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.
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 conditional 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