"You want me to do WHAT with the DIAPER?"

More and more the roles between husbands and wives have become more interchangeable.
Father's now help change diapers, help with the house work
 
  
while mothers join the workforce or maybe just around the work force.

What is this due to?

In the Proclamation to the World it states   By divine design father are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. 

I want to talk a little bit about what the word EQUALITY means. (Hawkins, ch4) '
"Equity is all too often used to mean identity; that is, that two equal things must be identical to each other. Such usage represents a fallen and harmful understanding  of equality that is espoused by Lucifer, who passionately wants all to be "like himself"

As you can see this could potentially be harmful to the marriage and the family as a whole. It's important that we gain an understanding of what it means to have equal responsibilities in the family. 

Both the husband and the wife stand  before each other and in the sight of God as equals. President Hunter said "The Lord intended that the wife be ... a companion equal and necessary in full partnership... For a man ti operate independent of or without regard to the feelings and counsel of his wife in governing the family is to exercise unrighteous dominion." Husband and wife are to walk side by side, not one behind or in front of the other.  The father in every family is the patriarch and every mother a coequal in their in their distinctive paternal roles. When marriages are formed based on two equals, they will help each other in their stewardships including that of raising children.. President Boyed K. Packer said " There is no task, however menial, connected with the care if babies, the nurturing of children, or with the maintenance of the home that is not [ the husband's] equal obligation." But women are not except, they too should help their husbands when needed. It is important for both men and women to have enough room in the marriage to grow and to fulfill their dreams and to get a chance to do that which they love. Husbands should be supportive or their wives and wives be supportive or their husbands. In the history of the world, women have been in subordinate roles, where men overpower them and even oppress them. Throughout the history society has began to evolved into a culture where marriage should be characterized  as partnership with both spouses having equal influence in the relationship. 

What are the Benefits of having an Equal Partnership? 

1. personal well being
2. less likely to experience verbal aggression and physical violence.
3. coulpes are more satisfied and have better marital quality.
4. less negative interaction and more positive interaction.
5. more satisfied with their physical intimacy.
6. better parents.

As we can see there are many benefits to having a marriage consistent with that of equal partnership. Who wouldn't want a relationship where everything is shared, the joys, the work, the stress, the satisfaction? As we strive to mold our relationship after that of our Heavenly Parents, then we will be able to have higher martial satisfaction.

The Family is essential to the Lord's Plan for us.

Why are families so important to us? Well we believe that Heavenly Father sent us here to earth to have the opportunity to have a family within the bonds of marriage. We know and believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. It is in these families that we will be able to one day return to live with God. Families are not just meant to be on earth but they are also meant to exist in heaven. This can only be achieved in holy temples where covenants and ordinances can be performed by the proper authority. It is in a family that we develop the attributes Jesus Christ has. We believe that Adam and Eve where the first family on earth, together they were able to move forward. That’s how we want our marriages and families to be, we want them to be able to move forward together through the trails and challenges that will come. There is no such thing as a perfect family but a family can be perfected if together they use the gift of the Holy Ghost and the help of Heavenly Father to help them get through challenges. It is not a coincidence that society’s biggest organization is the family unit. This was intended all along.  We also believe that this earth was created for the family, it was created as a place where families could reside and be tested. A family is the most sacred thing we can obtain in this life, it is the only thing besides our knowledge that we will be able to take with us if we are worth after death. The church and the gospel of Jesus Christ are tools to help the family learn truths and principles that will help them progress towards exaltation.

(Hawkins ch 32, Eternal Family: A Plain and Precious part of the Plan of Salvation)

There are no roles small or big in the family. Every role is important and is a key ingredient in the makeup of the family.

speaking on the importance of motherhood Joseph F. Smith reminds us " To do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all man-kind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman. One i universal and eternal greatness, the other is ephemeral."

Elder M Russell Ballard has taught " The family is where the foundation of personal, spiritual growth is built and nurtured; the Church, then, is the scaffolding that helps support and strengthen the family."

As the statement mentioned above explains, families are truly important because it is where most of the teaching, loving, caring and learning happens, The home is the first school children will ever attend. As we embarck on this quest for the next three months, together we will learn many key aspects of family life and how we can help our family be more unified despite the ups and downs it will face.


 

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my blog. I want to tell you a little about this blog and it's purpose. I am currently in a class entitled The Family, which is a requirement for my minor. As the title states, this class will focus on The family: A Proclamation to the World. Which is a statement put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  on our views and believes on the family and what role it plays in Heavenly Father's plan for each of us his children. Throughout this course I will be using this blog as a journal where I will be writing things that I learn, impressions, I feel I should share with you, videos and much more. I hope through this experience you will be able to feel the love of a loving Father in Heaven and your understanding and desire for a family will grow. Feel free to look around and ask any questions you might have.

Here is a little video to launch this blog.