There are certain fundamental principles that govern in all human interactions and living in harmony with those principles or natural laws is absolutely essential for quality family life. Dr. Stephen R. Covey has watched over the past 50 years how the situation for marriage and family has changed powerfully and dramatically.Consider the following:
A- Illegitimate birth rates have increased more than 400 percent.
A- The percentage of families headed by a single parent has more than tripled.
A- The divorce rate has more than doubled. Many project that about half of all new marriages will end in divorce.
A- Teenage suicide has increased almost 300 percent.
A- Scholastic Aptitude Test scores among all students have dropped 73 points.
A- The number one health problem for American women today is domestic violence. Four million women are beaten each year by their partners.
A- In the midst of all this, the percentage of families with one parent at home with the children during the day has dropped from 66.7 to 16.9 percent.
The challenge has changed in our society affecting our homes and marriages, so we must develop a response that is equal to the challenge.
The desire to create a strong marriage and family is not enough. We need a new mind-set, a new skill-set and a new tool-set to deal with the change. The challenge has taken a quantum leap, and if we are to respond effectively, so must we.
The 7 Habits framework represents just such a mind-set and skill-set. Many couples and families are using the principles in the 7 Habits framework to grow stronger and stay on track.