Staying at Home

I think with the world becoming more and more wicked it would be wise to consider homeschooling our children.  Women should have an education (knowledge) so that they can teach their children if needs be. It has been said that mothers obtaining a degree or completing a higher education is a waste of money and time. I do not agree with that statement. I am currently working towards a degree in Marriage and Family Studies; how would that degree not help my current marriage and future family? 

Now back to the topic of homeschooling. We as a society send our children to school to learn but it just seems as though it is torture for the child and teacher. Receiving meaningless homework assignments and having your child be taught “values” by another adult. I think that with homeschooling the child will really have a desire to learn because it’s not “just what the school district is making them learn”. Their children are also being taught by someone who loves them and has an actual desire to help them improve and learn. 

If you would like to know some more benefits on homeschooling you can read, The Brainy Bunch by Kip and Mona Lisa Harding is a book about how to succeed in homeschooling. I have not read this book personally but I have heard it is fantastic (its on my to-read book list).

Family Counsels

The first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a weekly counsel meeting. This is where they discuss concerns of the church as well as other matters. The weekly counsel meetings are preformed in this order:

1. Express love and appreciation

2. A word of prayer

3. Discuss matters (come to a consensus)

4. Follow the Lord’s will

5. End with a prayer

6. Refreshments

The counsel is held in a sacred place and time with surprising openness.

I think this is also how family counsels should be. Sunday nights would be the perfect night to sit down as a family and counsel with each other. Prayer invites the spirit to help guide the discussion. The hard part comes next with coming to a consensus on a family matter. Everyone has their own opinion of how things should be handled but if everyone could be open to what others have to say, it could have a huge difference of how the meeting continues. This is where following the Lord’s will comes in place. If the family is seeking what the Lord wants them to do then the will all come to an agreement. Next is closing the meeting with a prayer and last but not least, refreshments. I think eating a treat is a great way to release any negative vibes that are still lingering plus who doesn’t love a treat.

If you would like to know more about who the first presendeny of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints is, you can visit https://www.lds.org/church/leaders/first-presidency?lang=eng

Family Attributes

A few qualities of an optimal family I can think of include:

•     An established, open communication
•    Close relationship with siblings and parents
•    Reliability
•    Proper boundaries

For this post I would like to talk about having proper boundaries.  I think boundaries are very important because with out them where would you draw the line? We have boundaries to keep us safe and to avoid potential family crisis's.  Family boundaries can also teach each member responsibility and accountability for their actions. Each family member will need to understand the boundaries and know the consequence if now followed. If an individual needs help with a certain boundary, open communication is vital because your will be able to receive that support or advice that your need. Proper boundaries are truly important in a family setting.

Social Media

Do you have a Facebook and/or Snapchat? Do you think those may be causing some tension in the marriage or in a relationship? 

I personally think that when you are married Snapchat is not acceptable to have. With snapchat, you can send pictures and/or videos that will disappear after the other person has seen that image. Obviously, this could easy create problems with infidelity or other sorts. Snapchat is a social media program that is just asking for trouble. 

However, my view of Facebook is a little different.  I think that Facebook could be a great way to connect with old friends but the key is how you approach those friends and communicate. Something that could start tearing a relationship apart could happen when you start confiding in someone else when you should be confiding in your spouse. This creates an emotional connection between you and that friend which could lead to the beginning of a romantic or more personal connection.

Some ways to prevent marital tension with social media could include:

• (Asking your spouse) Is there anyone you feel uncomfortable with me talking to or being friends with?
• Why not join accounts? That way each spouse can see what the other is seeing and there is no opportunity for secrecy.

REMEMBER: If it is something that you would not gladly share with your spouse it is probably not appropriate!

I hope you were able to gain some insight or inspiration about social media, thank you for reading my post!

Challenges of Early Parenthood

Did you know that in the first 6 months of parenthood a mothers’ workload increases by 67% and a fathers’ by 37%? Those numbers are astounding to me. Planning before the baby is born is essential and it is important to be aware of the additional workload and decreased time alone.  

Some ways to prepare on the mothers' part can include:

• Involve husband in pre-natal check-ups
• Engage father in the fetal kicks
• Assuring that the father precedes over others during the birth (ex. wife’s mother or mother-in-law)

I think it is important to involve the father early on so it is not just a mother-baby relationship but also a family relationship (father, mother and child).

Another thing a couple can do to plan for the arrival of a baby is to discuss the changes that will occur after the little one is born.  This can be done by anticipating how you will share the responsibilities as parents.

It can be easy to get caught up with taking care of the baby or other responsibilities in which the spouse is then forgotten, some ideas to grow closer during the challenges of parenthood can be:

• Planning carefully for the changes for each individual
• Do not forget about your spouses needs
• Look for opportunities to boost and support each other
• Take turns with both fun and not fun tasks
• Express love and appreciation freely and frequently

I hope you enjoyed reading my tips and thoughts on what the challenges of early parenthood can be!

Dating vs. Hanging Out

When you socialize with the opposite gender, do you consider that handing out or going on a date? This was apart of our class discussion last week and I felt impressed to write about the topic...

First dating, dating consists of the three p’s; Planned, Paired off and Paid for. Planned – the date should be planned out; it’s as simple as that. Not having a planned date can also show your date that you’re not putting time or preparation into them therefore not demonstrating an actual interest. Paired off – When asked on a group date that person who asked you on the date will be the person you spend your time with. Each couple needs to be paired off so there is no confusion of who is on the date with whom. Paid for – this doesn’t mean that each date has to be an extravagant thing. However, the person asking their date on a date needs to have the date ready and if something does need to be paid for is paid for.

Second is hanging out, hanging out is generally when sexual temptations can come into play and its not a time where others can “get to know each other better”.

If you have any questions or comments, please do so below!