Parenting

Parenting can be hard at times. I honestly wouldn’t know because I am not a father yet, 3 more months. Thinking about how close I am to being a dad I have started to worry about what kind of father I want to be. In a class I took at Brigham Young University- Idaho I learned about the different parenting styles. Those parenting styles are:

1.      Authoritarian Parenting
In this style of parenting, children are expected to follow the strict rules established by the parents. Failure to follow such rules usually results in punishment. Authoritarian parents fail to explain the reasoning behind these rules.

2.      Authoritative Parenting
Like authoritarian parents, those with an authoritative parenting style establish rules and guidelines that their children are expected to follow. However, this parenting style is much more democratic. Authoritative parents are responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions. When children fail to meet the expectations, these parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing.

3.      Permissive Parenting
Permissive parents, sometimes referred to as indulgent parents, have very few demands to make of their children. These parents rarely discipline their children because they have relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control.

4.      Uninvolved Parenting
An uninvolved parenting style is characterized by few demands, low responsiveness and little communication. While these parents fulfill the child's basic needs, they are generally detached from their child's life.

We know that the Authoritative parenting style is more effective because it allows the children to learn what is right and what is wrong. This creates an opportunity for the children to learn and to grow in a way that helps them to know that their parents love them.

The LDS church created short commercials that show perfect examples of how the way we parent can affect our children. They show that it is okay to play with children and laugh and have fun with them. This time together really strengthens the family bond and helps to build trust within the family.

What is Family?

What is the family? Wikipedia says, "In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children. Extended from the human "family unit" by biological-cultural affinity, marriage, economy, culture, tradition, honor, and friendship are concepts of family that are physical and metaphorical, or that grow increasingly inclusive extending to community, village, city, region, nationhood, global village and humanism. A family group consisting of a father, mother and their children are called a nuclear family." Since when did the family become so complicated? A family used to be a mother and father who were married and might have a few kids and a dog or something. The family is being attacked from all angles, which really complicates things. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have and for the testimony of the family, which the church has helped me to accomplish.

Becoming...

Our father in heaven have us an important stewardship. We have been given families to allow us to learn and to grow. He has aloud his children to come to earth and be our brothers and sisters, our husbands and our wives, our sons and our daughters, our relatives and even our friends. Knowing this we are all children of God and are thus entitled to a certain kind of respect. I know that I haven't always been the best person and am wracked with torment knowing that I may have hurt another child of God. Who are we, that we would feel that we could do something to another? Who are we becoming? Dallin H. Oaks said in a talk "Are the returned missionaries still trying to be converted or are they caught up in the ways of the world?" We need I continually try and be like Jesus, just because we may have a testimony of the gospel it doesn't mean our conversion is complete. At the beginning of this year we have an opportunity to change ourselves, to change our actions and show to our Father in Heaven that we love him. To show him that we are willing to be disciples and to follow his son, Jesus Christ, who died to allow us to live. We need to become the people that our Father in Heaven wants us to be, the people we know we should be.