It has been said that good parents counter culture. They give feedback to family members by telling the truth as they see it regarding bad habits, poor choices and undesirable behavior. Families keep their members humble as well as build self-esteem. A family should never confuse disagreement with disloyalty. In a warm functional family members pitch in where needed but do not subjugate their individual needs to the needs of the whole.
Families teach moral virtues.
Through families, children learn to love and value. You may want to print this Bill of Rights For Children . Too often children are excluded from adult conversation and activities. It may be a mistake to send the children out to play or to the TV baby-sitter when an adult visitor drops by. Children learn a great deal from eaves dropping and even more if they are included in the general conversation by being asked about their day, their activities and depending on their age, asked for their opinions.