Family Values

When my coworkers were asked what their top three values in life were, "family" was a unanimous favorite.  In a work setting, when values could be anything from "success" to "developing my career," they chose "family."  I was surprised, since I would not expect the same result among my American colleagues.  Sure, family would be high on their list of personal values, but I don't think they'd be that honest about it.  Would you tell your manager point-blank, work is not the be-all and end-all of my universe?  Maybe...The ranking we gave our values was more or less the same as his own.
They were surprised that I, an American, was in full agreement.  Family has not traditionally been the stated top value of the American businesswoman.  It is either unstated or not that important, but I think the times are changing.  In my generation, more Americans are less interested in the economic or business definitions of success.  Give me enough money to ease my worries, enough status to feel useful, enough activity to fill my day, but work is work and life is what happens in the home.  This was a value that I learned during my six months in Germany (of all places!) and it has led to a very contented lifestyle. 
The Israelis seem to hold family even closer than we do.  In this tiny country, grandma and grandpa are never more than 2 hrs by car, and brothers and sisters don't move so far away.  Families are both large and close-knit.  During Shabbat we have seen restaurant tables taken over by generations of family all sitting together for the breakfast meal.  Grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles, young parents and younger kids all gather together, and not just for the holidays. 
Demographers estimate that each Israeli couple has an average of 3 children.  That means, unlike Europe where the favorite child is a dog, Israel is growing and growing younger.  Children are the future and the Israelis are very optimistic.  Like one of my coworkers said, "Kids are joy."  My coworkers have between 2 and 3, so they are definitely doing their part.
Family is the center of life and kids are the center of family.  What this leads to is a very kid-friendly country.  Our beach has a separate kiddy pool with its own lifeguard.  In swimming zones lifeguards admonish the children when they rough-house in the waves.  Restaurants have kid menus; shopping malls have kid zones; even my workplace has a day care service.  Now that it is summer vacation, some workers even bring their kids to work and they hide out in the cubicles or the lounge areas.  Kids are generally well-behaved in public spaces so no one minds.   It's common to see a woman shopping while holding a little girl with one hand and a stroller with the other.  Grandma may even be close by to help.
This is so very different from life in the states when families split up and live in different time zones.  Maybe this is changing due to the recent recession drawing kids and parents back together, but the cost of our expansive geography has often been separation in favor of individualization.  If the job is in one state and family in another, we Americans are more apt to move for the job.  In Israel the job will never be far from family--move from Beersheba in the extreme south to Nahariyya in the north and you are 3 hours apart by train!

So my thoughts for this Independence Day: celebrate all that is good in America--our freedoms to travel, to eat pork ribs, to indulge in a bacon cheeseburger 24/7, but don't forget to include your family.