There are also a lot of other attributes which should be found in a family, respect being one of these. Christians believe that respect should be present between a child and their parent, they say that children should abide by the rule,
"Show respect for old people and honour them" (Leviticus 19:32).
And by one of the Ten Commandments,
“Honour your mother and father”.
However, not only should children honour their parents, but parents should also honour their children,
"Respect everyone" (1 Peter 2:17).
Christians also believe that parents should bring their children up in accordance with Christian laws and teachings. An important law that affects children and family life is that marriage is for life. The stability provided by parents staying together is one of the most important factors in the development of a child.
A Christian upbringing aims to give children proper spiritual direction and help making the right decisions in life. One of the first decisions a Christian child must make is to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, they later must make the decision of whether or not they want to be confirmed in their faith. Parents should teach their children about God and encourage their child or children to continue to live their lives in a Christian way,
“Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Christians also believe in forgiveness. If a member of a family does wrong they should be forgiven as God has forgiven us for our sins. The parable, ‘The Prodigal Son’ explains this idea of forgiveness as does the well-known prayer ‘Our father’,
”And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.”
The relationship between parent and child is seen as a reflection of God's care for his people. Jesus set the example by spending the first 30 years of his earthly life in a family and learning His earthly father's trade, a carpenter. Jesus shows us the importance he places on family life in the way he says to John, whilst dying on the cross that Mary and him were to now be mother & son. I think he does this to provide some comfort for them both in his absence and because he knows that John will need looking after and eventually Mary will too as she gets older.
After parents have brought up their children and start to get older they rely on their children to look after them in return, whether this is helping them when they are sick or helping them by driving them to church because they can no longer drive, there are many ways in which adults can look after their elderly parents. Christian Families have an obligation to look after their aged members,
“Now if anyone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially for his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).
“Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22).
The bible mentions a lot about elderly people and says that with old age comes wisdom and that,
“Old age is a blessing from God”
It is a sad reflection of today’s society that there are so many single - parent families when the bible tells us that ideally a mother and father is necessary for the upbringing of a child. Although in some cases a single - parent family can be very successful. I firmly believe that a child benefits from having the financial and emotional support of two parents.