Posted by Chester Morton / Tuesday 29 January 2019 / No comments
There are several reasons why your family is very important
THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS WHY YOUR FAMILY IS VERY IMPORTANT
Introduction
Introduction
In Africa especially, and in many parts of the world for that
matter, the family is seen as the cradle of society. A family can be
defined as a group of people who are affiliated by blood, marriage or adoption.
In ancient days, when a slave is purchased, that slave or his/her descendants
may be seen as members of the family. The family plays a very major role in
society and some of them are discussed below.
FUNCTIONS OF THE
FAMILY
Gives identity to the individual
One of the basic functions of the family is to give a member
the required identity. Every child who was born of a woman belongs to a family
and that family must accept him/her into the family. One of the ways in which a
child is accepted into the family is for the child to be named. Once a child is
named by the father, mother or an elder member of the family, that child gains
an identity of the family he/she is born into. The society can now
point exactly which family a person belongs to.
The perpetuation of family through reproduction
Another major function of the family is to ensure that the
members do not become extinct. This is achieved through procreation. It is a
basic function of the members of the family to get married or be married off in
order to give birth to other members. The basic reason is to ensure that those
members of the family who die or get lost mysteriously are replaced. As a
consequence of this, where a member dies without leaving an offspring, the
woman is given off to a brother to produce babies. Barrenness is therefore not
an acceptable condition in an African setting.
Nurturing of younger members of the family
Another major function of the family is to nurture the
younger members of the family to be able to fit into the norms of the family
and the larger society as a whole. In every society, individuals are expected
to behave according to the norms of society. The family serves as a place
where the younger members of the society are tutored, trained and generally
nurtured.
Assurance of law and order
It is the function of the family to build the foundations of
members of the family to become law-abiding members of the larger society. This
is achieved through the institution of certain basic laws and ensuring that
they are adhered to by members of the family. These basic laws in the family
are not dissimilar to the laws that pertain in the society at large, so the ability of a member of the family to adhere to such laws at home (within the
family) ensures that they able to adhere to the laws of the society, thus
contributing to the maintenance of law and order in society.
Provision of physical needs
Some of the basic needs of the members of the family
include, but is not limited to food, clothing, and shelter. It is the primary
responsibility of the family to provide all these material items of importance.
It is also the duty of the family to ensure that when a member of the family
become indisposed, medication is sought for and provided to that member of
family. If a family member dies through sickness and the larger society finds
out that the family did not make any attempt to get him or her healing, the head
of the family could be hauled before the clan chief.
Provision of emotional needs
One other function of the family towards a member is the offer
emotional support. A member must feel loved and secured as a member. He must
receive the necessary care from the other members of the family. He or she must
win the respect of member and in turn, show maximum respect to other members.
Provides a sense of security
It is also a function of the family to provide security for
the members. One of the ways of doing this is to ensure that no member of the
family is subjected to any physical harm by another member of the family or by
an outsider. Apart from physical harm the family also ensures that members do
not come under any negative influence that can lead waywardness within the
larger society. For example, if a stranger enters a house and asks of a member
of the family, they usually want to know the reason why you are looking for
that member of the family. If the stranger’s mission is not too clear, no one would
tell where that particular member of the family is. This arrangement and basic norm
of protecting the members of the family gives them a sense of security.
ALSO READ:
The advantages and disadvantages of an extended family system
The advantages and disadvantages of a nuclear family system
The roles and responsibilities of a husband
