Families Bring us Joy!

 Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful week! Here is what stood out to me in my class this week:

In the world we live in today, there are more people deciding not to have kids and not have families. While it doesn’t seem like that would be a big deal, there are actually several problems that stem from people not having children and families anymore. With less families, there are less people to replace the baby boomers who are now retiring and are out of the workforce. That causes major problems for employers, as they wouldn’t be able to staff their workplaces. Here are some of the factors leading to families being diminished:

    • Delaying marriage, leading to less kids being born. Or if people get married late in life, they are unable or too late to have children. People fear both commitment and divorce these days, so they decide to either cohabitate, which is living together for extended periods of time without getting married, or they just never get married. Either way, they are more likely to not have children, or to bring children into an environment that is not the best for their growth and development. 

    • A lot of children have traumatic experiences with their family from childhood, leading to them not wanting to get married. That could be divorce, step-families, abusive parents or siblings, etc. 

    • Time, energy, and money are limited resources, and people choose not to spend those resources on their family members and their children. 

    •    People fear of bringing children into this crazy world as well. There are scary things going on in the world we are living in, but I think we can take comfort in knowing we have people always watching over us and our children too. 

Taking the step of marriage is super daunting, so it is understandable that people would struggle to move forward with it, but I know that when we are making the right choices and staying close to God, we put ourselves in the position to receive divine help. Every decision we are making in this time of our lives affects us, our future spouse, our future children, and many people. It helps me to remember that when God helps us, we really can work through whatever challenges that come into our path. 

Another thing that is diminishing the family in the days we are living in, is that people are redefining what a family is. That should not be under question. When “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” came out in 1995, members of the church didn’t think the structure of the family would ever be put into question. However, with new laws, people are trying to redefine what a family is. The ideal family life for children to grow up in is with a mother and a father who both love their children and provide for their family. The best environment for a child to grow up in is having a mom and a dad who both bring different characteristics to the table, and when that is redefined by the world’s standards, children are having to grow up in less than ideal circumstances. 

Ultimately, the purpose of our life is to have joy! That’s what God wants for us! We can get that joy from having a family and staying close to God to help us raise our families. Our purpose in life is to have families. God is the father of our Heavenly families, and in order for us to learn to be like Him as we are supposed to, God allows us to have the experience of being parents so we can understand how He feels about us. Let us not lose sight of that as we are taking the daunting steps of marriage, having kids, and everything else that comes our way!

Love, Annie