Top Ten Things I learned.

Well the semester is over. I am grateful for having taken this class. I have learned so much. It has been one of my favorite classes yet. For our final we made a top ten list of the things we learned. So I will post it as my last blog because I feel it is meaningful.


1.    Blog- I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in writing a blog. It has now encouraged me to start my own personal blog. I do not keep a journal, which I know is not good. Blogging has shown me that I can write down what I feel and what I have learned. Writing in my blog has helped me get my feelings out and that is something that I need to do more often.

2.    Symbolic interaction theory- this is one theory that has definitely stuck with me throughout the entire semester. This theory has applied to me life to the extreme. I have seen it a lot in my relationship with my boyfriend. I had a teaching opportunity as well teaching him about the theory and it was a great feeling teaching him about it. It is funny to see how it is present in my life and that I know can think more about what I do and what I say.

3.    Marriage= complementary not completing. I had never thought about marriage this way. Something that stuck to me dealing with this is that two dependent people come together to create something awesome. This thought has really made me think about the relationship that I am currently in and how I hope that we can become something great together.

4.    Have a wise engagement process- there are things that need to be done properly. Decisions need to be together, not the guy saying, “Yes dear”. All the panning should be done together as well. Although I am not engaged yet, my boyfriend and I plan to get married, so there has been some planning done already. The planning has gone well because I have used this concept. The sealing should be the focus.

5.    Establish expectations early in marriage (even before actually married) - when doing this you should be realistic and practical. You should talk about finances, living situations, establish “joint ownership”, and set clear boundaries. Doing this can help marriage run a little smoother at the beginning stages.

6.    Couples that express love and qualities everyday are far better off- I want to express the love I have for my husband as much as I can. I think that this is so important to do, it to me creates a sense of security. I want to hear this from my husband as well.

7.    Know what my children are learning in sex education- I could be a future PTA president. I should know what my children are learning. If I do not teach them about sexuality they will learn from the world. Use the Parents Guide from LDS.org. It is important to teach our children about the sacredness of marital intimacy. The home is the best place to teach our children.

8.    Do not vent- who knew venting was bad. But thinking about it, it is so true. It beings a negative attitudes and contention. Contention is obviously of the devil. Venting does not edify. Nothing good comes from it.

9.    Sarcasm- words are going in one direction and the truth in the other direction. Sarcasm can be a positive and a negative. This can all depend on the relationship two people have with each other. There are definitely people I can be sarcastic with and there are people that I cannot be with sarcastic with.

10. Purpose of parenting- a huge learning curve opportunity. We are meant to learn and grow. We learn to love like Christ did. We have a responsibility to raise God’s children. We also get a taste of creation. We also receive joy and happiness.

Parenting

I love this topic. Growing up and still this day I really want to be a mother. In class this week we discussed a lot about parenting. I believe we as members  have a purpose to raise God's children. Other purposes are that we raise children to grow and learn, to love like Christ does, attachment, to have a taste of creation, and to have joy and happiness. My teacher said being parents gives us an opportunity to have a steep learning curve. I agree with this statement a lot. There were a set of videos that we watched called PETS. Parent Effectiveness Training System, this was put together by Micheal Popkin. He talks about Active Parenting and defines the roles parenting. He says the purposes of parenting are to protect, and prepare our children to survive and thrive. There is also four ballast characteristics to parenting which are; courage, responsibility, cooperation, and respect. These are all things that parents need to teach our children. We also discussed doctrine in the scriptures that pertains to parents and life. Alma 36-42 have profound teachings about life. The Book of Mormon has references for things for parents to do, examples of parents,  and how the Father and Jesus Christ respond to children. As members we have many resources to go to when becoming parents and when we are parents. I am truly grateful for this gospel and the opportunities it has given me and it will continue to give me.

Fathers.

This week in class we talked a lot about fathers. Sometimes this can be a sensitive subject for me. My father was not around a whole bunch while I was growing up. I can remember he usually seeing him on Thanksgiving and sometimes on Christmas. I would only hear from him on my birthday. As I look back on him not being there, I can see some outcomes of it. One being me always wanting attention or a sense of trust from a male figure. My grandparents raised and my grandpa was like a father figure but it still was not the same as if my father was around. When I started dating, I would date really anyone who I felt would give me the attention that I longed for. I now have had this realization for a while now and can caution myself when dating. All this makes me want to find that right man who will be an amazing father to my children. I do not want my children to have the experience that I had. Something we also discussed in class was about dual incomes. Basically it is not good to have a dual income. You spend more money to have babysitters or what not. This kind of makes me happy because I have always wanted to stay at home mother. I hope that I will be able to do that.