So sad, the semester is coming to a close! Through out the course of this semester we have learned about dating, marriage, children and families, communication, and how families deal with crisis. So, what happens after marriage and children? What happens after everyone moves out of the house and it is just you and your spouse? There is a new dynamic in a sense. I like to think of it as time that you and your spouse get to spend getting to know each other all over again. You get to reconnect with out all the "distractions" of family life.
If you have a moment, and you haven't seen this video, you should watch it!
In the video the music starts out kind of slow then builds up. It gets intense, dies down, then gets intense yet again at the end. I like to think of this as a metaphor for life. Our life starts out pretty great. We are born and grow up and get married. Along the way in marriage we hit a few speed bumps that slow things down but then picks up again through out life. There are multiple pitch changes and transitions through out the songs. There are multiple transitions that we go through in our lives. Some of these include adolescence, becoming parents, and becoming grandparents (empty nesters). There are certain transitions that we have to go through even though we might not like them. That's part of life. In the end, when we meet our maker and go over our "score" of life, it will be a beautiful one.
So in life we are all born, grow up, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after, right?
Sadly, sometimes that is not how it always works out. Did you know....
Cohabiting couples are more likely to get divorced.
More women than men are asking for divorces.
77% of men are remarried two years after they are divorced.
70% of couples say they should have saved their marriage after being divorced two years.
There are multiple reasons as to why some people get divorced. Some of them are because of financial issues, communication issues, and sometimes they even just fall out of love.
In the end, sometimes divorce is the best option for a couple, even if it is hard on the kids. There are a handful of things parents can do to help their children cope with a divorce. Take a look at this website to find out more!
So this week we talked a lot about the family and children. Children have a special place in my heart and forever will. I one day hope to have some of my own as well as work with them as a child life specialist.
In today's world so many new trends are forming compared to our past. People are waiting to have children, people are having fewer children, more parents are hiring nannies to take care of their children and more children are being born outside of a traditional marriage.
Children matter. I don't think I can reiterate that enough. They are our future. Children bless so many that are around them in ways that we don't even realize. They teach us selflessness, patience, and give us a glimpse of how amazing our Heavenly Father is. From those I know that have children, it can be scary, but at the same time it sounds like a pretty amazing opportunity. They truly are gifts from God.
Today I had the opportunity to watch my friends two kids. We spent the day watching movies, playing outside in the snow, and making Christmas decorations. After we had finished making some Christmas decorations one of the kids looked at me and said, "I think we should tidy up the house." My friend had clinicals, so she had been gone since 4:30 a.m. and wasn't going to be back until about 5:30 p.m.. Her daughter knew that she would be exhausted and thought that if she cleaned and tidied up the house that would help her mom. So, instead of watching a movie with her brother, she and myself went to work. She helped me learn that at no matter what age you are, whether you are 8 or 24, there is always something you can do for others.
The next time you are around children, I want you to take a step back and think about what you can learn from them. What can they teach you about yourself?
