Finances...and Fathers

Finances are so important to discuss within a family. I really learned a lot from the booklet "One for the Money". It has a lot of good information in it and counsel we should follow. In class we discussed how parents should share their finances with their children. I had never thought about this but thought it was such a great idea and something I want to implement into my own family. It is important to be careful with our finances, especially lately with the disasters happening. The tsunami in Japan has reminded me again how important it is to be preparing.

On Fathers- I really enjoyed writing the paper and digging deeper inside myself to realize the importance of fathers in everyone's life. A father is so important to a child. He is so important and crucial to be there to run the home. The best example of a father we have is our Father in Heaven. He loves us, is always there for us, is rooting for us, and wants to be desperately and actively involved in our lives.

Communication

I forgot to post this a week ago. I really liked talking about communication in this class because it is something that I have been really working on and getting better at this semester. Communication is so important within a family, especially between a husband and a wife. I think we can develop good communication within our dating relationships, and see if a person matches with you that way or can communicate well with you. One thing I have been trying to be better at is listening and really understanding the other person. I also haven't always been the best at communicating my feelings. My boyfriend has helped me out a lot with this. Every time we are trying to discuss something or I am trying to explain my feelings, he always repeats back to me what I said, and says: "So is this what you mean by this?" At first it really bugged me but now I see it really helps us make sure we are on the same page and that we are understanding each other.

God's Will

This week as we discussed family crisis's. I had many insights from this. How do we deal with them? FAITH, service, and putting your trust in God. Sometimes it seems impossible to get through something. Sometimes I have to take things one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time, one minute at a time. Time heals- sometimes we just have to tell ourselves that we can make it one more day. I know Heavenly Father gives us strength. I know he is aware of what we go through and wants to help us. He wants us to feel His love. We have to put things into perspective-What really matters?

Fidelty in Marriage

I really enjoyed this weeks discussion on fidelity in marriage. I think I liked it so much because I have seen so many failed marriages in my family due to this issue. It's amazing how many different things can contribute to fidelity. Once you are married, your spouse is the most important thing to you. Brother Williams said that this is what we are here to do well on this earth, and if we don't why are we here? We are not as attentive to our marriages as we should be. If we are unkind we can invite infedility. Adam and Eve were created and very dedicated to each other. When we have strong marriages, we are fulfilling why we came here- that is why satan works so hard because if he can ruin a family, it can ruin four to five generations. I thought it was interesting that we talked about how when you are engaged, you say goodbye to your friends. When you get married, you don't talk or be alone with your friends of the opposite sex before. You should set boundaries before marriage about what you want to do when you get married to face these issues. You shouldn't have girls/ guys night out, because it can draw you away from your spouse.

conflict

Does conflict help you out in your marriage? There are many examples that my class members shared today that I thought were really inspiring. Conflicts can bring us closer to God, and in marriage, they can bring them closer to each other and to God. Well then, what are some of those conflicts that happen in marriage? Pornography, infidelity, growing apart, adjusting to children, physical attraction decreasing..ect. There are so many things that couples face. Just talking about kind of makes me feel scared, but I think just like any other thing in life, trials are what really humble us and bring us closer to our Heavenly Father and becoming like Him. The whole point of our lives is to return to God and become more like Him. WE cannot do it without a spouse. We cannot do it without God's help. Why not take a chance on marriage? I'm not saying just go and pick someone out..But if you find the right person and are scared about it, but you know its right, have faith. There is going to be trials and conflicts, but trust in God to help you. I don't think any greater joy comes from having a family and being able to overcome conflicts together.

PPP

Wow! I thought that was the coolest thing we learned in class about dating today. We are told that a date is planned, paid for, and paired off. These correlate with the duties of the father in the proclamation. He is to preside, provide, and protect. I think it is true that you can tell alot about a guy with how he handles a date. I have had both good and bad dates, and I think it is important to experience both of them so you really know what you want. We talked alot about the boys role in dating, but not very much about the girls role. I think its crucial for a girl to be courteous, and not mean. If your date has planned something fun, have a good attitude. Just because a guy asks you out on a date does not mean that he is proposing for marriage. I really think that when dating is done the right way, it is such a blast! I have looked back on all of my experiences and wouldn't have changed anything. Sometimes it seems like a painful experience, especially at byu-idaho, but I really think one day we will look back on it and laugh and smile.

my family culture

I really enjoyed the class discussion today about different cultures and our own family culture. As I thought about my own family culture, one word that popped into my mind was competitive. My family is very competitive with each other. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad. For example, when we play a game, everyone always ends up in a fight. Also, everytime we get together, it is a competition of who looks the best or who has lost the most weight since we have seen each other. This is one part of my family culture that I want to change for my future family. I just want everyone to be able to love each other, and to feel comfortable.

I also thought alot today about joining different cultures. I think everyone has to do this when they get married, even if both people are from America. I also think it is a great learning experience for a person, to get out of their shell and adjust to others. It can be a fun experience if you are open to it and have a good attitude.