Does It Really Matter?

Does it really matter when we get married? Does it really matter if I don't have kids? Does it really matter if same-sex marriage is legalized? Does anything really matter?

In today's society everything seems so black and white. We need to fit in certain categories to be good people, or we need to make a certain amount of money to be successful. If we get married young it's like we are throwing our lives away, but if we get married when we are older we seem selfish and prideful. But why is does it have to be this way?

In the LDS community we are know that one of the commandments is to multiply and replenish the Earth. Many people have different opinions of what this means. Some think we need to have as many children as possible, and bring as many spirits of God to Earth. But others think it is up to your spouse and yourself to decide if you want 1 or 12 kids. But in reality we need to decide with our spouses and the Lord, how many kids our family needs. It is nor right to say that we need to have as many kids as possible because we need make sure we can love, and support each kid, but also fulfill our other responsibilities. It does matter how many kids we have, but it is all a personal decision.

Why do so many people feel pressure to get married, and why do so many avoid marriage all together? In my opinion, I believe that in the United States, everyone has preconceived notions of what will bring us happiness. Some think it is children and a family, some think it is having the latest new trends, and some think it is experiencing the world. But why cant we have all of these things? So many people think if they get married young they will not have be able to have the same enjoyment or satisfaction as being single. But also so many people that the only way they can be happy is if they get married and have kids, but do not understand that being married is not as easy as it seems. I think it is all a very personal thing, but we need to realize the blessings we can have from the different scenarios we can have in our life. Not everything needs to be planned out, we need to live our life and be open to blessings the Lord has in store us.

How many kids we have, when we get married, and controversial topics like same-sex marriage all matter, but we do not have to fit into society's reason why they matter. We need to decide why these topics matter too us, and do our best to live righteously while contemplating these important issues.

The Family

The family is such a basic structure of life, that often times we under estimate the power of the family in our lives. The meaning of family is personal to each individual, yet everyone is entitled to their own support system, and in many ways these "family" structures have many similar qualities, that bring each one of us happiness.

I will be sharing my thoughts and perspectives of topics covered in my Family Relations class, at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I am confident many people have had similar questions, concerns, and ideas about the family, and hope that I can share some of my thoughts regarding these areas of the family.