After a long day of school, the only things on your mind are video games, checking Instagram, and sleeping. Fast forward five years later, and you’re in college or at work, reminiscing about how much you miss home.
Eric Jackson from Forbes.com ranked the number one biggest regret in life as “working so much at the expense of family and friendships.”
Time is one of the most valuable non-payable assets in life. The wealthiest people in the world still get the same 24 hours daily as everybody else.
Of course, it’s essential to address the inevitable responsibilities of adult life, such as school and work. But it’s even more important to spend time with family because they’re the people who provide us with housing, food, and comfort. Refusing to spend time with your family is like receiving a gift for Christmas and not expressing gratitude.
Not all families have a perfect relationship, but we should try spending more time with them. Time is heavily limited, so we should try and make the most of what we have now.
Here are five reasons why you cherish the value of family.
1. Express your love to them
Spending time with your family is one of the best ways to return the love they’ve given you back to them. By this, it doesn’t necessarily mean planning an expensive vacation to Fiji or going on a $1,000 cruise to Europe.
It can be as simple as making a phone call or putting your phone down at the dinner table so your presence is acknowledged. Making this effort conveys that you care and appreciate the moment with your parents.
2. Source of motivation and discipline
Family is the most prominent source of motivation and discipline among many people. Having sacrificed so much for us, our families deserve our hard work in school and our careers.
By cherishing the value of family, we become more disciplined in our endeavors because we no longer work hard for ourselves—we work hard for our families. Retiring both parents is a noteworthy yet challenging accomplishment. It’s also a goal that further fuels an already-ignited fire inside our hearts.
3. Happiness and joy
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
– Colossians 3:20 (ESV)
The happiness derived from genuine family time is nothing compared to the pleasure of social media, video games, and junk food. Additionally, parental love is nothing compared to the love of fake friends or toxic exes from the past.
By spending time with family, we make our parents happy because they can create memories with the things that mean the most to them: their children. Life is short, and there will be a day when our family members are no longer with us. It’s better to use our time to create memories than continue to wait till we’re free.
4. Strengthens relationships
Not all families are perfect, and not everyone has a positive outlook on their family. Regardless of the damage they might’ve inflicted upon you, forgiveness allows you to be free and move on.
Mayoclinic.org wrote, “It can help free you from the control of the person who harmed you. Sometimes, forgiveness might even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy, and compassion for the one who hurt you.”
Spending time with family is an opportunity to forgive and rekindle broken relationships. It might take time to regain trust, but even the effort to forgive someone is a tremendous accomplishment. Even if there isn’t any bad blood within your family, the more you spend time with your family, the greater you build that bond.
5. Fosters love and development
The environment in which a child grows up plays a critical role in their development. When surrounded by love their entire life, they feel safe, encouraging them to reciprocate the same love to those around them.
Elizabeth Plumptre from Verywellmind.com wrote, “The trauma of routinely witnessing domestic violence places children at a high risk of developing depression, sadness, concentration issues, and other symptoms of depression into adulthood.”
