Fatherhood

There's a great article I read that points out key ways fathers can be more involved in the home and in their children's lives:

Hartwell-Walker, M. (2008). Fathering in America: What’s a Dad Supposed to Do?. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 28, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2008/fathering-in-america-whats-a-dad-supposed-to-do/

Fathers are so important in the home.  They have critical roles to preside, provide, and protect in the home, and knowing simple ways to make that happen helps us to get there.  Remember to support the men and father-figures in your life.  They do a lot for us that is taken for granted, and, even if you're not close, you should tell them thank you for the things they have done.  They need to have positive reinforcement and encouragement just like anyone else.  :) 

You Never Need to Stand Alone

"God never intended that His children should stand alone. Children have parents, and parents have the Church, with the scriptures, living prophets and Apostles, and the Holy Ghost, to help them understand proper principles and act upon those principles in fulfilling their parental responsibilities." - M. Russel Ballard, "Strength in Counsel", Oct. 1993.  


I often hear women say that they don't know how to raise kids or what they're doing.  They're concerned that they won't be able to lead their children in the correct paths and help them navigate in this crazy world.  Honestly, I've had similar concerns myself.  However, it's important to remember that you are never alone; the Lord has provided many resources for us to use to be successful parents and leaders.  I think it's especially important to be receptive to and follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost.  With the Lord leading you, you can never go wrong!!  Do your best and leave the rest up to Him.  Everything will work out one day.  

Temporal vs. Eternal

"We tend to think temporally.  We don't see the eternal ramifications of choices."  -Michael Williams.  In our discussion in class, we talked about the importance of viewing "family crises" with an eternal perspective.  We tend to get caught up in the moment, and whatever's going on is magnified to completely fill our view.  During these times, our choice of reaction and behaviors will completely alter our experiences, for better or for worse.  Remember to communicate with others in the family, whether they're involved or not.  Even if they don't seem to be involved, they are affected by your actions, and they need to know what's going on to be able to adjust to the situation appropriately.  From a spiritual perspective, pray together as a couple or as a family, and follow the Spirit.  Keeping an eternal perspective will allow you to work through the hard times and be better for them.

Physical Intimacy

Physical intimacy is not the main part of the marriage, but it can be a measure of how well you're doing in other parts of the relationship.  "If we focused only on the physiology of responses in marriage, we'd miss out on most of it." -Michael Williams.  Remember that, even though physical intimacy is an important and good expression of love, it's not the main focus of the relationship; don't be so consumed by the all physical things that the rest of your relationship suffers.  There's balance in everything in life, and having strong communication and a solid relationship in general will make physical intimacy better as well.