“Family,” New Era, Oct. 2008, 20
Family
Do your part to build a happy home. Honor your parents, and strengthen your relationships with your brothers and sisters.
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have declared: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”1
Interestingly, these simple truths, founded on our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, are sometimes surprising to the world. But a recent study found that teens outside the Church are also finding happiness in spirituality and in their family relationships. In 2007 two large U.S. media organizations surveyed young people ages 12 to 24 to find what makes them happy.
The study presented these findings, among others:
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Youth “depend on parents as a vital source of security and happiness.”
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“Youth will increasingly seek happiness via spirituality and faith.”
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“A resurgence of interest among youth in traditional family structures will gain momentum.”
One of the summary statements from the study said, “While our initial research did find that today’s youth are more traditional than previous generations, we were surprised to find the extent to which youth anticipate their own marriages and families with great joy.”2
Photo illustration by Craig Dimond