How important family time is! It’s the quintessential place for personal growth,  freedom  , and creativity, born from love.  We are all children, and we exist thanks to our families. Affection is an emotional experience that gives us wings to soar, though it’s not just about feelings; it also requires intelligence and the will to love. 

Home is the intimate space where true  personal relationships are born and nurtured,  where  emotional bonds are formed that strengthen those relationships. It is there that  we learn  everything important  in life, and where we create cherished memories, steeped in affection, that stay with us throughout our lives. 

Each  person grows as a human being  with this nourishment, which exudes beauty, because the family is the natural environment for affection and beauty. Each person needs  to feel loved and to give to others in order  to be a complete person. We are “relational beings,” “beings of contribution,” designed to transcend ourselves. This is what gives us  meaning  in life.

A brilliant thought from G.K. Chesterton: “When we are born and enter a family, we truly enter an immeasurable world that has its own strange laws, which could very well continue its course without us, for we did not create it. In other words, when we enter a family we enter a fairy tale.”

Family is like that, like a fairy tale , where the wonder, the beauty, and the affection of each person take on meaning. It’s about doing things with the  eyes of a child ,  with their awe, knowing how to contemplate reality with those eyes that discover and  are amazed by so much beauty and wonder , especially in people. It ‘s about  knowing how to appreciate it and be grateful for it.  

Only within the family do we strive to  make people  the most important thing, and our relationships with them as well. We put our hearts  into  it! It’s the proper place for affection, for truly human connections, and the  first school of humanity . Within it , each person is shaped, and goes out into different environments sowing values, smiles, care, kindness, attentive service… In short, humanizing them.

The family arises from  its vital core  , the love between the couple, which overflows  towards their children. And that love is expressed in countless ways. For example, in making our loved one  the  most important thing , because we carry them in our hearts… in prioritizing  the relationship ,  the greatest treasure we have. That’s why we must care for, cherish, and protect this love that brings us joy and happiness. And like any living thing, it needs our meticulous care every single day.

And then it manifests itself in a thousand ways with  our children . In making them feel truly loved, in preserving their childlike wonder and gaze, in making them strong, empathetic, and generous, and  in teaching them how to love.  Which doesn’t mean giving them everything they want, but rather empowering them with autonomy early on, and fostering their freedom: the freedom they can manage according to their age and maturity, so they can think of others. In this way, they can grow as individuals and develop in the best possible way in this very special and wonderful place, where everyone is loved simply for who they are, without having to prove anything.

*  Love

Most of the time,  loving  means  paying attention to the other person , looking them in the eyes, finding time to be present, to talk calmly, to have fun, to do things together… Giving them what they need and what makes them happy, smiling even if you don’t feel like it at that moment, but doing it out of love. Putting them at the  center of  your life  and affections, without self-centeredness, having a generous soul, understanding, being flexible, yielding. And learning to contemplate them: discovering and  admiring their qualities  and their effort to improve. Every detail counts, nothing is lost, everything builds.

Indeed, our loved one  matters to us, a great deal!  And we find time to talk, communicate, and connect hearts… In this way,  conversations can become more meaningful.  We can understand, connect, and share feelings, which is what brings us the most joy and enriches our lives. We need  someone who is a witness  to our lives, who listens to us, who looks at us with affection, who advises us, who encourages us… who is always by our side.  That unconditional friend who never fails, with whom we want to share our  entire lives because we love them infinitely. And the same will be true for the other person.

So, less importance is placed on trivial matters, and instead, attention is  paid to gestures, details, thoughts, and feelings . How are you feeling? How was your morning? Who have you seen? How are they? Were you able to help them?… We discover the importance of these small details in personal relationships. Even with friends.

We can transform conversations into  an exchange of intimacies,  a dialogue of thoughts. However, they don’t happen on their own; we must be intentional, think about what to discuss,  consider the other person —what they expect, how they react, how they feel—so as not to ask for what they cannot give. Conversation is  a living thing created between the two of us,  like a work of art that builds, nurtures, and  refines love and the relationship .

In this way, we discover ourselves as individuals  and discover others at their best. We retain the best in each person because it’s the only way to truly know them. The most mediocre qualities emerge simply by going with the flow, but  what is truly valuable requires thought,  intention, effort, and enthusiasm, leaving a personal mark. 

