Final Post

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 repercussions can occur. With this principle it shows that one members problem is the whole family’s problem. For example, when a dad gets laid off, the whole family has to adjust their spending habits, the activities they participate in, the trips that they take, and maybe even who the majority bread winner is in their household. That was a more stressful example but even something as small as the different stages of your children, teenage moodiness can be a big problem. Haha!

The second thing that I want to keep with me from this semester is key communication skills. This semester we discussed the counsel method and as soon as we talked about it, it went on my list of things to implement in my own family. The short recap version of the counsel method is a consistently held meeting, usually with the heads of the household. You open with a prayer to invite Heavenly Father into the decision, then you discuss things that need to be talked about, come up with a solution and then ask Heavenly Father if you came to the right conclusion. This is also a great time to express appreciation for one another and to learn how to come together to discuss and communicate, in a healthy way, things that may be hard to talk about.

The last principle that I really want to keep with me from this semester is, dating is a super important step in any relationship. This one I feel like is extra important for a couple of reasons, one is that dating is going extinct, and two is this is the stage that I am in right now. Dating provides, especially for the guy, the ability to practice the roles laid out for them in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. For the guys those roles include presiding, providing, and protecting. Dating also gives the girls a chance to see how well a guy is living up to those roles and get a mini glimpse into what kind of husband and father that they will be.

As I mentioned before, this semester has been one where I have been able to learn a lot of things that I am now looking forward to applying to my life both, both now and in the future. I have learned to love learning. This class was never super heavy on the tests which meant that I was able to just enjoy the learning process without stressing about the content on the test. I highly suggest looking into and researching any topic that interests you.