The International Day of Families, celebrated annually on May 15, is a reminder of the great influence family has on individual well-being, as well as in building better communities.

If loving, unified, vital, and joyful, a family can provide the ideal conditions for the well-being of its members in all facets of life -- physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

According to the Bahá'í Writings, "where unity existeth in a given family, the affairs of that family are conducted; what progress the members of that family make, how they prosper in the world, their concerns are in order, they enjoy comfort and tranquillity, they are secure, their position is assured, they come to be envied by all," and again "if love and agreement are manifest in a single family, that family will advance, become illumined and spiritual; but if enmity and hatred exist within it, destruction and dispersion are inevitable".

The family unit provides the basic and practical life experience, and fosters a sense of responsibility and of values.

A united and spiritually-motivated family will have a direct impact on the well-being of our communities and the building of better societies. Thus, strengthening the family is necessary for individual well-being and development of a social order based on justice and unity. The Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá'í international community states: "The family unit, the nucleus of human society, constitutes a space within which praiseworthy morals and essential capacities must be developed, for the habits and patterns of conduct nurtured in the home are carried into the workplace, into the social and political life of the country, and finally into the arena of international relations".

Our responsibility and privilege as parents

The social and spiritual values that our children and youth learn at home would apply, not only in the context of the family, but outside in the local and national community, as well as in the world community.

We, as parents, have the responsibility and privilege to devote time and effort to children's upbringing, for them to be of good character, and to acquire knowledge which is useful. Of course, it is important that as parents we show our children what is right and how to behave by the example of our own lives.

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