Family Interaction and Boundaries

       It is often said that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  Let’s take a cake for an example.  You wouldn’t want to get a bag of flour and eggs on your birthday – you would want a cake!  All of the ingredients alone are good, but together, they make something great.  This is like a family.  Alone, each member can be successful, but when they all work together, it make something that is indescribably special.   

       Another part of families that this touches on is how family members interact with each other, and the boundaries help determine this.  A child is typically more comfortable with one parent than the other, which throws off the boundaries a little.  However, parents and children should work on having a balance relationship between each member of the family.  The following cartoon shows how the boundaries between parents and children can be a little too unclear, which can result in the parents being too overprotective of their child.

Keeping "Love" in Marriage

       Divorce rates are extremely high nowadays, and is progressively on an increasing trend.  I have actually recently talked to my oldest sister, who is married, about how she has been able to stay happy in her marriage, and she had provided my with the following advice.

       Before you marry, there are so things that you need to do in preparation.  First, date a lot of people.  You want to see the kind of personalities and characteristics that best suits yours and make sure that you are certain that that person is who you want to be married to for time and all eternity.  Also, when dating, talk about major things that could make or break a marriage, such as how many children you want to have, how you want to raise them, finances, life goals, and each other’s views on topics.  Lastly, you need to learn to compromise now, so that it isn’t as hard when you are married.  All of these things will help you make the best decision when choosing who and when to marry.

       Finding your spouse is about making the right choice; marriage is about making the choice right. 

      In any given situation, stand up for yourself and always support your spouse.  Don’t go and vent to family and friends about your spouse.  You should find both the good and bad in your spouse, and that is between the two of you, not anybody else.  Be open and honest with each other.  Confide in things with each other. This will help eliminate problems, as well as bring you closer together emotionally and spiritually.  Compromise with each other.  One spouse isn’t ever supposed to be greater than the other, so both need to work together and sacrifice for each other.  Be patient, adapt, and overcome.  Because both spouses are most likely to have been raised differently and have their own personalities, there are going to be times where they disagree.  You must be patient with each other and find a middle ground to adapt to, in order to overcome the issue.  Have family outings and activities, whether you have children or not.  I feel that all of these things will help unify you and your spouse and hopefully decrease the likelihood of divorce.

Here is a video called Expressions of Love and shows couples in various stages in marriage and how they show love for each other.

Ready, Set, BLOG!

Hello, Everyone!  This is a blog that I am starting for my Family Relations class.  I plan to share stories, insights, and inspirational thoughts that I have acquired while in this class, as well as answer any questions that people may have.  I would like to continue this blog after the semester is over, so it will change a little bit at that point.  I have blogged before, but am new to Blogger, and I will try my best to give a variety of different entries, such as traditional journal-type entries, pictures, videos, and so forth.