Communication

Communication is rough, lemme tell ya!

With each year that goes by, we are having a harder time learning to communicate in person. It's so easy to talk over texting or facebook, you can basically be anyone you want! You can control your reactions, or your insanely creepy sounding giggles (If you're anything like me).

I wonder how that's going to affect us with each generation. I wonder if my kids are going to have a hard time making friends at school, being their true selves on and offline, and someday meeting their eternal companion. 

Marriage and Junk Like That.

Well. The thought of marriage brings up a lot of questions. Different questions for everyone, of course. Some people worry about where they'll live, how much money they'll make, how many kids they'll have. Those are all fantastic questions. I, however; am approaching it at a different angle. WHAT will I marry? Cat? Human? Will cat marriage even be legal by then? If not, what are my other options?
Just kidding.
Marriage is a good thing. Quite simple too. You should be happy. If not, reevaluate things.

Permissive and uninvolved parenting

Permissive Parenting: Permissive parents, sometimes referred to as indulgent parents, have very few demands to make of their children. These parents rarely discipline their children because they have relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control. According to Baumrind, permissive parents "are more responsive than they are demanding. They are nontraditional and lenient, do not require mature behavior, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation". Permissive parents are generally nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status of a friend more than that of a parent.

And the last one...

Uninvolved parenting: An uninvolved parenting style is characterized by few demands, low responsiveness and little communication. While these parents fulfill the child's basic needs, they are generally detached from their child's life. In extreme cases, these parents may even reject or neglect the needs of their children.

These two parenting techniques are the most dangerous and have the most negative effect on children. They both involve lack of discipline, and uninvolved parenting often involves negle

Authoritative parenting

Authoritative parenting: Like authoritarian parents, those with an authoritative parenting style establish rules and guidelines that their children are expected to follow. However, this parenting style is much more democratic. Authoritative parents are responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions. When children fail to meet the expectations, these parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. Baumrind suggests that these parents "monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative" 

This is my favorite parenting style. It’s so fair and simple. Children need to know why they’re being punished. They need to know they’re heard or they’ll never know how to speak up in the real world. 

This is how my parents raised me and this is how I hope to raise my children. 

Parenting skills

I would like to take some time in the next few weeks to learn more about parenting techniques and styles. I think it’s the most important thing we’ve talked about so far in this class. How we raise our children matters so much in every way. 

Authoritarian Parenting: In this style of parenting, children are expected to follow the strict rules established by the parents. Failure to follow such rules usually results in punishment. Authoritarian parents fail to explain the reasoning behind these rules. If asked to explain, the parent might simply reply, "Because I said so." These parents have high demands, but are not responsive to their children. According to Baumrind, these parents "are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation"

Children raised by authoritarian parents tend to lash out and rebel more than others during their teenage years. 

I believe all actions need to have consequences. However; I also strongly believe that all consequences need to be explained thoroughly and understood by the child. That’s only fair. 

Personally, I disagree with this way of parenting for the reasons listed above. I believe it’s confusing and unfair to the child.  

Three weeks already? Whoops...

So I haven't posted in three weeks now! Whoops! Sorry, I know all of my devoted followers have been anxiously waiting at the edges of their seats for my next enlightening post! HAHA JUST KITTEN!

So. I haven't posted in a few weeks because I've been having a really hard time with some life stuff! But I won't go into it here, or on my personal blog for that matter. Sorry to disappoint, I know y'all care tons... Just kidding! Gotcha again :)

I've gotten so behind on this because nothing has really changed. I have a hard time paying attention in this class because when I do, I either get offended, or loose interest. So I mainly look at blue prints and pictures of really pretty houses I keep coming across on my good friend Pinterest! Oops!

However; one thing that has been standing out to me in this class is the actual class. The students in Family Relations with me are great! Sometimes I feel like they're close-minded and judgmental, but if I keep saying that, then I'm no better. Right? RIGHT!

Their eyes light-up when Brother Williams talks, they crack up at his jokes (not even out of pity, it's crazy!), and they're anxiously waiting to hear what he has to say. It's so refreshing, and it's one of my favorite things about BYU-I.

I may not agree with everything they say, and I may not always want to hear it (especially last week when we were talking about sex, jeeze people!! Get it together!) But i do really appreciate their interest and devotion to families.

I know that each of them is working their hardest to be the best they can be. I mean, isn't that what we're all doing? Trying to make it back to our Heavenly Father? We just, all do it in different ways, in our own time. And that's what I've taken out of class in the past 3 weeks, and I'm glad, because I think that's a darn good lesson!

Love, Love, Love, and Love

In English, we only have one word for love. Love, duh. And we use the same word for every kind of love. Which can sometimes lead to awkward moments, as we all know! In Greek, there are four different words for love. I wish we had that dang it! 

Agape-The type of love one feels towards their children, or spouse. It is also the love unconditional love of God. Agape is the love described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Eros- Passionate love. Loving someone as more than a friend. Eros is the kind of love that gives you butterflies and makes you lightheaded. This type of love is often related to beauty. 

Philia- Affectionate regard or friendship kind of love. The kind of love that creates loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. In ancient texts, philos denoted a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers.

Storge- Mostly used to describe the love within a family.

I think it's very important to think of all these different types of love when thinking about who you're going to marry. Because all types of love are equally important.