Lauren and Rob Hudson: Positive messages for today’s youth on exceptionalism through family

Columns for families based on the book “It Can Be Done” @studentsleadusa

Last week we wrote about how important it can be to choose the right life partner, but what is the real purpose, the primary goal, of family? When we have children, raising them will be the most important thing our family does. It will be up to us to provide necessities for our children. It will be up to us to teach them right from wrong.

We will read to our children and give them a good start in life. We will show them we love them, making them feel safe and secure. We hope they will be inspired to look up to us as role models. Parenting will be our responsibility, not somebody else’s. If we become parents, there’s no doubt we will think about these things a lot.

Some people don’t understand all aspects of love until they become a parent. American Journalist William D. Tammeus said it best, “You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back.” Whether we realize it or not, right here, right now, the decisions we make can help us to someday become exceptional parents.

When we think about valuing family, we should consider how the pieces of life’s puzzle can fit together in an exceptional life. With education, work ethic, charity, respecting faith, integrity, independence, and other virtues, we will set the stage for our own exceptional life. Even if today we mainly want to be happy for ourselves, we can also be laying the foundation to become a great future leader of our family.

We should reject negative talk about the importance of building a strong family. All of us have heard snarky talk about family “privilege,” as if it provides an unfair advantage to be frowned upon. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, every responsible parent sets a goal of providing their children with “privilege,” whether it’s the privilege of love, security, opportunity, or all the above.

The desire to earn and build a future for our loved ones, to pass on “privilege,” helps bind the country together, keeping it on track, generation to generation. No one blessed with a strong family should feel sheepish about it. On the contrary, every person with a strong family should feel grateful. We can show gratitude by trying to secure an even better future for the next generation.

Imagine how strong America would be if every family member in America helped one another. Our families would love and care for themselves and their own children, putting family above self. Our families would teach their children right from wrong and focus on education. We would be responsible for helping family members, not just ourselves.

With stronger families, we will have far more successes with fewer people in jail and fewer people in poverty. Every business in the world will want to be here, providing better jobs. Sticking together and loving one another doesn’t just help children; it helps build a great country, one family at a time.

Maybe your big contribution will be to raise an exceptional child who finds a cure for cancer or starts a charity that helps thousands of people or leads a business and provides families with jobs. By valuing family, your love can literally change the world for the better.

Join us next week when we explore the common ground of a strong work ethic. Frost Brown Todd LLC Member Rob Hudson is a Past Chair of the Northern Kentucky Chamber and a recipient of its Frontiersman Award. 2018 Independent Author of the Year Lauren Hudson is a Singletary Scholar at the University of Kentucky.