Divorce

This last week, we talked about divorce and how it can effect a family and also how families can recover from being a "broken" home and then trying to come together again. I found it really fascinating some of the statistics that my teacher gave us about divorce. Many people dont realize that divorce is incredible expensive. Several HUNDRED thousands of dollars initially, but the rippling effects can add up to almost a million over the following years.
Also, over 80% of divorced people (within 5 years after the divorce) wish that they had not gotten divorced, but rather tried to get through it.
And those that do work through it say that within 2 years there is an incredible increase in their happiness as a family, even greater than when they were newly wed.
I think that the problem is that many people jump in to divorce, hoping that it will serve as a quick fix to all their problems, but they do not think of all the long term damages that will occur, especially if their are children involved.
It is always, ALWAYS, worth it to seek help and work your way through the issues, rather than just try and run away from the problems through divorce.

Everything there is to know about parenting....haha NOT

Parenting is such a challenging thing. There is no way to measure your success in the present. Many times, looking back, we see what we could or should have done differently. Things are always changing, including the trials and challenges that come with parenting.

I wish I could just make a list of the right and wrong things that parents can do. But it is not that simple.  The one thing that I have really learned this week is that to be a good parent you need to be dynamic and adaptable, patient and understanding, and always aware of your communications. I think that if parents follow this guideline, they can track their progress and should be able to handle most situations in an acceptable way. Oftentimes there is no right or wrong way to handle a specific situation. Parents always need to be ready to look for opportunities to teach their children and also build their children’s confidence in them.

Fathers and finances

In class we talked a lot about the responsibility that fathers have to provide for their families.  Especially in today’s economy many families are worried about finances. Some families often consider having the mother going and getting a job as well. This can have many different effects within the home.  Many church leaders encourage mothers to remember that their primary responsibility is to nurture and raise their children. This is not a sexist idea, or saying that women are not good enough to work.  Women should pursue an education and then use that in their day-to-day lives within their home. After their children are grown up, and if they still see fit, it is great for moms to go out into the workforce and use their expertise in whatever their desired field is.  But the father’s responsibility is to protect and provide for the family. In today’s world the biggest part of this protection comes from financial stability. The father should always be doing his best and working his hardest to make sure that his family will never go without.