Divorce & Remarriage

This past week in class we had the opportunity to talk about families that have had to deal with divorced parents. This can be a very sensitive subject to those that have had to deal with divorce in the past. I personally come from a family of divorced parents, it has taken many years to over come some of the problems that I have received through this experience. But again over the years I have been able to over come many of the things that I have struggled with in the past through communication with my parents and other family members. Being able to talk some things out have helped me become a better individual and allow me to better communicate with those around me at this point in my life.

Being able to reach out to others that have also had to deal with parents of divorced families has helped me not only help those around me but allow me to understand my own problems better. Being able to confront your problem and not hide it from the world also has its benefits. Keeping all of that information in can not be good for your mental well being. During this process of dealing with the divorce of your parents you also have to work hard at not being able to consolidate so much information to yourself, this could potentially be harmful  to you and possibly those around you. In conclusion to this matter, there are many different ways in with you can help this issue you just have to be willing to put the work in yourself.

Parenting

This past week in class we had the opportunity to go over some very effective parenting methods that will benefit any parent in the future when they decide to have children. We talked about the importance of being able to openly talk to your teens about sensitive subjects and being able to discipline them effectively and efficiently. e thing in particular that we talked about is being able to tell you children no. Too many children these days are given whatever they please because the parents want to make them happy, this actually is hurting our children and not helping them.

The reason this can be detrimental is because the children don't have to work for what they have, they have to learn how to work and and earn the things that they want. When they learn to work hard and earn what they have they then they start to appreciate what they have more because they have had to work for what they have.

Fathers

This past week in my family relations class we talked about the role that the father plays in the family as well as i any relationship that involves children. Father have more of an impact then we realize, our fathers may have been at work five days a week and you only get to see them on the weekends but they still played a significant role in the family to the point that if the child's relationship with the father the whole family could potentially break under pressure. Fathers have been known as the main providers in the family and will continue to play that role in the future. Kids are very much dependent upon many of the actions that the father performs in the family at any given moment.

Furthermore the father is the one that is very dominant in the family and many children want to have a very strong and trustworthy relationship with the father of the house. Don't get me wrong the role of the mother is just as important but both the father and the mother have different roles and therefor it gives them each a place in the home.

Communication & Mutual Problem Solving

This past week in class we had the opportunity to go and tale about the different types of communication that this used in the home and how to effectively use these forms of communication. One of the forms of communication that we talked about is coming together and to have a family council. This form of communication has been proven to be very effective in the home and in order to truly make it effective you have to regularly have family councils with everyone. If you don't follow this trend then you are in jeopardy of not being able to communicate fully and effectively with everyone one in the home.

Another form of communication that we talked about in class is the importance of a husband and a wife to come together and council. This is yet another very effective way for couples to come together and talk about the issues and problems that each of them may have with one another. And this also allows them to talk about private matters with no one around to observe the issues you two may have and not want anyone to know but the two of you together. In conclusion there are manny different ways in which a couple can come together and talk about certain matters concerning the family and it being effective at this time.

The Family Under Stress

This past week in class we got the opportunity to talk about some of the different types of stressors that the family faces throughout different stages in the family development. As a class we talked about a very extreme situation where the family was placed under a lot of stress when a member of the family was admitted to the hospital, when this event tok place it was extremely hard on the family members. As time went on it put an intense amount of stress upon the family at this time. This then caused the family to falter under pressure, once this happened is caused some relationships to break within the family.  Soon the child that was admitted to the hospital passed away and caused a deep sorrow to spread in the family.

Once this event then settled in the family there was some healing that needed to be done within the walls of the home. Over time they soon came together but a tragedy very similar to the first event had appeared within the family. Now since they fell apart the fist time around they knew that they needed to handle this situation very differently so that they wouldn't fall apart the second time around. Since they had this mentality they were able to come together. Not every family will react the same way to every situation but we can come together if we put the effort in so that we can then come closer together.

Sexual Intimacy and Family Life

Once again this week in class we touched on a very sensitive subject, Sexual Intimacy and Family Life. When discussing this topic in class we came across how difficult it is to talk about this such subject, so many questions that wanted to be answered but many not being able to voice their opinions and thoughts due to the fact that they were scared about what others might think. Soon we were able to break it down to the basics of intimacy and we then went from there. We talked about the author by the name of Laura Brotherson, she is the author of the very popular book by the name of And They Were Not Ashamed: Strengthening Marriage through Sexual Fulfillment and Knowing HER Intimately: 12 Keys for Creating a Sextraordinary Marriage. In detail she talks about all the in's and out's of marriage and intimacy. 

Later on in the week we also got the opportunity to ask any question we wanted on the matter of marital intimacy. It was all anonymous, before we got to class we were asked to write our question on a note card and hand it to our professor before class starts and then we were able to go through all of the questions one by one and discuss all things relating to marriage and intimacy. Overall the week was very informative and I feel that I learned a lot this past week that  I had never known on this subject before. 

The Engagement process...

This past week in the class we had the opportunity to talk about the some of the struggles and trials that many couples first have when married. When first engaged this whole new world is opened up to you and you start to plan for one of the most important days in your entire life. This can become an overwhelming when trying to plan for this wedding that you potentially want to have very soon in the future. Thus begins this new journey that you and your fiancé get to take together, wait but for some this isn't the case. When planning for this wonderful event it should be planned with the help of friends and family but not entirely with them. It is very important to get the help from family and friends but most don't really include this new soon to be husband help in any of the planning. In class we talked about how this is a lost opportunity for the man if he is not able to be apart of this new planning process. It has been found in studies that if you let the man help with this planning process then you will be able to drive better in the future.

