Friday, April 12, 2013

Fatherhood

I didn't realize how much fathers can really impact children's lives, it can even impact their development.  Fathers have a different way of approaching and parenting their children than mothers do.  They have a different way of communicating and interacting with their child.  This gives the child a better outlook of how to have a good experience. Fathers build confidences, they are pushing their children’s limits knowing that they can do it. Fathers communicate differently and they are likely to expand the child’s vocabulary and challenges them. Fathers discipline differently than mothers do- fathers are about being fair, justice and duty.  They tend to stand firm on those types of things to teach children right from wrong.  Fathers prepare children for the real world- they are able to learn the consequences in the way that they behave and how that can affect the way that they will behave in the real world.  I have seen my father do these things, and how I approach my mother differently than I approach my dad.  Even though my dad and I don't really talk much, I feel like we are closer than I feel with my mother.  I can't wait for my husband to become a father and I know that he will be a great one, our children will be blessed to have a great father and 2 great grandfathers to provide those these in thier lives. 

Family Stress



This lesson was a great lesson- it was mostly Brother Williams talking about his family.  It was a way for him to explain the dynamics of it and how it can work out in the end.  It was really interesting to learn about his family and everytime he does it, I automatically start thinking about my family and compare how we have handled things in our lives. It's interesting how everything works out and how it may not.  It's important that parents have a good relationship/communication in order to keep the family out stress.  It can be one major event that could change everything if they don't have that and then that really impacts the kids if there's any involved and how they feel or handle things.   Brother Williams's family was the perfect example and how his parents struggled because of one event and the marriage was barely hanging on, then something else major happened- they changed how they handled it and thier marriage/family became stronger because of it. 

Aging Family

This is the last post for this class and I've pretty much kept up with all the topics throughout the semster.  This class has been really awesome and beneficial.  Brother Williams really knowledgeable and I've appreciate his outlook on Family/Marriage- I have learned a lot and definately has helped me learn how to react to things and has given me an outlook on other families/marriages.  

Aging family was the last topic and we talked about it very breifly but mainly we talked about married couples who are now "empty nesters" and where they are in that point in life.  Aging families happens at different ages depending if the children are out of the home and such, apparently Steve Martin just became a father at age 67.  We discussed what those couples tend to be doing- some may be retired and interacting with grandchildren, some kids who are married may have moved back in the home or parents may have moved in with one of their chilren.  It is so vastly different for each family and where they are in life.  Its hard for me to imagine that one day I'll wake up being married for 30 years and see all these things occuring in my life. But just like anything in life, we have to progress and adjust to life as it comes. 

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Blending Families

Blending families is a challenge for some.  Those who blend families are those who are typically widowed or divorced.  Blending families on both side can be difficult for children who may have been close with thier other parents (if they died) and feel that another person coming in is taking their place.  Some of the tips that they gave in class/book that those who are blending families should not jump right in and become the parent. They need to communicate with their spouse of how they want to parent the child/children and then sit together as a group and dicuss some of the things and provide comfort that they are not there to replace thier other parent but to be there for them and be apart of thier lives.  Sometimes blending families can take years to finally become accepting and become a family.  I have seen it in a couple families I know and it seems like it would be a hard thing to do and something that takes work to get to the final product- a family.  I really enjoyed having Brother Williams and his wife in class discussing their experiences of blending families and not all families are the same but to have that example of that it can work and it takes time and a lot of communication between the spouse and the children.