Family Interactions

In class someone mentioned that I thought was really interesting. We were talking about subsets-a group within a group-and how they affect the family. Someone said that the most important subset is that between the husband and wife, and how the parents treat their children.

I sometimes wonder if people realize how much of an influence the relationship between husband and wife has on the kids. If the husband and wife have a strong mariage, the kids thrive. They feel safer and more secure because they know that their parents are happy.

However if the husband and wife have a bad relationship, the kids suffer along with the parents. It causes so much tension and worry in the household. It's amazing to realize how much that one subset can affect the whole family, for good or for bad.

Trends Today

We talked in class about the different trends in marriage and child rearing. It's interesting how much things have changed, but it's also a little sad to see these changes.

One thing I found interesting is that people who live together before marriage really don't have a very good success rate. They may think they're being smart by seeing how they get along before they get married, but it doesn't work out very well. They don't start off with a strong foundation-it's almost like there's less trust in the relationship. They don't know if they're going to stay together, so they'll "just see what happens." They're not invested in each other, so of course it doesn't work!

I also thought it was sad how people are postponing marriage. This is something that I've had to think a lot about. I've had so many people tell me to wait till I'm at least 25 to start thinking about marriage. They assure me that I'll be happier if I do that, and that I'll be grateful in the long run that I waited before getting married.

I don't understand how they think this is a good idea. If you live for yourself only, what kind of person does that make you? What kind of person will I be if I put off marriage because I want more time fo myself? That seems selfish.

I'm not ready to get married right now, but I hope that when the time comes, I'll know it's right. I hope that what I'm learning from this class can help me explain to people why I don't want to wait years and years till I start thinking about marriage. I think finding the one you love and starting a spe life with them sounds wonderful and exciting! Why would anyone put that off?

Here we go!

 I'm already loving my Family Relations class! I know that family is the most important thing, and I want to make family my priority throughout the rest of my life. There is so much in this world that will try to tell us that money and a career are more important than raising a family...but I'm not going to let that happen to me!

Family is what will bring us the most peace and joy. At the end of my life, I want to look back and see that I'd done all I could for my family. That's why I am so excited for this class. I have so much to learn, and I can't wait!