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A Family Is Still a Family

 There are many types of families: nuclear, single parent, childless, and blended--to name a few. I'm sure many of you reading this fall into a category other than nuclear, and we all fall into at least one. Personally, I belong to a nuclear family. Even though I don't currently live with my parents, I still have my mother, father, two younger sisters, and little brother. I have relatives that cohabit, are single parents, are childless, and have blended families. No family is perfect, even if they appear to be so. A family composed of a mother and three children may be better off than a household with two parents and three kids. Yes, the traditional family is composed of two parents--a mother and father--and then children, and it has been proven that, on average, children in those types of households fare better in school and stay out of trouble. However, I still want to instill the idea that all types of families are valid no matter what. Now, I would like to share a few quot...
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No Two Parents Are The Same

 What do you consider to be the most controversial part of parenting? First off, how many aspects are there of parenting to begin with? Off the top of my head, I can think of the following: discipline, care, provide, and love. You can probably think of more. Of course, everyone parents their children differently. No one can tell someone else how they should raise their children. That's why I consider different methods of taking disciplinary action to be controversial. Now, in what ways can taking disciplinary action vary from parent to parent? Of course, there's the fact that all parents are different, as I mentioned earlier. There are parents that don't believe in harsh consequences, while there are those that only use harsh ones. There are parents that let only the natural consequences follow suit, but sometimes those kinds of consequences can be dangerous or are considered "insufficient." But anyway, as I said, parents will parent how they see fit. The first po...
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Don't Let the World Tell You That Dads Aren't Important

 Father. Dad. Pops. Papa. Old man. Pa. Daddy. Paternal figure. Call them what you may, but today, we are talking about fathers in the home. I've noticed lately, and I'm sure you have to, that society has begun to talk about how unnecessary men are in a family. There's a quote that says something along the lines of: "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." And, not to mention, there is a study to see if a woman can create her very own sperm from her bone marrow, and therefore inseminate her own eggs--thus, getting pregnant all without the help of a man. If this can be done, men are no longer needed, right? Women can reproduce all on their own... Interesting. Personally, I find it borderline crazy that people can think so lowly of a male leader in a home; and maybe not just lowly, think of them as downright useless. Honestly, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without my dad. My father is everything to me. He has taught me many valuable life lesso...
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Don't Let the Word "Conflict" Scare You

 Conflict: it's just a part of life. Oxford Languages defines conflict as "a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one." If you're like me, you might have thought, "what the heck does 'protracted' mean?" (Honestly, I had no idea.) Protracted means "lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual." So, what I'm getting from those definitions is that a conflict is a huge fight over an adulterous wife that lasts for six months. I must say, conflict is so much more than that. As humans, we encounter conflict numerous times throughout our day... every single day. The verb version of conflict is to essentially "clash" or be "incompatible." I consider siblings not-so-reverently debating over who gets the last cookie to be an example of conflict. I consider a small argument over whose turn it is to load the dishwasher to be an example of conflict. I consider a child getting in trouble for not list...
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A Crisis Is A Crisis, No Matter How Small

 No family on this earth gets to avoid the experience of a crisis once or twice in their life--sorry, but it's true. I'm sure if you ponder your own family's life experience thus far, you can think of at least one, even if it's small. A crisis is defined by Oxford Languages as "a time of intense difficulty, trouble or danger" and also as "a time when a difficult or important decision must be made." Personally, I can think of a handful of crises that my family has had to endure, and when I get married, my new family and I will go through even more. It's a hard truth to accept, but it's a part of life and I consider it to just be one of the trials God has given us. I firmly believe that we were sent to this earth by a loving Heavenly Father to be tested. One of the means of being tested is through trials and how well we endure them. Another way is through the daily decisions we make: our agency. We, as God's children, are given trials to te...
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Can Affairs Actually Be Prevented?

Affairs--the elephant in the metaphorical room of relationships, particularly marriage. An affair is defined as "a sexual relationship between two people, one or both of whom are married to someone else" (Oxford Languages). One does not accidentally find themselves stuck in one; they're sought after. Why would someone participate in an affair, knowing they are risking the most important commitment, sacred covenant, and eternal partnership that they dedicated themselves to, as well as breaking one of the most important commandments given by God? (God gave man ten commandments. The seventh out of those ten is to not commit adultery.) People have affairs when they feel as though their spouse is not fulfilling their needs and wants, whether those have to do with emotional or physical intimacy. Rather than choosing to be patient and work things out, they turn to an adulterous decision. According to research, forty percent of unmarried relationships and twenty-five percent of m...
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Marriage Advice From The Unmarried

 Yeah... I'm not married, but that doesn't mean I can't share a thing or two that I know about marriage, right? Some of you may think of marriage as something disposable or as something you never see yourself getting into. On the other end of the spectrum, you may believe or know with your entire being that marriage is an eternal commitment and pursuit. I personally believe that marriage is eternal. Someday I will be sealed to a young man for the rest of eternity. But enough about me--moving on. What makes a marriage a good marriage? How are you going to make eternity with one person tolerable? Here are some of the basics: communication, trust, honesty, and commitment. I would be lying to you if I said those values weren't essential. Do not underestimate their importance. Communication includes everyday conversations, conflict resolution, and setting boundaries. Communication isn't just talking to someone; it's conveying your feelings, needs, and wants to someo...
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