The Thing About Family

     Parents are such a vital part of everybody’s life. They have a great influence over who we are and who we become. Although not everybody has the opportunity to be raised by both their parents or even their birth parents, we all have those parental figures in our lives. They are the ones who help shape us as we grow and develop. We have the parents we want to be like, or even sometimes, the parents we want to do everything we can not to be like. Either way, they still have a huge impact in our lives.      Right now, I am actually taking a parenting class. It has been quite the experience as I have learned about different parenting styles and just how much impact a parent has on their children’s lives. As I have been going through the class, I have actually been comparing it to my own parents and how they have raised me. In all honesty, it has made me appreciate them more, especially since I realize just how difficult I was as a child.    ...

       We have all heard it said that communication is the key to a good relationship. It is not the only thing that you need to have a good relationship, but it is one of them. In order to work together with another person in harmony, you need to be able to communicate your thoughts, feelings, and actions. This goes for any type of relation, whether you are married, friends, or strangers. When you are in a relationship where you spend a lot of time together and make decisions together, you need to set up a way of communicating.      When I was a missionary, I was always with a companion. We were with each other all day, every day. It was sometimes difficult to get to a point where we could work well together. I had many companions, which meant there were many times that I had to find the best way to communicate with the person I was spending all of my time together. With every person, there is a slightly different way of communicating. Some of my co...

       So, this week’s post is going to be a bit different. This week I am going to be writing about waiting until marriage and marriage fidelity. I recognize that this is a bit of a controversial topic. I also recognize that I have views on this subject that may contradict that of what the world and society tell us.      Anyway, I believe that it is very important to wait until marriage to be sexually intimate. Sexual intimacy is an incredibly special thing that brings two people closer together. It creates a special bond. I believe it brings two people closer together in both body and soul. If you participate is sexual intimacy outside of marriage or just for recreation, it can be very damaging to yourself and the other person. You are creating a bond that will not be kept.      We see it in media all the time. The act of sexual intimacy is downplayed as normal and part of everyday life. Those who choose to wait until marriage are ...

       My last blog post I wrote about dating and courtship. This post is going to be the next two steps, engagement and marriage. These are topics where I, personally, have absolutely no experience with. However, I have seen others as they go through these steps.      The engagement period is a very important time to get to know each other. You are still going on dates and learning what you can about the other person. It is during this time that it is important for you and your significant other to take the time and discuss specific things. One of those things could be about expectations. What are you going to expect from your partner during marriage?      There are a lot of things that you should talk about and not just wait to see what happens when certain situations arise. It is a good idea to talk about whether you want children, and if you do, how many you want. You can discuss how much time is going to be spent with each other...