The Important Role Mothers Play In Teaching Family Values

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln

While mothers are typically the glue that holds a family together, today motherhood looks different than it has in days gone by. Despite the way society has evolved to include single mothers, women who hold powerful positions in huge corporations, and other non-traditional mother figures, family values are still family values. And, while they are taught through example, the mother figure of the family often spends more time with children and is, therefore, a greater influence in shaping a child’s day-to-day behavior through family values.

You may wonder, what exactly do I mean by “family values?” To me, family values embody one’s ideas about how you want your family to live. What kind of behavior do you value as an individual and want to pass along to your children? Traditionally, family values have been passed down from one generation to the next. For instance, what religion your family practices is considered a family value.

My mother was truly responsible for teaching her children her cherished values. Like Abraham Lincoln, I can honestly say that I owe my mother a debt of gratitude for teaching me what I consider to be exceptional values. I am who I am today because of my mother’s influence. Likewise, my wife, the mother of my children, had strong family values which she passed on to our children. Fortunately, my wife and I came from families with similar values.

Whether your family is traditional or modern, family values help define behavior in various situations throughout life. As children grow, defined family values help youngsters make conscientious choices.

In my family, to this day, my wife openly and regularly discusses our family values. She insisted on sitting down with the children to establish and explain values. As a result of defining and talking about values and what they mean on a regular basis, my children have grown into amazing, responsible adults who are passing their values onto their children.

The Values My Mother Taught

Moral Values: These were the first and most important values my mother taught me and my siblings. They are the foundation for all others. These values are embodied in the Ten Commandments and children who are educated in a religious household learn them early.

In addition to the values the Ten Commandments teach, my mother included the following:

Being courageous, never giving up, adding value to the world, being patient, and taking personal responsibility.

Social Values: My mother also taught us the importance of social values such as peace, justice, freedom, equality, and bettering our community. Mother taught us to never hurt others and to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. She taught us the importance of volunteering time and skills in the community and being generous with what we have.

Work Values: According to mother, work values started with schoolwork and over time grew to shape our philosophies about jobs, finances, and how to spend our hard-earned money. According to mom, the most important this was to always do our best. She also taught us to save a portion of our allowance, to be proud of our achievements, to keep in mind the role that work plays in society and to treat everyone the way we would want to be treated.

Recreational Values

Mom also knew that it was important for our family to have fun and play together. We had game nights and vacations and spent lots of time together outside playing as a family...

To All The Mothers And The Valuable Role They Play In The World

To a mother, a child is so much more than simply bringing a child into the world. In fact, many famous people with exceptional values were adopted and mothered by women who did not give birth to them. For instance, Nelson Mandela was adopted as was the founder of Apple Computers, Steve Jobs.

Here’s to all the mothers, traditional and non-traditional alike. The value of the role you play is invaluable.