Understanding Marriage and Family

If you think for one second that there is a family out there that is perfect, you are wrong. Only Jesus is perfect. EVERY family has it's struggles. It just so happens that maybe some people can deal with their struggles better than others. I'm not about to say that one family's struggles are easier than another's because I don't really believe that either. I just believe that no matter the struggle, you can get help. For example, I heard a story of a family whose son had sexually molested his young sister and brother. He was sent off to a rehabilitation center for two years and hadn't spoken to anyone from his family for those two years. They finally went to therapy as a family and got the help they needed. They were able to find forgiveness for themselves and for this son/brother. No matter what the world throws at a family, there is hope and help for everyone-all dependent on whether or not they are willing to accept the help and change.       It is also imp...

What does Intimate mean? Well, as Brother Williams puts it, it means being "in to ma mate"! It's a miracle that with how different we are as men and women, we manage to love each other and be married for years. There are three things that tell a counselor how successful a couple will be-1) how is their marital intimacy. 2) Collaborative set (what do they contribute to the rifts in the relationship). 3) How committed are they to the relationship.         Intimacy    Why would success in marriage correlate to intimacy? Kind of a dumb question. You got to be into your mate right?! It's more than just "having sex". Instead of looking at it like that, try looking at it as "making love". As a married couple, you want to make love with your partner, not "do them". Making love is how you show your love too. It's a way to bind yourself to your partner. In women, there is a chemical released during love making called Oxytocin. It causes th...

"It would be better to live in a tent than live with mom and dad as newly weds."-Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the 12 apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Being a newly wed is hard-for quite a few reasons. But it would appear that figure things out on your own with your spouse is healthy for you. It is important to build a relationship with your spouse during these difficult beginning times and establish your own family of origin (rather than re-establishing your relationship with your parents. Getting married is a big deal. And it's hard. But being there for your partner is important.     It's been shown that on average, the overall happiness of a married couple goes down after each child is born. We can only imagine why-having a baby is hard! They are a huge handful. But it doesn't have to bring your joy down as a couple. There are a few key things we can do to prevent unsatisfaction in a marriage when having kids. Involve each o...