Preventing Divorce and Blending Families

Here are a few random lessons learned from class this week:

Preventing Divorce

Much of the time, divorce is something that can be prevented. Of course, there are times when divorce is necessary. But usually it is an event you can choose to avoid. Here are some steps you can take to prevent a divorce from happening to you (taken from A Never Failing Family):

• Careful Selection. Many people do not follow the proper steps in dating which can lead one to jumping into something they don't fully realize.
• Great Unselfishness. You need to be able to work as a team.
• Continued Courtship. In order to keep the relationship strong, continuous dating should take place.
• Commandment. We are commanded to marry and love our spouses with full fidelity. 

Remember, it is a choice!

Blending Families

Combining two families is tough work. But it is important to recognize and remember that while shifting specific roles in a family can be tough, we must be flexible and realize that it might be work for the better. You can still become a family but in different ways with different dynamics!

Parenting

What an experience raising children will be! I do look forward to that difficult, joyous, and rewarding experience.

The purpose of parenting is to protect and prepare children to survive and thrive in the world. It is our responsibility to teach them true principles and help them develop into their own selves. It is vital for parents to take on active role in their children's lives. We cannot assume that children will automatically learn what they need to in this world. If we are not taking the responsibility of being our children's teacher and mentor, then someone else will. And that could end up being someone without the values they need to learn.

Some others purposes of parenting we discussed in class include the following:

• So we can develop patience
• To teach us (the parents)
• Approximate God's role (which changes our relationship with Him)
• Become selfless

Many purposes of parenting are for us, as parents, to learn and grow as well. This is an experience we should learn and continue to grow from no matter how old we or our kids get. Two qualities we should learn from parenting that are very important are: responsibility and mutual respect. We must remember that our children are people too! "A person's a person no matter how small!" we learned from Horton in Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. This is important to remember as we raise our children in a loving manner.

I am grateful for the opportunity we have been given to parent! It is an incredible time to learn and form strong relationships.

This may be kind of random, but here is an excellent article from the Deseret News on single vs dual income families:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765556846/Staying-at-home-How-to-downsize-from-dual-to-single-income.html?pg=all