FAMILY LEGACIES

No matter who we are, where we live, or what our goals may be, we all have one thing in common: a
heritage. That is, a social, emotional and spiritual legacy passed on from parent to child. Every one of us
is passed a heritage, lives out a heritage, and gives a heritage to our family. It’s not an option. Parents
always pass to their children a legacy… good, bad or some of both.

A spiritual, emotional and social legacy is like a three-stranded cord. Individually, each strand cannot
hold much weight. But wrapped together, they are strong. That’s why passing on a positive, affirming
legacy is so important and why a negative legacy can be so destructive. The good news is that you can
decide to pass a positive legacy on to your children whether you received one or not.

Today, if we don’t intentionally pass a legacy consistent with our beliefs to our children, our culture will
pass along its own, often leading to a negative end. It is important to remember that passing on a
spiritual, emotional and social legacy is a process, not an event. As parents, we are responsible for the
process. God is responsible for the product.

The Emotional Legacy

In order to prosper, our children need an enduring sense of security and stability nurtured in an
environment of safety and love.

The Social Legacy

To really succeed in life, our children need to learn more than management techniques, accounting,
reading, writing and geometry. They need to learn the fine art of relating to people. If they learn how to
relate well to others, they’ll have an edge in the game of life.

The Spiritual Legacy

The Spiritual Legacy is overlooked by many, that’s a mistake. As spiritual beings, we adopt attitudes and
beliefs about spiritual matters from one source or another. As parents, we need to take the initiative
and present our faith to our children.

The Emotional Legacy

Sadly, many of us struggle to overcome a negative emotional legacy that hinders our ability to cope with
the inevitable struggles of life. But imagine yourself giving warm family memories to your child. You can
create an atmosphere that provides a child’s fragile spirit with the nourishment and support needed for
healthy emotional growth. It will require time and consistency to develop a sense of emotional
wholeness, but the rewards are great.
A strong emotional legacy: Provides a safe environment in which deep emotional roots can grow.

Fosters confidence through stability.

Conveys a tone of trusting support. Nurtures a strong sense of positive identity.

Creates a “resting place” for the soul. Demonstrates unconditional love.

Which characteristics would you like to build into the legacy you pass along to your children? Even if you
don’t hit the exact mark, setting up the right target is an

Important first step.

The Social Legacy

In order to prosper, our children need to gain the insights and social skills necessary to cultivate healthy,
stable relationships. As children mature, they must learn to relate to family members, teachers, peers
and friends. Eventually they must learn to relate to coworkers and many other types of people such as
salespeople, bankers, mechanics and bosses.

Nowhere can appropriate social interaction and relationships be

Demonstrated more effectively than in the home. At home you learned and your

Children will learn lessons about respect, courtesy, love and involvement. Our

Modeling as parents plays a key role in passing on a strong social legacy. Key building blocks of children’s
social legacy include: Respect, beginning with themselves and working out to other people.
Responsibility, fostered by respect for themselves, that is cultivated by
Assigning children duties within the family, making them accountable for their

Actions, and giving them room to make wrong choices once in a while. Unconditional love and
acceptance by their parents, combined with acceptance when the parents discipline for bad behavior or
actions.

The setting of social boundaries concerning how to relate to God, authority.

Peers, the environment and siblings.

Rules that are given within a loving relationship