Covenants

This week's topic took a toll on me, more than any other week. We talked about divorce and the potential for blending families. Because of the sad nature of this topic it was difficult for many of us to stay positive. However, I learned something beautiful about the covenants we make in the temple, which I'd like to focus on.

First, a covenant is like a contract (a two-way promise), but it's a set of terms made by a superior party (that could be the government, God, etc.). These terms cannot be negotiated, changed, or altered. Both parties must rise up and meet the requirements of this covenant in order for it to be valid.

Second, in the sealing ordinance, the woman is asked if she will give herself unto her husband and if she will receive him. The husband is only asked if he will receive her. This, I believe, relates to the lot women were given in this world. It takes a lot more for a woman to give of herself in marriage and family life than perhaps it takes for a man. It's a clarifying question that God put in there to remind us of what we are really committing to.

Children

Children! Yay! Scary...

The most important thing I took away from class this week was, "As parents, we need to focus on the needs of our children, not changing their behaviors." 

Many parents focus on strictness instead of warmth and consistency in parenting. This is partially because strictness is the easiest and most straightforward thing we can control. However, it's been proven that when parents focus on warmth and consistency, children are more connected and well-behaved because they feel respected.

We also talked about natural consequences and how if parents need to enforce consequences, they should be logical. I.E. follow natural consequences that adults deal with on a smaller, more applicable scale. 

Teaching is not about compliance. If all we want from our kids is to get them to "shut up", the parenting style is duct tape. If you want children that respect you and love you, teach respect and love to them, through your actions.

Let's STICK together yeah yeah yeah

Women in the workplace is a touchy subject for me because I am so adamantly pro-stay-at-home-mothers. So talking about his topic in class was difficult because there wasn't a lot of discussion about involving God in the decision for the mother of a family to work. 

All cases are different and should be treated with care and compassion. However, in my own future family life I'd love to focus on the family as one entity, instead of individual persons. With the industrial revolution, men were pulled away from their divine roles in their home. The law of consecration was very prevalent before the revolution, with the entire family working their hardest together, to reach the same end-goal. The family was able to work and grow together. 

I have a hard time with anything that pulls a family apart. Be that school, work, travel, etc. In my family I hope to be able to move closer towards the divine nature of the entire family working together.