International Day of Families is celebrated every year on May 15th. This is a day that is dedicated to understanding how important families are. Furthermore, the aim behind the celebration of this day is to teach people about the importance of having a family and how they shape societies.
The United Nations in 1993 established this day. Since then, this day has been celebrated to continue reminding people about how important families are in shaping an individual's life and, ultimately, the society.
What is the theme of the International Day of Families 2025?
The theme of International Day of Families 2025 is "Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development."
This day is celebrated considering the importance of families in building society. It is also ensured that this day emphasizes the need for work-family balance and how equal partnership is essential within each household.
Importance of Families
Families are the foundation of any society. It is the first place where an individual is born. We can experience amazing feelings and emotions like love and care by staying in a family. Furthermore, by staying in a family, an individual can become the best version of themselves because love and care allow a human to evolve and be a good human being. Moreover, we also learn important values like honesty and kindness by being with a family. These values are fundamental to leading a good life.
When individuals follow small practices like having one meal a day together, they can bond as a family. In a lot of families parents try to pass on those traditions to their children. This can be done by teaching them their cooking recipes, talking about life stories and by worshipping together.
Just like in India, parents teach their children about Pooja practices and which Gods and Goddesses are worshipped. In a country like India, Goddesses are worshipped in different forms by people. Indians offer prayers to the Goddess Durga Mata Idol and other Goddesses, allowing the family members to bond and walk on the spiritual path.
The Reason behind the Celebration of This Day
Around the 1980s, it was noticed that people began to express concerns about family life and the problems that an individual faced once they had their own family. These problems included money-related matters, inability to give each other time in a family, etc. Keeping these things in mind, in the year 1994, the first International Day of Families was celebrated. Since that time, this day has been celebrated to keep focusing on the importance of families and how people in a family can live together and lead a happy life.
Ways to Celebrate this Day with Your Family
There are various ways in which an individual can celebrate this day with their family. In today's busy world, when most of us are busy and we do not have a lot of spare time for one another, it is important to celebrate this day just with your family and your loved ones.
Here are the most amazing and easiest ways in which you can celebrate with your family and make this day even more special and memorable-
Share Family Stories
We see that the elders of a family, including grandparents and parents, love sharing the stories of their lives. So, one of the most fun ways of spending this day together is by listening to the elders' stories. They can share various funny yet interesting moments and incidents in their life. From their experience, the young generation will learn a lot of things and will be able to face the challenges they might face in their life.
Indulge in cooking
All the members of the family should cook together any traditional dish. Cooking is one of the best ways to spend quality time together in a fun and engaging way.
Make a Family Tree
Go ahead to make a family tree and know about your ancestors. Furthermore, creating a family tree is one of the most interesting activities people can do together.
Help Others as a Family
Take time on this day to be kind to not just your own family but to others who are in need. A family can go out there and help needy individuals. This can include donating old clothes, planting trees, or feeding stray animals.
Pray together
Praying together to God is one of the most meaningful things as a family. It allows families to bond together, walk on this spiritual path, and lead a better and more positive life.
How Government Policies Can Help Families?
The government can help families in numerous ways. There are various challenges that families face. However, with the right policies made by the government, these can be tackled easily.
- Parental leaves- First and foremost, it will become very easy for the families if the government provides Maternity leave. It will allow the parents to want to be with their child, deal with the child's responsibilities equally, and reduce stress.
- Affordable Childcare: Affordable childcare services allow parents to work without worrying about their children’s well-being.
- Flexible Work Arrangements: Providing more work-from-home or flexible work options will help maintain a healthy work-life balance, and families will get more time to be together and Bond.
- Mental Health Support: The availability of counseling and mental health services will greatly help all families. They will be able to deal with life's emotional and psychological changes.
Challenges Faced by Modern Families
There are a lot of challenges that families face today. The pointers given below will explain these challenges-
- Money challenges: One of the biggest challenges that families face is finances. It has become tough for families to deal with financial difficulties today.
- Work-Life Balance: Balancing work and personal life has been another significant challenge for any family.
- Mental Health Issues: In addition to the challenges mentioned above, another major one is stress and mental health problems. These things have impacted not only one individual but all other family members and their relationships.