And learn to  forgive early , because we are all more vulnerable than we seem, and often  we need more love than we think we deserve.  We must release those grudges, hatreds, guilt, prejudices… As Walt Disney said, “ Life is too short not to forgive. ”  Forgiveness is possible when we truly love, and it has the power to restore what was damaged or wounded. 

Therefore, let’s take advantage of the love that is born within us each day, embrace it and nurture it, to gather  good feelings  and emotions, in the direction of loving ourselves more… And enthusiasm and motivation are important, as is showing empathy and connecting on a deeper level . Look into each other’s faces, use the “mirror neurons” that facilitate these abilities, and learn to perceive the emotional states of others. 

In the words of writer Mercedes Salisach:  “ The truth about love is that it isn’t always felt, but rather practiced . ” Feelings aren’t always present. Sometimes you have to make an effort to show affection and demonstrate that love… And in this way,  positive feelings of mutual admiration and affection will resurface  . You discover the joy of being together, enjoying each other’s company.  

That is, to put thought, understanding and empathy into the other person, to be  well united, with the goal clear in mind , as I told you in other articles.

* With the children

In a family, it’s important  that everyone feels loved  and experiences that love, because it’s  the foundation of their self-worth and self-esteem… and what will teach them how  to love in life . We are their role models and points of reference! Let’s clear an inviting path. 

For this, it’s necessary to have  some rules that point the way…  Few, but important. And all of it immersed in genuine affection ,  which will reach them almost by osmosis… 

Hence the importance of shared time, of  eating together, of leisurely conversations  around the table, taking our time to listen to each child, to see what worries them, what they long for, how they feel… Even  to think about engaging goals  we need as a family, to organize  chores  that are educational and that they love… etc. To build bonds to hold onto when difficulties arise.  Children need that  unconditional love. Perhaps we can replace so many frenetic activities with  closeness , with sharing intimacy with them.

In this way we help children to  educate their feelings and  emotions from a  very young age, teaching them to control whims and impulses, to  have self-control,  making them strong in the face of adversity.

Because we educate above all through our example, through  who we are,  more than through what we say, and through how we treat each other.  Children learn what it means to love, respect, listen , compromise, speak kindly, be understanding, and help…  by watching their parents do it with each other.  And that  home environment  they breathe is the foundation of their development as individuals. With it, they can reach their full potential, set noble goals that inspire them, and take charge of their own lives. Quite a feat… every effort is worthwhile.

In summer  we have more time to  spend with family and dedicate to what’s important. To pamper our loved ones a little, starting with our own partner. To build a family with strong roots that won’t be blown away by the wind…

And rest, which means  changing activities,  without neglecting what is most significant in our lives.  Think about  ” what to do with the time we have been given ,”  see what activities offer something we can’t do during the year to make the most of our time. Read calmly, listen to music, learn something that excites you, contemplate a landscape, a sunset, birdsong, the celestial vault full of stars, walk in nature, take a forest bath, a stream, a stage of the Camino de Santiago, tend a garden, enjoy a leisurely meal, have a conversation with someone…

More ideas  for activities with children:  writing letters and sending them by mail, visiting grandparents, visiting a farm or a village, growing flowers, and making time to read books with human values, for example: The Famous Five, comics like Tintin or Asterix, Platero, Pinocchio, “El Cid Told to Children,” “Endrina and the Pilgrim’s Secret”… And for teenagers: “That Summer” by M. Aranguren, or “Vigo is Vivaldi” by JR Ayllón…, “The Little Prince,” books by Jules Verne, the “Harry Potter” series, biographies for young readers of illustrious figures: “The Wizard of Words,” Marie Curie, Joan of Arc… Also “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Little Women,” “The Citadel” by Cronin, “The Queen Without a Name” by María Gudín about the Goths, which appeals to everyone with its beauty. And the classics…

It’s about finding ways to enjoy time with those we love most: time to share, to  connect with them, disconnecting from screens, which so often capture our attention and distract our minds… neglecting those close to us. Caring for family, protecting it, strengthening it, making it the most important thing,  will leave a joyful, bright, and welcoming mark on our hearts,  encouraging us to strive for the best in ourselves, always thinking of others.