A Flourishing Family

A couple of months ago, some of my priest friends and I visited a young American couple with seven children, from 3 months to 13 years. The father of the family is a film director and actor. When we left one of us said, “Being with that family was the best and the most fulfilling experience.” Some behavior and activities of that family had caught my attention too. The members interacted smoothly and graciously. The home was filled with joy. They said they ate meals together, said grace before meals, and did not watch television during their meals. The father told us their oldest son, the thirteen-year old, takes his schoolwork seriously and gets good grades. He also has a transparent relationship with his parents. We learned that the family prays together regularly. Each member, even the little ones has a patron saint to whom they pray. They also know the stories about this saint. Despite daily chores and challenges they seem to be having healthy relationships.

The house was orderly. I was delighted to see how the older ones take care of the younger ones, helping them in the shower and putting them to bed. The children kiss their parents a good night. The father said he does not want his children to miss the love that he missed when he was a child. So, he tries to show love to each of his children individually.

On their refrigerator, I saw a list of five family virtues: respect, responsibility, resourcefulness, generosity, and gratefulness quoted from Saint Mother Teresa’s various ways to practice humility; and a family calendar of activities for children. I also noticed that, while having a friendly relationship with their children, the parents could still be firm and make corrections when a child crossed his or her limit. And the parents stood together.