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?