Marriage as a building block

Today I stood in front of a class of undergraduates and explained the scenario. I am not a parent, and yet I am going to teach you about parenting. As I continued, I knew that all of the research would not help me much when my child was throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of awl-mart, or throwing cheerios on the ground in my kitchen, which would of course be immaculate, right?

However, I did realize one thing. I would have a very loving, very strong, and hardworking man by my side. We don't know what the plans for the future are. We have both learned to stop being quite so stubborn and let God guide us. After all, that is how we ended up in the frozen tundra of Logan, met, and married, all within a year.

Therefore, we haven't made concrete plans for when to have children. But one thing I do know is that not only will I have the support that I need, especially as we communicate more openly with each other, but also we can learn skills that will help us in our parenting.

In 2010, the PEW research center released some alarming statistics. Single mothering was on the rise, and not just because of circumstance. More women are choosing to go it alone, hailing modern technologies that allow them to become mothers with-out being married.

However, marriage does provide a solid foundation, if done properly, for raising children. In the few short months I have been married, I have learned how to communicate more openly about my day. My simple frustrations and joys. I have been more mindful of them. Seeing blessings can definitely help parents when, or maybe a while after, their child has thrown cheerios.

Marriage also gives us a wonderful place to see our imperfections. Why not work some of them out now, and allow Stuart to point them out as we are parenting together? Marriage also allows us to be co-creators with God as we work together to build the type of home we want. Stuart and I really love music. Good wholesome music is a building block of our home, marriage, and further family unit.

So, be proactive about your marriage and it will also help you to be proactive with your children.