Family Trends

 In today's world, the family has changed dramatically compared to back in the day. With a recent survey that was taken by high school students, 48% of them have reported experiencing sexual intercourse at least once. As to why kids engage in such behavior is beyond me? It is usually during the middle-high school years that a child will experience their body changing. The problem with engaging in sexual behavior in high school is that it could lead to young girls becoming pregnant or either partner increasing their risk of having a sexually transmitted disease. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have been taught to not engage in any sexual behavior until I am legally and lawfully wedded to my spouse. I cannot say that I have ever met someone who has told me they have had a sexual experience, but then again it is a sensitive topic. Though this topic is against what I believe, at least there are ways that boys and girls can protect themselves while they are engaging in sexual activity. I do not want anyone to think that I am being discriminatory about this topic, but it is good to be aware that this trend of sexual activity with high schoolers is still high.

Another trend that is worth mentioning is delayed marriage. Though there are some people who still get married, there are other people who are choosing to push marriage back. According to Lauer & Lauer, they state that between 1950 and 1970, half of the females who married about the time they were 20.5 years old, males were married around 22.5 years old. Since 2007, however, the average has moved to 28 for males and 26 for females. Nowadays the ones who do marry early are those who had a disadvantaged background or a strong membership in either the Protestant or Mormon faith. From personal experience, everywhere I looked there was someone I know who either is or was married. In my faith, we believe in having eternal families and that first begins with being married in the temple. Once a married couple is married in the temple, any children that they have will be sealed to them. With a temple marriage, we believe that marriage is to last not only for time but for all eternity. Though I am not married yet, I still have the desire to want to be married and have a family of my own. I do have the experience of being an uncle, and although my nephew and nieces can be a little hyper, they are such a blessing in my life.

With what has been reported in the demographic winter documentary, it surprises me that people are not having as many children as what is needed to fulfill the replacement rate. In a book that was written titled "The Population Bomb," it expresses that while having children is a good thing, letting the world be overpopulated is not.  The reason people may not want to have children is because of the cost to provide for them increases with each child. Another reason could be that people still want to have a sense of freedom and so they do not want to have that burden of caring for a child. This might be all hypothetical but are some good reasons why birth rates are decreasing. It pains me to hear that many children are not being born into this world because of various reasons. I believe that children who have not been born yet should have the opportunity of coming to Earth because to deny them that privilege would prevent them from receiving a body. One of the best ways that people can feel a sense of accomplishment is by having and raising children. It is obvious that taking care of children is a challenging task, but it is amazing to see where life will take them as they get older. 

In my experience, this life has been hard, but I could not ask for a better mother. Though growing up it was just my mother, siblings, and I, we was able to make it in life okay. I may not have had the perfect ideal family setting, but I will forever be grateful for the family that my Heavenly Father has given me. In my mind families do not have to be perfect, but there should be an effort there to keep the family unit strong. It's sad to hear when a couple decides to get a divorce because they lost that spark for each other. I would encourage everyone reading this to make the most of your marriage if you are married and to always love your children. One of the most important things that families need more is the feeling of being loved.

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