Observing

All my life I have seen the effects of divorce on kids. It largely affects these kids when they are little and even when they are grown up. I remember when I was little whenever my parents fought I immediately assumed that they would probably just get divorced because of the things that I heard in school. They always had to reassure me that that wasn't going to happen. Now that I am older I have gained my own perspective on divorce and I have come to the realization that there are only a few reasons why a couple should choose divorce but in most cases I think that working it through is always the awnser. Both people chose to live with each other forever and they knew the commitment that they were making when they got married. I think that that needs to be remembered. You loved each other to get married so you love each other to figure out your issues and do everything possible to keep it from falling apart. That is your promise that you made. KEEP IT

Growning Up

There are many different styles of parenting in the world. In Chicago you get a taste of all different kinds of parents and it can cause some friction within the society. I was always telling all my friends that my parents were the strictest and that they were always making my life hard. But my parents were so loving and were always there for me. They had rules but I was blind to the fact that they were trying to help me. But I wanted to rebel when they made more rules and that's where I think they went wrong. It was hard to be my own person and do what I wanted when I felt like everything I did was controlled. It made me want to show them that they had no control. So i lied behind their backs for awhile and our relationship was strained. But the last couple years we have worked together and compromised to come to a place in our relationship where we get along so well and can talk to each other and I don't feel the need to lie to them. Compromise is the key!

Daddy's Girl

Fathers have a big impact on our lives and can help us through the toughest of times. There was a time in my life where I rebelled against everything that they wanted. But my dad always had a warm heart and made me the happiest little girl alive when I pleased him. He has always been the rock in my life. He can be so disappointed in me yet can turn around in a day and love and support me. Fathers have all different kinds of roles and he has shown that he is doing the best he can in each role. He is a strong church goer and follows through on his callings and his duties as a husband and father. I am so thankful for everything that he has done in my life.

The Key is Communication

Within the family they only way that you can be the most successful is when you have communication and compromise engrained into your daily life. It should be the main thing that you work on because most of the time this is the reason couples and families fight. My relationship with my parents has suffered a lot, especially with my mom. But as I have grown up and talked through my issues with my mother, we have developed a stronger relationship. We use to fight about everything and wouldn't agree on anything. But as time went on we realized that the only way we could get along is if we both compromised things. This led to easiness within the home, creating less conflict and a better relationship. It had been affecting my brother and dad, so that was something that changed as well. With maturity and compromising we have become a happier family who can work through our problems with ease. 

Surviving Through the Tough Times With Family

My family use to have it easier then it is now. For the past 9 years we have struggled with the money aspect of things. My dad lost his job about 10 years ago and actually decided to start his own business. Obviously it has made things a lot harder now that we don't have a normal amount of money coming in. It has caused a huge amount of stress in our family and it seems like a lot of our problems always connects back to the shortage of money. I know that it has made us stronger, especially as a unit, but it causes conflict that we wish didn't exist. Money is a common stressor within the family along with many others. This is just my personal experience that I have noticed within my family. 

With Love Comes Intimacy

Marriage involves the most sacred and amazing thing that we can be apart of. So many times has this world made sex look like a common, every day thing that happens between any couple that gets together. The media has destroyed the sacredness of this relationship. Men and women are suppose to love each other enough to get married and then be apart of this scared intimacy. Many people think lust is actually love. Many girls and boys have had their hearts broken because of rushing into it too soon. So many teenagers have just thrown this intimacy away and destroyed their future relationship with their husband and wife. This is suppose to prevent future affairs and even pornography. Lust is the one of the biggest reasons that relationships end up in break ups and marriages end up in divorce. It is something that my whole like I have wanted to mean something more then what the movies portray. This moment is special between a man and a wife. Lets make sure that we keep our thoughts and actions inside and not act on things that will make us have regrets later on!

Marriage Isn't The End of Change...

I use to think that everything I do in life leads up to the final step which is marriage. But I've realized that life continues to change and be challenging even if I am just a stay at home mom. Marriage takes constant effort and trying. Each new step in marriage is called a transition. There are lots of transitions during this time of your life and it can either bring conflict or happiness we just have to know how to deal with it. They are the greatest times of our lives and we want to be full of joy during it. Obviously you will learn more the longer you are married about how to deal with these new and coming changes.