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All Families Need Family Assets

Family Assets are the everyday things families do to be strong, even in challenging times. They are the actions families take to build healthy relationships and healthy family members. Everyone—child, teen, or parenting adult—plays a role in building these assets.

The Family Assets are organized around five themes:

1. Nurturing Relationships—Healthy relationships begin and grow as we show each other we care about what each of us has to say, how we feel, and our unique and shared interests.

2. Establishing Routines—Shared routines, traditions, and activities give a dependable rhythm to family life.

3. Maintaining Expectations—Expectations make it clear how each person participates in and contributes to family life. Shared expectations require talking about tough topics.

4. Adapting to Challenge—Every family faces challenges, large and small. The ways families face and adapt to those changes together help them through the ups and downs of life.

5. Connecting to Community—Community connections, relationships, and participation sustain, shape, and enrich how families live their lives together.

Download tips for building family assets at home >>

Why do Family Assets Matter?

The American Family Assets Study, a national study conducted by Search Institute, reveals a clear association between the number of Family Assets a family has and positive health, psychosocial, civic, and academic well-being for teens and parenting adults. For example:

  • Both parents and teens are more satisfied with their family and with their lives when they experience more of these Family Assets.
  • When kids grow up in families where they experience more of these Family Assets, they are more engaged in school, take better care of their health, express positive values (like social responsibility, caring), regulate their emotions and behavior more effectively, and develop the social competencies they need to thrive.
  • When parents experience these Family Assets, they also take better care of their (physical and mental) health and contribute more to their community.

    • Download the Family Assets Framework >>

    Learn more about the American Family Assets Study >>

     

    Comments

    Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2012-07-12 10:38.
    5

    What an essential list! All are extremely important. If parents would realize how important the nurturing their family relationships and having routines are when their children are young, there would be much less teen problems today. For 12 complimentary parenting handouts including “The ABCs of Parenting,” “Ten Ways to Raise Children to USE Drugs,” (what not to do) and a video, see: http://www.kellybear.com/ParentTips.html