Divorce

This week we talked about divorce. I thankfully never had to suffer the affects of my parents divorcing, but my fiance unfortunately had to. When I first met him and he told me that his parents were divorced it honestly actually scared me because I didn't think he would want to pursue a relationship with me. I don't think parents realize how much stress this puts on the kids. I know that my fiances parents did not get divorced until he was 19 years old. He said he came home from his first semester of college and his parents told him and he said it was out of the blue. It is sad because he has a 9 year old brother that has to go back and forth between both parents and it is so hard for him. My fiance also has to communicate for his parents and gets caught in the middle of things. Especially when we were planning our wedding this semster it has been really hard communicating between both.

In class we talked about how 70% of men will remarry within 2 years after getting divorced. My fiances father did get remarried a couple years after and now he has a blended family and has 3 new step-siblings. He refuses to call his step-mother a "step-mother" and pretty much just ignores what that family does. I know it is hard on him though because he is extremely close to his Dad and he says it is just awkward to be there when the rest of his family "step" family is.

Parenting

This week we talked about parenting. 

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

I wanted to start off with sharing this paragraph from the Proclamation to the World because in this paragraph it outlines what parents duties are. I especially like the last sentence because it really shows the importance of parenting. It is also scary because you want to make sure that you do everything you can to raise your child in the right way so that Heavenly Father will be proud and happy. 

I cannot wait to be a parent, to be a mom. I cannot wait for that moment that I get to see my children for the first time after giving birth. Parenthood is one of the hardest things to do and mothers and fathers never get released from this calling.

It is important to remember that the way we parent will affect our children long term and so we need to make sure that we are doing the very best we can and are becoming active parents. 

My parents are the most amazing people in the world and I am grateful for the way that they raised me and I hope that I can be just like them one day.