The Work of the Family

Like it or not, work is an important part of the life of the family. One of the definitions of work, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “to function or operate according to plan or design.” And a family “works” best, in this sense, when it is working toward common goals, a shared vision.

Both parents and children have their own “work”—career, school etc. But to encourage togetherness, connection, and purpose, the family also needs to find its own, unique “work”—the thing that binds it together, that gives it purpose. The first place to look for this work is your values and vision. These are the things that, as a family, you’ve already identified as crucial. Now, how do you make your values and vision into your family’s work?

Let’s say that as a family, you’ve identified “service” as an important value. You could pursue this value independently, of course. Parents could volunteer in professional communities, children could help with the school food drive, etc. And you may do that at times. But even more important is to find ways to pursue service together. Help out in a shelter together one weekend. Make a meal for a family that is ill, or just welcomed a new baby, and take it there together. Is “environmentalism” a top value? Go clean up along a roadside together. “Sustainability”? Tend to a vegetable garden as a family, or practice going through your old clothes together regularly and donating them to others. “Animal activism”? Work together at an animal shelter, or adopt a pet together, or clean up a polluted habitat.

You may focus on serving needs outside your home, you may focus on meeting needs inside your home (like housework, chores, etc.), or you may also combine seeming disparate careers and gifts into an income-generating family “side hustle.”

All reports indicate that the side hustle is on the rise, with over 40% of full-time working adults saying they have an income-generating job outside of their main career. A side hustle could be a great way to unite a family that may seem to be pretty different. Let’s say in your family, you have one parent who works in a machine shop, one who works in marketing, and a child who shows artistic leanings. You can combine those gifts into a real-estate gig. Save up money for a “fixer-upper.” The mechanic can do the actual fixing, the artistic child can help with interior design or snapping pictures for marketing, and the marketer can get the tenants. Try to identify the unique gifts of each individual family member, and then draw up a list of how those gifts could be combined into new, income-producing work.

As in pretty much every other area of life, intentionality and purpose are key here. Work is crucial. It builds our characters, gives us purpose, helps us to earn our living, and allows us to develop our creativity, teamwork abilities, and other important life skills. But we shouldn’t relegate the concept of work to our actual careers, and leave it at that.

“Work-life balance” should be about more than simply not working too much. Rather, think hard about how you work, where you work, what kind of work you do, and how to incorporate a healthy attitude toward work at home.

Make your family’s work a priority; you will find that some profound things happen when people work together.