Some of my favorite childhood memories are remarkably ordinary: conversations around the dinner table, long road trips and family walks. At the time, I did not realize those moments were doing something profound. They were teaching me how to communicate, how to understand others, what I believed, and where I belonged.
Read more The gospel and grace of Jesus Christ are for everyone, Latter-day Saint president says
Before society introduces itself to us, the world is first introduced to us through our families. Long before schools, governments, economies or other institutions shape how we think, the home serves as our first classroom and family as our first community.
The importance of family is not merely a political ideal or an effort to preserve an old way of life. It is a biological and social reality fundamental to human development and flourishing.
How family helps with childhood development
Family is where we first learn how relationships work. It is where we encounter love, sacrifice, responsibility, forgiveness, service and belonging. Through thousands of seemingly insignificant interactions, children begin forming an understanding of themselves, other people and the world around them.
Healthy families contribute to healthier communities and societies.
Across cultures and religious traditions, family has long been recognized as foundational to human life. Human beings do not flourish in isolation. We are relational by nature.
The family is also where values, beliefs, traditions and behaviors are passed from one generation to the next. Children learn not simply through instruction, but through observation. They watch how adults communicate, respond to hardship, resolve conflict and demonstrate love.
Research from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child highlights the importance of what researchers call “serve and return” interactions between children and their caregivers. When a baby smiles, gestures, babbles or reaches toward an adult and that caregiver responds, important neural connections are strengthened.
Harvard explains that without these responsive relationships, brain architecture may not develop as expected, potentially producing long-term effects on learning, behavior and health.
These exchanges may look ordinary. Eye contact, smiling, imitating sounds, responding to a child’s gestures or playing together can all be foundational to healthy development.
Because human beings are relational, our earliest relationships help shape our ability to communicate, regulate emotions, form attachments, build friendships, and navigate challenges later in life.
This is why family is fundamentally a human issue.
Family is not simply about defending tradition or advancing a particular political ideology. It is about recognizing that the environment into which a child is born can profoundly influence that child’s opportunities for development, stability, belonging, and flourishing.
The influence of family does not end when childhood does
Research has found that supportive family relationships are associated with greater resilience, optimism, self-esteem, self-compassion, self-efficacy and a stronger sense of coherence. Families can also influence physical health through nutrition, exercise, preventive care, and whether people seek help when they become ill. A review published in Social Science & Medicine examines the many ways family relationships can shape mental and physical well being.
Every person deserves the opportunity to belong somewhere, to be known, to be loved, and to learn what it means to love others in return.
Read more Opinion: The false compassion of euthanasia and surrogacy
Healthy families contribute to healthier communities and societies.
Of course, not everyone experiences a safe or loving home. Some people grow up amid divorce, loss, neglect, abuse, instability or estrangement. Others are raised by grandparents, adoptive parents, extended relatives or other caregivers who provide stability and love.
Strong religious communities, mentors, neighbors and close-knit communities can also provide important support and belonging when family circumstances are difficult.
Family structures and customs may vary across cultures and communities, but the human need for stable, loving relationships is universal. Every person deserves the opportunity to belong somewhere, to be known, to be loved, and to learn what it means to love others in return.
We cannot choose every circumstance into which we are born. But we can work to create families and communities in which children and adults have the opportunity to flourish.
The impact of family on society
Because of the family’s importance to human development and social stability, it should also be recognized and protected in public policy.
Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.”
The Geneva Consensus Declaration echoes this principle, recognizing the family as a foundational unit of society and affirming the importance of policies that support families.
These principles reflect a basic reality: societies are made up of people, and people are first formed within relationships.
Policies that strengthen families can have effects far beyond the walls of an individual home. When parents are supported, children are protected, relationships are strengthened and families are given the opportunity to thrive, communities benefit as well.
The family is where humanity first learns what it means to be human.
Regardless of nationality, culture, religion or political persuasion, we all have a stake in strengthening the relationships that shape the next generation. Supporting families should not be dismissed as an outdated ideal or reduced to a partisan talking point.
It is an investment in human flourishing.
Our call to action is to help create environments in which families can thrive. In doing so, we invest not only in individual lives, but in the future health, resilience and development of society itself.
Read more Letter to the editor: Deidre Henderson and our electoral process