To address the title of this post, there are a few questions that might be floating around. You might be wondering how you got to a seemingly random blog that talks about the family or if it's even worth looking at. I could possibly wonder why I am putting so much of my Saturday afternoon into this assignment! Maybe you're wondering why, if the family is such an important thing, it causes so much sadness and difficulty in certain situations. You could even be wondering why you're here on this earth with the family that you have! I can't claim to have the knowledge or understanding of your personal life to answer every question that you have, but I do firmly believe that the topics that I am going to write about can and will, if you allow them to, change your perspective on family, your purpose, and life as a whole.
So, what is the big deal anyway? Why take an entire class and create a blog about the family? Why is it so incredibly important? Let's get a little personal. I want you to think about your own family, in whatever form yours comes. That could be your spouse, children, parents, step-parents, adoptive parents, your aunts and uncles, grandparents, your closest friends, etc. Think of those people that are always there for you. I'm thinking of mine and oh boy, it sure makes me happy to know that I have them! Those relationships are the ones that, regardless of any circumstance that we might be in, help us to move forward every day and give us hope when things seem dark.
It is clear to me that the world's view of the family has changed. I do have very strong feelings about that, and I'm probably going to be quite bold about sharing how I feel about such things. However, I will do my best to share the statistics and studies that we learn about to support my beliefs.
The topic that I would like to discuss today is that seemingly small changes to the typical "nuclear family", over time, can make a significant difference on the individual, on society, and the world as a whole. An article that I read this week (Why You're Being Invited to Fewer Weddings) really got the wheels turning in my mind. The article discusses that the number of weddings that occur in the United States is decreasing every year.
The number being discussed is that marriage rate, or the number of people married for every 1,000 people. That number has been going down and is projected to continue doing so. The article does a great job of simply stating the facts and showing the numbers that show this decrease. At first, I thought to myself, "Well, it's a bummer that people aren't getting married! It doesn't seem to affect me too much, thought." As I have thought a little more in depth about the matter and discussed it more in class, though, I have come to see a few reasons that a small change like this could affect me, you, your mom, your kids, even your dog (although that might be pushing it).
- Although no marriage is perfect, I like to think that, if we are doing our part and our spouse is as well, it is something that can bring us massive amounts of security and joy in this life. It gives us a best friend, someone to rely on, someone who will always be there for us. Without marriage, there is still commitment. I can't deny that it's a beautiful thing any time that two people decide to spend many years together, but I just have to stand firm in my belief that a marriage is something even more special.
- A marriage seems to create a more stable environment in which children can be raised. I have no doubt that any child can go above and beyond, control their future, and be incredibly successful. I also don't doubt that those children who are raised by married parents are given even more tools to do so.
I could probably go on and on about these things, but I guess I will sum it up in this phrase: these "small" changes that we are seeing in the family will, or maybe already are affecting our own families and futures.
That wasn't so bad, was it? I am excited to continue learning and sharing with you guys! I can't believe I'm even saying these words and I don't know if it's an actual option, but I encourage you to subscribe to this blog!
-Britt
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