Broken American Family

America may be great with technological breakthroughs, but when it comes to a healthy marriage and raising children, we strike out, argues Rabbi Shmuley.  In this series of downloads on the theme of parents and families, Shmuley offers his wisdom on how to fight the trends that are driving families apart and leading to kids who are oversexed and overdrugged at ever-younger ages.

Today, the world considers one successful if they are a career or financial success - personal family success holds no value to our current materialistic society. In this environment, girls in particular are raised to believe they should do anything for gratification and attention. Shmuley urges us to recognize that great mothers and fathers are the true heroes of our generation. The only way to have peace in the world, Rabbi Shmuley states, is to have peace in the home, and peace in the home starts with strong parents who know how to protect and set limits for their kids and give them the gift of attention, rather than of material possessions. Kids who get the love and attention they need, without being spoiled, will go on to have the confidence and security they need to lead productive, blessed lives.

The rabbi argues "we can't control the weather or the war, but we can control how we react to various situations...Our character will be determined and decided by our actions."