Family Day

To me the family is of utmost importance in our day, but we, as a Christian nation, are losing our families. Satan is doing a good job wrecking the family. Building strong families gets tougher every day. We need to pray every day for our families.

In doing research this morning I ran across this and I thought I would share it with all of you:

• Children spend less than 30 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their mothers and less than 15 minutes per week with their fathers.
• Households headed by unmarried people living together have quadrupled since 1970.
• According to a recent Gallup poll, 73% of Americans, under age 45, believe that life spent with the same partner is both unusual and unnecessary.
• Six out of ten children live in a single parent household.
• The cost of the average divorce is $19,365.00.
• In the average divorce, women and children suffer a 73% decline in their standard of living.
• The death rate for divorced men 35-60 years of age is 130% higher than their happily married counterparts.
• In a Gallup poll, 89% of people, currently going through a divorce, cited a family history of divorce as being a contributing factor to the ending of their marriage.
  

In America every 24 hours:

• 3,000 children see their parents divorced.
• 1,629 children are put in adult jail.
• 3,228 children run away from home.
• 1,512 children drop out of school.
• 7,742 teens become sexually active.

From a national survey of strong families conducted by the Human Development and Family Department at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, a profile of a strong family:

• Appreciation. Family members gave one another compliments and sincere demonstrations of approval. They tried to make the others feel appreciated and good about themselves.
• Ability to Deal with Crises in a Positive Manner. They were willing to take a bad situation, see something positive in it and focus on that.
• Time Together. In all areas of their lives--meals, work, recreation--they structured their schedules to spend time together.
• High Degree of Commitment. Families promoted each person’s happiness and welfare, invested time and energy in each other and made family their number one priority.
• Good Communication Patterns. These families spent time talking with each other. They also listened well, which shows respect.
• High Degree of Religious Orientation. Not all belonged to an organized church, but they considered themselves highly religious. (1983)

Building strong families gets tougher every day. Chuck Swindoll said of the family, "Whatever else may be said about the home, it is the bottom line of life, the anvil upon which attitudes and convictions are hammered out. It is the place where life’s bills come due, the single most influential force in our earthly existence."