Marriage

This week the class discussion was about adjusting to being married, and how to keep your relationship with your spouse a priority when you start having children. Some adjustments to getting  married are having  new family members (in-laws), creating new sleeping and eating habits, deciding who will be in charge of the money, and deciding when you want to start a family. In class we talked about making time for your spouse. Your children are important, but it is also important to include your spouse in raising your children, so that they don't feel neglected. It is also important to put your spouses feelings above your own. So ask yourself, how am I making my marriage better for my spouse? Marriage is about being selfless. Marriage is hard work, but majority of people say it is worth it!

Dating

This weeks class discussion was on dating and marriage. Over time dating has changed in the world, and means different things to different people. Dating, for instances now means to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. But not too long ago dating meant just to go on dates with a variety of people. Nothing to serious. I really liked how in class we talked about the stages of marriage. The first stage is dating, then courtship ( a period of time to see how well the two people work together), engagement, and finally marriage. For me, I really like these stages! Also, in one of readings called Hanging Out, Hooking Up, and Celestial Marriage, Bruce Chadwick explains five suggestions for establishing and strengthening a marriage. In his first suggestion his tells us that there is no one right person for us, but there could be many right people for us. We just need to pick and decide who would fit us best. His second suggestion is don't wait for a someone to find you, you find them. His third suggestion is to exercise some faith. Have courage when it comes to dating! His fourth suggestion is keep physical intimacy at an appropriate level. Finally, his fifth suggestion is to pray for those who have used you. To me, the last  suggestion tells me to let go of the past, and the wrongs that people have done to you. You don't want to carry that kind of bagging into the next relationship you have. I believe all these things will help a couple have a commitment marriage and friendship.

Differences between Boys and Girls

This week in class we talked about how each gender has an essential purpose. We discussed how each gender has something unique to offer one another. Woman are more sensitive, expressive, and relationship oriented. Men are considered more aggressive, mechanically minded, spatially oriented, physically stronger, and are more competitive. We talked about how usually at a young age boys will  play with trucks, and girls will usually play with dolls. But there are some girls who will be more interested in the trucks, and some boys who will be more interested in the dolls. This isn't a bad thing unless parents over react in a negative manner, effecting the child in a negative way.

Is the Cost Greater then the Reward

In this weeks class discussion we talked about the cost of getting ahead. It gave me a whole new outlook about the people that are in my hometown. I felt horrible for people coming to the United States that are seeking a better life for their families, and then having to sacrifice little things that most people take for granted. Some of these families only had enough money for one person to leave to the United States, while the rest stayed behind. For months or years these families maybe separated depending on the financial income. The ones that stayed behind, the mother and children, had to cope with losing a father, and partly a mother, as the mother now tried to take on the father's role. In some cases, after the families were finally reunited, the families structure was broken down. Too much time had pasted. The father no longer felt like his role was respected, the children did not want to be home, the mother was more independent ( not that that's a bad thing), and there was a lot of hurt going around. I know that these families wanted to get a head, but it was at the cost of their families falling apart. This is such a hard stituation. I hope that anyone who is going through this right now, will try and find a way to save their family relationships.