Strong families recognize that there are benefits and pleasures to be gained from time and activities together. They value the family bond and make special efforts to preserve time together for family activities and interaction. By spending pleasant time together, families build a reserve of good feelings and are able to cope with personal and family crisis more effectively. Strong families are deeply committed to the family unit and to promoting the happiness and welfare of each other. Family commitment comes from an active involvement in setting and carrying out family goals. Families work to spend PRIME time together. They don't just take advantage of spare time to devote to the family; they actually PLAN for quality family time.

Family unity encourages families to create daily routines as well as special traditions and celebrations which affirm members, connect them to their family roots, and add fun to ordinary family events. Family unity includes time that family members spend together - both quality and quantity. Family unity means maintaining family identity and togetherness and balancing family priorities with support for individual needs. Family unity produces strong family bonds and freedom for individual self-expression.

BENEFITS IF FAMILY UNITY

Strong families recognize that there are benefits and pleasures to be gained from time and activities together. They also realize that they have contributions to make to the family and its members and some obligation to do so. They value the family bond and make efforts to preserve time together for family activities and interaction.

- Families that value unity will, from time-to-time, evaluate the time and energy allocated to family, and when necessary, make needed adjustments.
- By spending pleasant, positive time together, families build up a reserve of good feelings. When trouble comes, it has to be shared with the family and resolved.
- What families do together does not matter so much as that they do something together that is mutually planned and enjoyable. As a general principle, it is probably a good idea to strive for a balanced activity program, including active and inactive, physical and mental, old and new, at home and away, work and play. Spontaneity, humor, wit, and fun are goals to strive for.
- Family unity includes time that family members spend together, both quality and quantity. It means maintaining family identity and togetherness, balancing family priorities with support for member needs, producing strong family bonds, and freedom for individual self-expression.

A quality that constantly appears in strong families is a feeling that they can depend on each other in "good" times and "bad" times. The sense of knowing that someone is always there for you helps individuals develop a well balanced self-esteem and a sense of individual worth. This security can come from a diverse variety of family structures. Families can provide unity and support in a nuclear or extended setting. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all an important part of the family structure that can provide love and support systems for the family.