is from God will help them to understand right and wrong and will aid them in making good decisions throughout their lives.
In 1995, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued “
