This week was a very interesting one for me when it came to our discussions in class. I never really expected to talk about dating in a Family relations class to be honest. I also didn't really realize all the adjustments that newly married couples have to make. Its interesting to see the correlation between cohabitation and being able to really commit to each other when you are married. Cohabitation is such a common thing in our world today, so I never really thought about the negative consequences that it can have on a marriage. I never expected to see that having kids actually decreases the overall marital satisfaction either. I mean, when I was younger, my parents always seemed so happy. Of course they had their ups and downs, but it is interesting to hear now the kinds of struggles that they really did have as a result of having 5 children. Marriage is so important in Gods plan, as are children so the fact that marriages are less satisfying when children come into the picture blew me away. But it is interesting to see all the different factors and all the different things that can make a marriage hard. I've always heard it was hard, and I always expected it to be hard, but I never really understood until this class. There are many more insights that I never considered before taking this class. Being a newlywed should be one of the greatest experiences of your life, but at the same time, it is one of the most challenging things as well. But nothing worth while is ever easily attained right?

This week we learned about how to prepare for marriage. Between this class and my Marriage class, I have learned lots of useful insights. Most of what I found to be very interesting is all the information on cohabitation. I had no Idea before this class all the negatives that go along with it. I knew that it wasn't good for a relationship but I never knew how detrimental it was for a relationship. We also talked about false love and how things like love at first sight and soul mates really don't exist. I find it interesting how relationships really work and how attraction really works. Sometimes I wish that the rest of the world knew the kind of information that I now know and understand the impact that they could have on families if they simply did it the correct way. Children hold a special place in my heart, so putting them through the kind of things that they are being put through just makes me wish that I could help many realize what kind of impact they can make on the world. As a child development major, in my career I would like to be able to change other's mindset as much as possible.

This week has been interesting in terms of what we've discussed. I never before thought of how my gender affects my family and family functions. And discussing same sex attraction is something that is not often done. I am one of those people who strongly believes that we are sent here with a certain gender for a reason. Each person has divinely given roles that is part of who they were in heaven and part of who they will be. We do not need to raise our boys more like girls or girls more like boys, they should be raised the best way for them and not for anyone else. I was raised around a lot of boys but was also introduced to lots of girly things. There is nothing wrong with raising a girl to be a girl. Her feminine roles especially as a mother are more than important. And the role a father plays in his sons life is so important to their well being.

This week has been quite interesting to me. I never really thought about how social class can affect a family's entire outlook on life. I knew social class was important but not that important. I never knew some of the sacrifices that immigrants made in order to come to this country and give their children a better opportunity for education and occupation. I really look differently now at how families operate. I know that everyone is different, but I never understood that things can change so quickly in a family. I also didn't fully understand how different some people grow up. I grew up in a home where if I wanted something I worked my behind off to get it, but many didn't grow up like I did. I appreciate how I grew up, and others appreciate how they grew up as well. Families are much more complex than I ever imagined before taking this class.