This week in class we discussed sexual intimacy in marriage. Intimacy in marriage is such an important aspect for growing together. Having a good marriage leads to a good sex life, and having a good sex life creates a good marriage! Win-win! Something that couples need to remember is that men and women have different needs and wants when it come to sex. Being sensitive to your partners needs is important to having good sex. The greatest part though is doing something for your partner, something that they will enjoy. When being intimate with your partner becomes something you do for them and not just for you it becomes a really special.
We also discussed ways we can teach our children about sex. We read an article about preventing teen pregnancies. The article suggested that teaching teens about STDs and other health risk that come with engaging in sex is not enough. She proposes that we need to teach teens more about healthy relationships and marriages. Many teen have been affected by unhappy marriages and some may not even know anyone in their life who is actually married. The author suggests we teach lessons like characteristics of healthy relationships, understanding what is important to look for in a romantic partner, a go-slow, low intensity approach to teen relationships, how to gauge the health and safety of a relationship, and especially how to enjoy romantic relationships without having sex. These are important things for our teens to understand. But children aren't too young to learn lesson like these too, regarding sex and their education should start with the parents!
Obviously we should always give age appropriate answers when asked questions about sex but it is important that we do answer our children's questions. We live in a world today where messages about sexual intimacy is EVERYWHERE! If we want our children receiving correct answers, and learning righteous principles WE have to be the ones to tell them. Do not leave it for their school teacher, or YW/YM leaders, we need to be "intentional parents". Teaching our families and creating our families are two sacred responsibilities we've been given from our Heavenly Father. We need to do this according to Gods plan for the family because families are forever!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Marriage and Children
This week in class we learned about transitioning into marriage and having children. Having children is such a blessing, isn't it? Well, as much as a blessing as it is, it may also be a challenge to the marriage if a couple doesn't understand the changes their relationship will go through. Often the new mother spends more time focusing on the baby and less time on her husband. She thinks he can take care of himself while the baby NEEDS her. Well, her husband NEEDS his wife! When going through this change from husband and wife to mother and father the man will often feel neglected or unappreciated.
So what kind of changes are we talking about here. well, less sleep is one, which might have a big effect on your reaction to the other changes. Another change is the amount of workload. women's workload will increase by 67% while a mans increases by 37%. This change is due to the women's primary responsibility of taking care of the baby. Sometimes this will cause resentment between husband and wife. Another difference is the amount of agreement between them. Men perceive that they agree on things less, while in actuality they agree more! It might be because women no longer voice their agreement with everything but more often will voice their disagreement.
What can we do then to make this transition easier? Include the husband in all things BABY!! Allow him the opportunity to connect with the baby prenatal as well as after birth too. You can also read parenting books together. Involve the husband in all the changes the wife has to make in her diet and exercising too. During these changes both parents need to remember to take care of themselves as well. Ultimately, it is most important to talk about these changes that are going to happen before they happen. Make a plan!
The most important thing we talked about in class is that even though these changes and problems may be natural, they don't have to happen! If we are aware of the problems we can make plans to prevent them from happening. Having a family is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. And our families are forever!
So what kind of changes are we talking about here. well, less sleep is one, which might have a big effect on your reaction to the other changes. Another change is the amount of workload. women's workload will increase by 67% while a mans increases by 37%. This change is due to the women's primary responsibility of taking care of the baby. Sometimes this will cause resentment between husband and wife. Another difference is the amount of agreement between them. Men perceive that they agree on things less, while in actuality they agree more! It might be because women no longer voice their agreement with everything but more often will voice their disagreement.
What can we do then to make this transition easier? Include the husband in all things BABY!! Allow him the opportunity to connect with the baby prenatal as well as after birth too. You can also read parenting books together. Involve the husband in all the changes the wife has to make in her diet and exercising too. During these changes both parents need to remember to take care of themselves as well. Ultimately, it is most important to talk about these changes that are going to happen before they happen. Make a plan!
The most important thing we talked about in class is that even though these changes and problems may be natural, they don't have to happen! If we are aware of the problems we can make plans to prevent them from happening. Having a family is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. And our families are forever!
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