Brynlee Cook

As this semester comes to an end, I wanted to recap with my top three things that I have learned this year. This semester has been one of learning and insights, some of the things that I have learned this semester have cause me to change, not only the way that I think but also the way that I act and the choices that I make. This class has made me realize that every choice I make has the ability to effect more than just me and I need to be aware of the power my choices have. We have talked about each step and of some possibilities of family life that have made me start to think about what I want my family to be like, what kind of wife and mother I want to be, and some other important aspects of my future family. The first thing that I learned this year that I think is really important is, the family is a system. This is an important principle to remember because it is something that you need to be aware of in your family so you can adjust to the situation before any big repercussi

Parenting. Parenting is something that everyone seems to have an opinion on, whether they have children or not. There are books, podcasts, blogs, and more organizations dedicated to sharing the best way to parent your children. A lot of opinions differ on parenting topics such as discipline and punishment, as well as many others. People spend their whole lives trying to master or find the perfect parenting techniques. This search, in my opinion, is in vain. We already have the master example of parenting with our Heavenly Father. I am going to talk about some parenting techniques that our Heavenly Father has taught us by his example. The first parenting technique that Heavenly Father has taught us is, having a healthy balance between Justice and Mercy. We have seen many times throughout history that God keeps his promises but doesn’t cave and take away the negative consequences when we chose to sin. Something we talked about in class this week was not making empty threats, instea

This week we learned about fatherhood. My dad is awesome, he is strong, funny, hardworking, and super loyal. My dad and I used to be super close. I was his first kid and the only girl for 13 years. I was definitely a daddy’s girl, we loved going on daddy-daughter dates to the roller-skating rink. He would pull me behind him, we would have the best time together. I love looking at old home videos with my dad, we were always laughing, and you could tell that I thought the world of my dad. The dynamics of our relationship have changed as time has passed; things have happened in both of our lives that have driven a wedge between us. I miss being that close with my dad, I think having a good relationship with your dads are so important. I have seen my relationship with my dad start to shift again though. As I have been away from home for a while and have been preparing to leave on an 18-month mission I have seen him reach out more and show interest in all of the details of my life. Throug