Parenting with Love, Limits, & Latitude: Proclamation Principles & Supportive Scholarship.

For me at least I always think about my wedding day and my future family however how I will be parenting my children is not always the first that crosses my mind when I picture my future. 

I see my kids always happy, always doing the right thing, and best of all always doing whatever I say! 

Yea right...

Kids will be kids. Let's be honest they are not always happy, and doing whats right, and whatever I say and that is where good parenting comes in. One day it'll be MY JOB (with my husband of course) to teach those kids right from wrongs, good and bad, and so on. In the Proclamation to the World, it says "successful families... are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. Growing up my parents were a wonderful example of how to teach your children. When we did something whether it was right or wrong we were taught that there would ALWAYS be a consequence for our actions. If we did something good we would get a treat or get out of doing a chore. If we disobeyed we would get a spank or no TV and then is the greatest part about it. When we did something wrong they didn't just give us a punishment they told us why they had, and they had us explain to them what we did that was wrong so that we could learn from our mistakes. As I grew up it taught me to stand up for what I KNEW was right. It made high school a lot easier when I knew ahead of time the choices I was going to make when I was faced with them. In this chapter of the book it talks about guiding your children by the hand just as the Lord guides you. Be open and honest with them, answer their questions, teach them right from wrong, and Love them NO MATTER WHAT.

Good Luck... You'll need it.

The Warm Happy Marriage Cold Hard Facts to Consider.

Let's face it ladies... who hasn't thought about their wedding day? We all have! We all dream of the day we get to marry our dream man, and live in our dream house, with our dream family and we had everything we needed, whenever we needed it. So now back to reality.... no ones life is perfect. The couple with the perfect house might not be able to have kids, or the family with tons of money may not be able to stand each other. In an article I recently the writer asked "what makes a good marriage?" The most common answer he got...? "Distinguishing needs from wants". 

Many people get married to the person they without a doubt love and nothing goes wrong necessarily they just get into a routine, and marriage stops being so exciting. 

You can prevent this by doing wholesome activities with your spouse that help you grow closer. Activities that help you bond and understand each other and your thought process' better will help you to grow together instead of apart. Marriage is not easy in fact a lot of the time it's hard. It won't always come easy and you will have to work at it. Serving your spouse and going out of your way to show them you love them with show you care for them.

Everyone wants a happily ever after... and the reality of it is everyone has the opportunity to have one it just takes time, hard work, forgiveness, understand, service, and love to make it possibile. 

Good Luck.

Honoring Marital Vows with Complete Fidelity.

Are you married? Well whether you are or not this is easily one of the most sacred topics to talk about in the church. We strongly believe that sex should be saved till marriage and once in the bounds of marriage should still be done with the upmost respect. As members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe in honoring marital vows with COMPLETE FIDELITY. In the world we live in today it's not unrealistic to hear in everyday life whether in a conversation, on TV, or in a magazine about a divorce or separation because of an unfaithful spouse. This is a heartbreaking topic to discuss because it touches the lives of so many. Theres are many types of infidelity in marriage, sexual, visual, and romantic. Almost all types are used as a way of obtaining instant gratification. Being faithful to your spouse is held in the HIGHEST regard. It should not be an option in any marriage. 

How to avoid infidelity:

Leaders have cautioned us to constantly be on guard and to always realize our boundaries, and make sure that at ALL times we are not crossing them. 

President Hinckley counseled us to "Be fiercely loyal one to another." 

"Don't make light of your marriage."

 

"Don't flirt with anyone other than your spouse."

"Don't travel together with someone of the opposite sex when going to meetings for work, church, or in other circumstances."

"Talk about problems in the marriage with your spouse in your home." 

Keep the consequences in mind. The proclamation to the world clearly states... "WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. "

These are all wonderful ways to stay on guard and to prevent infidelity given to us be church leaders who loves us and want the best for us.

Good Luck.

Equal Partnership Between Men & Women in Families.

Mmmm..... well where to even start. For MANY this is a somewhat touchy topic. You bring up the topic to a woman and she instantly will begin telling you all she does and all that her husband DOESN'T do. Talk about it with a man and he will tell you something along the lines of "well Men go to work, and well she is supposed to do the rest...right?" Needless to say it can cause a little tension.:) Let's start with what equality even means! To many equality is used as a term for identity. "that two things must be identical to be equal. Latter Day Saints often think this right of the bat as well, they want their relationship to be equal so it must be identical. False. We have been taught in The Family a Proclamation to the World that men and women roles in the family are different  but "one gender does not have greater eternal possibility than the other." That is key in remembering equality in the family.  "Husbands and wives have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other." The proclamation points out that men and women do have different responsibilities to focus on in the marriage however they are "OBLIGATED to help one another as equal partners".

With that in mind next time your spouse asks you for a favor do it without complaining and do it with love.

Good Luck.

The ABCs of Successful Romantic Relationship Development: Meeting, Dating, & Choosing an Eternal Companion.

"Decisions determine destiny." President Thomas S. Monson followed this quote by talking about how to PREPARE for success. We all know nobody goes into a relationship thinking, "oh man I sure hope This doesn't work out!!" and yet sometimes in the end it just doesn't work. This article is going to help you to start preparing for your successful relationship!

Step One... MEETING!Everyone always asks.. "oh how did you meet?" So this first step is key! We need to learn to come to terms with the past and move forward in faith in order to meet "the one". Its not always easy and Frank Poulson touches on the idea that if we do whats right, and follow the commandments we will always be blessed to find out eternal companion whether in this life or the next, so be open to new things because you never know what's right around the corner!

Step Two... well that would have to be dating. Oh dating... at one point I think we have all felt excitement, maybe fear, or even dread, at even the thought of going on a date. However this isn't really what thats about. This is about understanding the dating. In a quote from Guerrero and Mongeau the transition from meeting to dating is this "Routine contact, and activity. For example texting, calling, hanging out etc." and that is when you can take it to the next level. After spending more time together and learning about the person it's up to you to decide whether it is something you want to continue or not. And that brings us to our final point...

Step Three... Choosing. We make a lot of choices in life, some take time to make while others we can make at any second. This choice is a little more serious however, this choice isn't what you are going to have for dinner, or who you should call today, nope, this is choosing the person you are going to spend THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH!!!So needless to say it's a pretty big choice to make. Prayer, meeting with the your church leaders, and listening to the Holy Ghost are just a few of the things pointed out in a recent study asking women how they knew "he was the one".  

With these three steps in mind you are already on your way to a successful, happy, romantic future.

Good Luck.