Table Of Contents
1. Living Together In The Family
2. Advantages Of Living Together In The Family
3. Meaning Of Family Bond And Cohesion
4. Importance Of Good Family Reputation
Living Together In The Family
Man is a gregarious animal, as he is always seen in group (social life). Living together therefore, has made man more unique than other biological animals. Man is conscious of all the conflicts and frictions of living together; still he adapts himself to group life because of the numerous advantages. Let us consider the various advantages of living together in the family.
Advantages Of Living Together In The Family
1. Protection
In the family, parents spend quality time with their children to instill true sense of belonging and security. The family monitors the kind of films and friends their children and wards watch and keep so as to protect them from unhealthy relationships. Aged members of the family are also given social protection from external and internal attacks.
2. Happiness
All the economic and social resources the family provide for its members are fo their comfort, joy and happiness. Happiness is an essential ingredient that should not be lacking in normal human beings. The happiness provided at homes makes each family member long to go back to his or her household. Home is the best of all the places in the world. Family reunion generates happiness at its highest form.
3. Unity
The family is an important source of unity. This is because most human activities are done together by members of the family. Examples include grassroots social activities such as child birth, naming ceremony, death and burial of a family member, marriages and thanksgiving ceremonies. These are communally decided and executed at the family unity centre. So the family is an epitome of oneness, togetherness, love and unity.
4. Education Of Children
Formal and informal education are given and received by the family members. This is one of the rewards every member of an organized family receives. Thus, education is provided by the parents or adult members fo the extended family.
Socialization of the children is very important for the survival of the children and the family. The family value, talents and history are safeguarded through the right type of education.
5. Maintaining Good Family Name And Reputation
Through the informal education, the family teaches its members the norms, mores, and other standards of the society. This is done in order for the members to know how to behave in public. Public training starts from the home.
Good family tenets equip the children well and provide good avenues of avoiding social vices that damage the individual and his family name and reputation.
6. Good Social Behaviour
Good and acceptable social behaviour are naturally given at home such as social obligations, individual rights, laws, civic duties and other acceptable conducts are imparted as right attitude in life.
7. Reproduction
This is the process through which the father and mother bring forth young ones similar to them. Through this way the continuity of the family tree is maintained from one generation to another. It is only the father and the mother that are legally permitted to procreate in the family. The children are morally banned from having children in their parents” homes until they marry.
Meaning Of Family Bond And Cohesion
This refers to strong ties which exist between people that:
1. Recognize individual family rights, obligations and privileges.
2. Respect individual family rights, obligations and privileges.
3. Obey Family rules and regulations.
Households make family bonds and cohesion strong and elastic. The household-like family are made up of father, mother, children, etc. They come together at night. It is therefore regarded as family at night because it is generally at night that there is real face to face interaction. The parents are with their immediate children. It is at this juncture that:
1. Private family matters are discussed.
2. Parents educate their children in matters pertaining to domestic issues.
3. Parents pronounce rewards on family members that have made significant achievements in their different endeavours.
4. Parents withdraw rights or privileges from those found wanting.
5. Set new goals or targets for the family unity. For example, the family may like to build a new house, buy a new car or propose to send a member to learn a trade, etc, all in the bid to bring joy, happiness and comfort for all.
Family bond and cohesion make every individual in the family to know that he/she does not exist alone except as a whole. He/she owes his/her existence to other members of the family including those of the past generation and his/her peers.
He/she is simply part of the whole only in terms of other members, when he/she suffers he/she does not suffer alone but with the entire group. When he rejoices, he rejoices not alone but with his family and relatives. When he gets married, he is not alone neither does the wife belong to him alone. So also the children. Family bond and cohesion is a big success key for all and sundry in the family.
Importance Of Good Family Reputation
Reputation has to do with the opinion or notion people have about what something or somebody is like, based on what had happened in the past.
Many families have built up very powerful reputation through hard work, honesty, truthfulness, charity and other achievements, events in education, commerce and good governance.
Good Family Reputation Has The Following Importance
1. Good Name
Good family reputation paves way for good names to the individuals of the family. The good deeds of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahamadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Belewa, Herbert Macaulay, General Abdusalami Abubakar and others, speak volume of their good deeds and names.
2. Respect
This is also accorded to other members of the community because of the spread of the ingenuity in many areas of their community. The effort of the nationalists of the past are today remembered and respected, hence their names are immortalized to prevent being forgotten.
3. It Creates Room For Goodwill
Reputation is an asset that continues to attract goodwill. It is an effort in the past that attracts reward in kind and material form to the family and her society. Noble prize winners are good examples. Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, etc.
4. Good Family Reputation Is A Strong Instrument Of Protection And Security:
For the individual members of the family whose good deeds recorded attractive success in the days or years gone by.
5. Good Family Reputation Inspires The Members Of The Family To Make More Positive Contributions In The Community for the over all growth and development of the society.