International Day of Families amid pandemic

By Amb. Salahuddin Choudhry

At a time when almost all communities of the world are beset with the once-in-a-generation epidemic disease, and when unfamiliar challenges/ restrictions are being met disavowedly, despite displeasure, there could be no better occasion than for all of us to come together as families…..and remain united for all times, for all occasions, in every situation.

An epidemic or pandemic is not a new phenomenon. Century after century the world communities saw them, met them, challenged and battled them, mostly with success.

There have been examples of great and iconic people who got them and fought them; yet some who lost the fight. One such man was William Shakespeare in the sixteenth century when he is said to have quietly faced it (the Bubonic Plague) and lost his life – following expiry of his own children and close family members – but of course after having been a great success story as a poet and playwright.

This scribe wrote an essay on his life and the matchless contribution he made in the field of language and literature. Some of us coming off solid family bondage can surely pick such exemplary stories of sacrifices made in the battle against Covit-19 threat/ spread, which we as families are fighting.

That’s why, universally, for us all, family comes first. and, when we are united we fight well.

The International Day of Families is observed on 15^th Day of the month of May every year. The UN General Assembly decided this in a resolution in 1993. The Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families. The celebration is all about the importance of families and family life conveyed to people and their communities. The Day is also an occasion to reflect on the work started during the year and to celebrate the importance of families, people, societies and cultures around the world. The Day has been held every year since.

Further, the United Nations with 193 member states, then, unanimously adopted on 25 September 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 goals aiming to eliminate poverty, discrimination, abuse and preventable deaths, address environmental destruction, and usher in an era of development for all people, everywhere.

For the achievement of SDGs, families can play a special role. Family policies are a mainstay of national public policies and the most meaningful vehicle for governments to influence the living standards of upcoming generations. As part of achieving the global ambitions of the SDGs, family policies make an important aspect in meeting many of the target goals.

As the world community is getting increasingly focused on development, the theme of the 2020 International Day of Families is “Families in Development”.

For this year, on 15^th May, the UN Hqrs. in New York, as it remains closed for the month of May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is conducting the annual observance of the International Day of Families through an on-line Webinar, on prior registration. [For any information, including the link to registration, email request may be addressed to Renata Kaczmarska at [email protected]. ]

The Day’s celebration is indeed important as it actually boosts our well-being — and this is true for major milestones and successes both. One main reason why celebrating is so important is because it reflects an overall attitude of gratitude and enjoying what we have, instead of focusing on what we don’t have or only on what we want to have in the posterity.

What then family is all about? A “family” means something very specific…. to be with people, who understand and accept us without any condition. The family can be small or large, who all support each other. They will help when we struggle and be there for us in trying times.

The family functions as a unit….a group of people that’s made up of parents and their children living together. This is what we mean and talk about most often when we speak of family love. 

(Family can also mean all the descendants of a common ancestor).

Strong families are seen in different ways, shapes and forms. Families can include single parents, two parent families, grandparents raising grandchildren, foster parents and others. … These elements all contribute first to a family happiness and strength and over all families’ happiness in a society since their commitment is to making their relationships a high priority.

What are the values we in Pakistan can hold for a family ? We say, “family” is all about love , support, advice, consolation, encouragement, comfort…family is so important to live to the fullest with full happiness. It starts right from the birth as a child and parents relationship.

It is very important to celebrate the Day with one’s own family because traditions are very close to

families to hold since they build strong relationships between generations. Indeed, because these customs are so cherished, children often remember these special experiences as more than the toys or gifts they receive.

Equally significant is the family time on the Families Day because one needs to develop ties and bond with their family. Spending family time together ensures that deep, strong, family relationship.

How do we observe International Day of Families ? Let’s volunteer with our family; join in on the global celebration by working together with our family on a project to benefit the community….

We simply reflect on what family means to us.

So, let us organize a heart-warming community family event:

Themes for Strong Families:

1. Strong families express appreciation and affection. They speak in positive and affirming ways and express the love they have for each other.
2. Strong families have a strong commitment to each other. They are deeply committed to promoting each other’s happiness and welfare and show their commitment by investing time and energy in family activities.
3. Strong families spend enjoyable time together. They enjoy being together and know that if they don’t prioritize and schedule time together, it won’t happen. Sometimes, love is spelled t-i-m-e.
4. Strong families manage stress and crisis effectively. They are not immune or exempt from difficult days and challenging situations, but they develop strategies so they can pull together, rather than fall apart.
5. Strong families have a sense of spiritual well-being. Whatever the expression of their spiritual lifestyle, there are consistent themes of guiding values and ethics, as well as commitment to important causes.
6. Strong families have effective and positive communication patterns. They talk to each other and listen to each other and may have specific ground rules on how they communicate in respectful, loving ways.                               

…….Spending Time With Family:

• Strengthens Family Bonding. …
• Family Time Improves Child’s Academic Performance. …
• Spending Time with Family Helps Kids Develop Parenting Skills. …
• More Family Time Results in Less Behavioral Problems. …
• Spending Time with Family Results in Less Violence.

Just to remind our readership, we had the Mother’s Day to celebrate the last Sunday on 10^th May.  Coincidentally, here we may reflect Mother’s Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families.

The author is a former senior diplomat of Pakistan and Past President of Rotary International Manchester.