FINAL

I really enjoyed Brother Willams's Family Relations class this semester! I liked the way it was set up because I felt like I learned a lot more. I liked how the classroom was set up because I felt like the students were actually talking to each other and the class discussion was better facilitated that way. I LOVED the way the final was set up because I am pretty sure I learned 100% more than if I had had to study and memorize answers for a test. I learn greatly through sharing my ideas with others and with getting insights from my peers. Thanks Brother Williams!

Blended families

This week in class we discussed blended families and some of the challenges that come from them. I really enjoyed that Sister Williams was able to come in and talk to us. I think it is really neat that she and Brother Williams were able to make it work. It scared me to think that there are so many challenges that come when a family is blended together, from the inlaws to the legal stuff to the relationships that need to be dealt with and may be damaged. I thought it was very interesting when we had Corbin go up and on the board draw the relations that may happen when two families are blended to together. Mom and Dad need to make sure that everyone is included in decisions so that no one feels left out. Good communication is also key in figuring out little quirks.

Parenting styles

I think that learning about parenting styles and the effects it has on children is very interesting. I did a research paper last fall about parenting styles and which one is proven to work the best for children. All the research pointed towards active parenting (authoritative). My parents are actually authoritative and I have seen the positive effects on my siblings and I. They parented with lots of love and also had high expectations for us. When we needed to be punished we were punished with the knowledge of what we did wrong. My parents took an active part in their children's lives and let us know that no matter what we did they still loved us.

Fatherhood

This is a late blog post but I wanted to write about my dad. I am so grateful to be born into a family where my dad is an active part of my life. Somewhere I read that girls need the love of their father and if they don't have it they will go searching for it somewhere else. Sometimes this means getting themselves into relationships that may harm them. I have a cousin who's parents got divorced when she was young. Her mother was remarried but my cousin was never close to her step-father. She never really had the love of a father in her life and as was always very insecure. At 18 she was married to someone 11 years her senior (I'm not saying marrying someone a lot older than you is bad) who did not share many of our families beliefs and we all questioned her decision. Her husband is now in jail for fraud. I am attributing this situation to the fact that she went looking for love wherever she could find it and she just happened to find it with this man. It hurts me to see her struggle but makes me so grateful my father expresses his love for me and is an active part in my life.

Work and the family

This week we discussed how the family is affected when both parents are working outside the home. In my sociology class we also have been discussing past decades and how children in the 80's were known as 'latchkey' kids. This is because society saw an increase in the number of both parents working so the when the kids came home everyday they had to use a key to get into their homes. In my FAM100 class we were also discussing how children are affected when mom works outside the home and Brother Gardner shared this statistic with us: Between the hours of 3-5 pm is when most teens lose their virginity. WOW! Lets see...3-5 pm is the time when kids get home from school and the hours before the parents get home from work. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this statistic could be changed by mothers being there for their children when they get home from school? I understand that his may not be possible for some families but for those that can then they should. Children need their mothers!

Transitions in Marriage

Yesterday (Friday) we talked about helping the father be included in the birth process and including him with the newborn. I loved the comments that were made by Brother Williams about how important it is that the father be there for the mother during the birth process. I feel that my mom was always really good about including my dad when she had the kids. He was always there when she was giving birth to coach her and hold her hand. I loved the last comment Brother Williams made about how we can have many sacred experiences together as a couple with our newborn if we include each other in the process.

Preparing for Marriage

Last week in class we talked about marriage preparation. I am also taking Family 100 and we talked about this a few weeks ago. I love this topic because this is the stage I am in. I am looking for qualities in the guys I date that I want in a future companion. I have dated a lot of guys and so far have seen a lot of qualities in them that I want in my future husband, now if only I could find one guy that possesses ALL the qualities, instead of finding some that have only one or two. Ha ha just kidding I know that I won't ever find my "perfect" man (I guess he will be perfect to me when I find him) but I can at least find someone who meets my standards. I think that the most important thing someone can do to prepare for marriage is to make themselves the kind of person they want to marry. By working on themselves first they will be able to work out some of the flaws they may have before marriage. Choosing a mate can be hard, but when one finally feels the peace associated with finding the right one, they can be sure their wait is finally over.