Another topic that we discussed in class is how many could do nothing but the planning for the wedding and don't plan for the actual marriage. Like I said above we need to include the husband but when it becomes too much and we don't art to plan about the little things like, where the couple is going to live after they are married, how many children they want to have some day, and other things then this could potentially jeopardize the couple. When planning for a marriage we need to be able to find a good balance between the two and if we can't that is when the problems start to arise.

The Wonderful Subject of Dating

This past week in class we got the opportunity to be able to explore the topic of dating in todays society. In the beginning of the week we were asked to make a list of possible ways to get to know someone so that you could eventully ask them out on a possible date. Some of the important aspects that my professor touched on this week in the importance of these four concepts, togetherness, talk (mutual self discloser), time, and know. Each of these topics play a key role in any relationship and in especially getting to know that special someone that you've had an eye on for so long. Being able to work with your partner on all of these key topics will definitely make your relationship grow in one way or another.

Later on in the week we had the opportunity to talk about the different stages in a relationship, this then consists of dating, courtship, engagement, and then finally marriage. But after you enter that marriage dose not mean you are done dating them or courting them. It is important to remember that we need to be constantly putting our full forth effort into a relationship so that we are then able to have that better relationship with our significant other. One of the final things that we were able to talk about in class this week is the three things that truly make a date a date. The three that my instructor talked with us about was a date needs to be planned, paired off, and paid for. The reason that these three are the main characteristics is because without these there is no date whatsoever. If you have any insights to dating please comment down below I would love to hear from you all! Have a wonderful week!

Understanding a sensitive subject

 This past week in my family relations class we touched on some very sensitive topics that were very hard to discuss but helped me understand further the importance of this subject. The topic that we discussed was about understanding same sex attraction. When I read that this was the topic that we would be discussing in the coming week I almost thought this was an answer to a prayer, someone very special in my life at the moment is having a hard time dealing with this and all I could think is ho important it is for me to understand this subject. Before class we were asked to watch a video on this topic that geared toward this topic. It was specifically for men that are currently dealing with this problem and they talked about their won experiences dealing with same sex attraction.

It was quite inspiring to hear these men tell stories about something that they were currently dealing with or something that that they were able to overcome. Overall I was able to pin point some things that helped me understand the situation much better so that I can then take what I've learned and apply it to my own life at this specific time in my life. In conclusion to this topic we talked about how many deal with same sex attraction and have been married for manny years then these feelings start to arise and are able to overcome it in some way. This topic is very near and dear to my heart but I'm so glad that we are able to openly discuss these sensitive topics.

The Cost of Getting Ahead

This past week in my family relations class we talked about the struggles and trials that many Mexican American families have when they immigrate to America. At the beginning of the week we were given this article that talked about the steps required for a a family down in Mexico to get to America, truthfully I thought I had a decent understanding for the requirements to get to American but in all reality it takes a lot more then I realized. In short they have to send over the father first so that he can find a place to stay and begin to earn money for their family back home so that they can eventually make it to the United States, this process takes about 3 years. Then the family has to start their journey to America and that could take up to 6 months for the family to get over depending on who they go through to get across the boarder. Once the family is then reunited they are all undocumented so no one in the family can get a decent job, therefore everyone is stuck working in jobs that could potentially pay very low and that is usually the case. At the end of reading this article it made me have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what any of these families go trough in order to get to America so that their children can have a better life and better eduction in the future.

After reading this article I arrived to class the next day and my professor wanted to do a demonstration about the families that travel from Mexico. Basically what he did was ask for  volunteers from the class to represent a family from Mexico and they then made up a scenario about many of the situations that Mexican American have to go through. When we were able to do this I feel that it gave me more of an understanding of what these people have to go through that are undocumented citizens. Furthermore on the subject it gave me more of an appreciation for being born in a country that has given me so many wonderful opportunities to go to school, among other things.

The Joy of Life

This past week in class we talked about the different dynamics that a family has as well as how it is appropriate to address problems that may be hard to handle at times. Everyone has problems sometimes and we just have to be aware and kind to those all around us because we never know what they may be dealing with. I know that within my own family we have very different dynamics then compared to those who live across the street from me. Growing up in a big family has had its challenges but at the end of the day we all love one another and try to be better people in the end. I personally feel that I have been blessed beyond my now imagination and I thank God everyday for all that I have been given and I'm blessed for the circumstances that I'm in no matter the bad days that some ahead of me.

The World Population

A major topic that I was able to discuss with my class mates this last week was the decrease of the world population. Many do not realize the trouble that we are in world wide, the population of the world is slowly decreasing over time. Couples just don't want to have kids, this isn't the case for everyone but a massive majority have decided that having children just isn't in their plans. People re starting to believe that children are going to be more of a burden then they are willing to take on at any point in their lives. One of many reason why this decrease of the population is such a big deal is now many of those who want to retire will have to now wait till a later age to do so because the government can't provide them with enough money to allow them to retire at a decent age. This isn't the only one, soon we will have such a massive need for people to fill jobs but soon there just won't be enough to get the job done. It is scary to think of the rate at the population is dropping and there just isn't enough children being born to help fill that need.

The Family

Family is one of the most important parts of my life, ever since I was a young girl I can remember my parents constantly telling me that one of their biggest accomplishments on this earth is creating a family and teaching about the rights and the wrongs among many other things while they have this time here on earth. I agree completely with my parents, I am not yet married but I do have this goal in mind in the future when I have a family of my own someday. Of the things that we are being taught in this class this semester I feel will set a foundation for the rest of my time here at BYU-Idaho just because it is so critical to my major and my emphasis. I am extremely excited and thrilled that I have finally found something that is going to make me very happy and that will one day provide a career for myself.