Final Thoughts 

Well, this is it. The final blog post of the semester. Where has the time gone? It has flown by so fast and it's crazy to think it's over! I would like to use this final blog post to talk about what I have learned this semester and the things I want to take with me. 

The Importance of Family 

The family is the most important aspect of your life, or at least it should be. With family comes belonging and responsibility. Every member of the family should feel loved and valued. We do this by helping them to feel needed and wanted. It's important for everyone to have a “role” to play and those roles should be divided up evenly. I'm a firm believer in the fact that children should help around the house. Now I'm not saying that the 3yr old should do the dishes, but they can definitely clean up their toys, feed animals, and keep their room clean. They are obviously going to need help with these tasks, but the more they do them, the better they will be. As a family we need to be there to love and support each other. When one member of the family is going through a hard time, that’s when others step up and help. Weather that be physical help (when their injured or something along those lines) or emotional (listening and offering advice). Just being there helps so much and makes the person feel like they’re not alone.

Communication is Key

Communication is needed to effectively solve problems in a relationship. The way we communicate is so important. We need to use both verbal (“production of spoken language to send an intentional message to a listener”) and nonverbal communication (“transmission of messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and the distance between two individuals.)”. Communication is something we will be working on our entire life. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone and some people need to work on it more than others. 

Needing Both a Father and a Mother in the Home

“Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.” (The Family A Proclamation to the World) Children need both a father and a mother. They get different support from both of them. Studies have shown that children who grow with parents that are separated, have a lot more problems than those who grow up with both a mom and dad. Some of these challenges include drug and alcohol abuse; getting into trouble with the law; being sexually active at an earlier age; and getting into abusive relationships. I know my life would be drastically different if I didn’t have both my mom and my dad.

A Family that Handles Stress Together Stays Together  

Every family has stress, it's just a fact of life. But that stress can either break a family or make it stronger. Families who deal with the stress together have a better chance of making it through in tack. When a family is under stress often times you can see how strong the family is by how they are handling the stress. Stress can bring families closer to tear them apart. The biggest thing to remember though is that a family needs to be strong before stress happens. If your already shaky in your relationships and stress comes along, it's going to be harder to stand firm and make it through.

It's important to remember that every family is different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another. We need to be vigilant in making sure our family is strong and united.