Second Week :)

So the second week of school is officially over and I have to say that I do think I am really going to enjoy this Family Relations class. It is teaching me so much about the family. Things that I had never even considered before. This week we watched a video called the Demographic Winter. It really opened my eyes to what is going on with the population these days. The problem is that people just aren't having as many kids as they used to. Families are getting smaller, and there aren't enough children and young adults to take the place of the people that are retiring and eventually dying. The population is slowly decreasing and although this may sound like a good thing now, it will surely cause problems in the years to come. We also talked about some of the family trends that exist today. As I mentioned earlier, families are getting smaller, but there are also more single parent families, people are waiting longer to get married, people are living alone, people are living together before marriage, and more and more families are having both parents working. I understand that it's tough in this economy but mothers need to realize the impact for good that they can have on their children. If moms absolutely need the extra money, there are options for working from home, night shifts, and other options. I don't think I can stress enough how important it is for moms to stay home and raise their children.

It has been really interesting because I am also taking the Family Foundations religion class this semester and I have seen so many ties between these two classes. I am so glad that it's just the beginning. In my religion class, we are learning about the Family Proclamation and the roles of mothers and fathers. The Proclamation states that it is the mother's job to raise the children and the father's job to provide for the family. Whenever possible, this should be the case. The idea of being a part of a family was not an accident. Heavenly Father knows that we are social beings and we need interaction with other people to thrive. I am a strong believer in the traditional family with a mother and a father that are legally married and whenever possible sealed, and as many children as the couple decide to have and can support.

I want to be an influence for good. I want other people to know what I know and to share the joy that I feel whenever I see a family that is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't wait to have more experiences as I learn more and more about the family in the weeks to come.