Michigan Family Forum

Values

Admin — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 02:15:11 +0000

Our purpose is to stimulate cultural renewal by strengthening Michigan families through public advocacy, education and collaboration. We will accomplish our mission by aggresively promoting a positive legislative agenda and providing thoughtful, cutting edge research focused on five key areas:

Fatherhood

October 12, 2012

Core Values

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Fathers play a unique and irreplaceable role in ensuring the economic, emotional, and social health of children. Father absence creates turmoil in the lives of children and our culture. All children deserve a loving father who is actively engaged in their life. Sadly, many children do not have such fathers. Some of these children do …

Marriage

October 12, 2012

Core Values

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Honoring Elders

October 12, 2012

Core Values

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National trends show that the fastest growing segment of our population (85 years or older) will continue to increase as 77 million people enter their “golden years.” Providing for the needs of our rapidly aging society is one of the great challenges of our time. If we hope to meet this challenge without significant tax …

Protecting Children

October 13, 2012

Core Values

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The Family

October 14, 2012

Core Values

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Healthy family formation and preservation provides a social benefit that should be promoted by all sectors of our society. The nuclear and extended family is the foundational institution that supports all societies. Strong families are important to the well being of our children and a healthy view of human sexuality is a key component of …

The Family Marriage Fatherhood Children and Elders The limited role of Government

The Family

Admin — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 02:37:55 +0000

Strong families are important to the well being of our children and a healthy view of human sexuality is a key component of strong families. State and community leaders must work to ensure that the laws and policies of Michigan work to protect and promote the public health by shielding children from the harms of divorce and unhealthy sexual influences. By shoring up laws governing sex education, restricting exposure to obscenity and minimizing the negative effects of divorce, policymakers can give our most vulnerable citizens a better chance to build their own strong families.

Protecting Children

Admin — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:22:53 +0000

Strong families are important to the well-being of our children and a healthy view of sexuality is a key component of strong families. State and community leaders must work to ensure that the laws and policies of Michigan work to protect and promote the public health by shielding children from the harms of divorce as well as unhealthy sexual influences. By shoring up laws governing sex education, restricting exposure to obscenity and minimizing the negative effects of divorce, policymakers can give our most vulnerable citizens a better chance to build their own strong families.

Honoring Elders

Admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:28:15 +0000

Our elders have great value as human beings regardless of physical or mental limitations. They deserve our care and protection. They are also our connection with the past. Sadly, too many suffer from loneliness and depression, feeling society has forgotten them. We can do better. We believe the family is the best place to care for these vulnerable members of society. When families meet the needs of an aging parent or grandparent, we also benefit by learning lessons of the past that enrich our lives and those of future generations. Michigan should encourage families to plan and prepare for future needs, promote family caregiving, and foster intergenerational relationships.

Marriage

Admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:06:53 +0000

Strong families are founded on the following ideal: the life-long marriage of one man and one woman. Healthy, life-long marriages enrich the lives of the couple, their children and the community around them. For decades now, the social sciences have provided clear and convincing evidence that not all family structures are equal. A marriage which is healthy and enduring enriches the couple, their children and the community around them. Alternate living arrangements, broken families and never formed families are not as beneficial as healthy marriages and they are frequently the cause of many of our social ills. Marriage changes two people’s lives and society clearly benefits. Looking at the marriage vow, one sees that couples promise to remain faithful to one another, to support each other financially and emotionally. This removes a burden from society when spouses look after one another, particularly in sickness and old age. Marriage also changes our behavior in ways that make both parties happier, healthier and better off financially. Marriage yields significant dividends. Children of intact marriages tend to engage in risky behavior less frequently, do better in school and have better mental and physical health than children from broken or never formed marriages. Adults who are married tend to enjoy better mental and physical health and accumulate more wealth and are less likely to engage in risky or illegal behavior than unmarried adults. Finally, our senior citizens enjoy better support from spouses and children in their later years if they remain married. Clearly, society does benefit by marriage and rightly rewards married couples for the stability they bring to society. Our public policy must actively work to help couples choose and succeed in building strong marriages.

Fatherhood

Admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:23:46 +0000

Fathers play a unique and irreplaceable role in ensuring the economic, emotional, and social health of children. Father absence creates turmoil in the lives of children and our culture.

All children deserve a loving father who is actively engaged in their life. Sadly, many children do not have such fathers. Some of these children do not have involved fathers because the fathers simply don’t care. However, in many cases it is because their fathers lack sound parenting skills or because obstacles prevent meaningful interaction. Some states and communities are working to remedy these dilemmas in order to reconnect father with their children. Michigan should follow the lead of these other states and help men become responsible fathers for their children.