Importance of Value Systems: An Essential Component of Childhood

As the festival season is going on, with multiple holidays lined up, it is natural for all of us, especially children to look forward to this time of the year, and understandably so, as it gives time off. However, most of the times, the actual essence and reason behind the festival tends to get overshadowed by a reason to simply enjoy the holiday. Further, each festival, regardless of religion or community, is inevitably an opportunity for the collective unit of a family as a whole to rebuild and enjoy the relationships we have. It is not a surprise that the fast-paced competitive world of today has almost led to a reduction in the value and significance being attached to such family times, and the original value system being associated with the celebration of the particular festival. With the sized of families reducing, and the transitions in our social systems, it becomes increasingly important for us to recognize the symbolization of festival seasons as a celebration of our relationships and emotional bonds, not to reiterate the festival in itself, but to reinforce the inculcation of value systems within the children.

Importance of Imbibing Value Systems in our Children:

• Teach them the importance of a value and support system. With human beings having a social nature inherently, being an agency for growth and experience, it would not be incorrect to say that the family serves as a primary ecological niche which provides for the socialization and survival of the next generation. Especially during the festivities, it is an opportune time for us all to remind ourselves and touch base and re-connect with our families.
• Help them internalize the cliché of ‘sharing is caring!’ Not just during the festive seasons, but even throughout the year, a family as an institution brings with it the implementation of a division of roles and responsibilities. Moreover, especially in collectivistic societies like India, with cultural connotations emphasize cohesion, especially with the diversity of festive dates marking our calendars, rituals and ceremonies observed as part of festivals is an opportune moment to re-build and celebrate our relationships and our families.
• Re-building value systems. The family system is what serves as the foundation for the internalization of an individual’s values, tenets and beliefs. And the rituals and customs associated with each festival tend to be grounded in the traditional belief systems which have been transcended through the generations above us. Ultimately, it is this family which provides the centre for transmission of values and culture through the growing generations.
• The true meaning of ‘family time’. The essence of spending ‘quality family time’ has almost lost its meaning in the contemporary world. In addition to the need to emphasize family time, it is also important to pay attention to our family communication patterns, which form the essence of the social institution. Why not utilize the festival season for such a purpose? The quality of communication and relationships within our family members determines the basis of our interpersonal functioning in the outside world, while further serving as the primary model of vicarious learning, not just for children but for the adults as well.