Divorce

This is a subject i do not like to talk on really, but i know it is a good thing to talk about. This is such a hard thing for so many people. Luckily my family has not had to deal with this problem, but we have seen it in so many of our aunts and uncles families. Our cousins have had to deal with so much and some have had a very difficult time with it. This is not fun a subject for anyone.. Expecially the children who have been through these situations. I think the people who are willing to try their hardest to be in a good relationship with step families and blended families are truly amazing people. I don't know if i could have been able to do this. I really do appreciate the people who are willing to be a part of someones family who wasn't hteirs to begin with. Like the song from brad paisley called "the man he didn't have to be". I think that is a good example (also explained in class) of some of the people out there.

Fatherhood

Well i just wrote a paper about this subject for this class. Plus we are talking about parenting in class lately (and throughout the semester). I have been so blessed in my life for my dad and the way my parents have chosen to raise me. These are so many things that a father can do and teach that a mother cannot. Well, a mother might be able to teach these things but a father can teach them better and give a child more information. The way a father and a mother teach their children is very different and can be detrimental or help in so many ways. I am thankful that i have strong parents who have fought through all the hard trials in my life and their life's. I have seen the effects of divorce on children and i don't know if i could be where i am today if my parents were separated. I Love my parents and i do not think they will ever understand how wonderful they have been to me and my siblings. They have and are still teaching me so much and i only hope i can be half as good of a parent as they have been to me when the time comes. A father has a big role in the family, just as big as the mothers. Even though some people make it seem like the mother has most of the responsibility for the child, a father is needed to a child's development. I am lucky to have a good dad who has taught me all he has and given me the good values that he has. My father is a wonderful example of what a father should be like. I am very thankful for what i have been learning in this class and that i will be able to apply these things in my life as the times come.

Crisis'

This week we have been talking a lot about crisis' and how they can change a person's life for the better or for the worse and how they can affect people and the relationships in the family. We talked about the ABC,X model and how it can apply to any situation and any family. On thing i have learned from this weeks discussions is that crisis' may be hard on a family but they can also do a lot of good if you try to take them in the best ways possible. It may be hard, but i believe if you apply the lord in your daily doings and have faith that he can help you, it will benefit you instead of harm you forever. I have had a couple of crisis' in my life and they have actually strengthened me and my families lives for the better.

Marriage stuff...

Well, we only had one class hour this week and we talked about marital intimacy. It is a little awkward so i am not going to say much about it, just that it is good for marriage and you should be open to discussion and be willing to talk about it with your spouce. I wouldn't know much about this because i am not married or engaged. Sooo, if anyone has any questions i know who to direct them too. :) thanks.

Dating to Engagement to Marriage!

We talked abou alot this past week, but a subject that really stood out to me was: dating, engagement, then marriage. There three things are so important in anyones life and they are important to know and study/ do. There are certain steps to each of these 3 topics that you must know and learn how to do to be succesfull in any of them. First of all, you MUST go on dates. None of this hanging out nonsense. We talked about the 3 P's in dation and those are Planned, Paid For, and Paired Off. You need to do/ let the guy do these things so you can see how he will react to these things. When you get engaged there are alot more steps than if you were dating. Im sure people don't really think of it like this, but there are. The two of you have to practice and prepare for marriage by practicing mutual decision making, problem solving, establishing boundaries, relying on eachother, and practice making sacrifices for and with eachother. Then there is marriage. There are plenty of things that we have to change/ get used to in the fist month. You have to learn to become as one. I really enjoyed this topic in class and it amde me think of things i should be doing now, and things i will definatly do in the future.

Cohabitation

Well, my topic this week is going to be on cohabiting. This is a big problem in the world at this time. 80% of Americans are cohabiting and in other parts of the world it is even more than that. I think this is one of the big problems people are facing in this day and time. People think that it is ok to do this and my even think that this will prepare them for marriage. The truth is that it will not. When you get married you tend to learn how to share things such as finances, money, bills, payments, and the little things. When you cohabit you are not learning how to share, you are just living with the opposite sex. They do not share things in which married couples would, they do not give complete commitment and they do not last nearly as long. I think the (RAM) Relationship Attachment Model is a great think to know about. We talked about this in class you can feel free to look this up for more info, but it just shows how much of what is expected. The 5 points of RAM are; know, trust, rely, commit, and touch. I just believe that marriage is a much better rout than cohabiting. If you have any questions, feel free to comment.  

Family Gender Roles

My opinion on the subject is that each parent need to do their jod of proving a positive gender role in a household. I think there can be some exceptions to this rule though. I think that if a mother and a father have chosen to raise their kid in a certain way, then they should. I just think that there should be a lines that shouldn't be crossed. Family dynamics can change because of gender and the age of a child. Most people wouldn't raise their son like a little girl (although there are those weird exceptions) and most people would not raise a girl to be too much like a guy. I think that as long as we ask in prayer and seek guidence and wisdom through heavenly father and christ we will be shown and we can learn how to raise our children the way they should be raised. I love learning about all of this information. It really has changed what i learned about families and i am so very greatful for that.