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Today we are talking about he next paragraph in the Proclamation to the Family which states: THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed."

Look up the word "entitled" and copy and paste the definition. According to the Proclamation children are entitled to two things: (1) birth within the bonds of matrimony; and (2) to be reared by parents who honor their marital vows. What are some reasons that you think Heavenly Father entitles His children to those two things?

The definition of entitled is as follows: believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. With that definition in mind, I find it interesting that they choose to use that word to describe what children deserve in this life: being born into a married family and having parents who honor their vows. The fact that God says that is what my children deserve, shows me just how important it is to have good character and the magnitude it is to be faithful to your spouse. And why wouldn't children deserve that. They don't have a choice to be born in those circumstances. Don't you want to be the parents that provide the best for your children? So if God says that is part of it, then start them of in a good environment from the moment they are born. Give them the best chance at life possible.

Why does the Proclamation say that happiness is "most likely" to be achieved instead of "guaranteed" to be achieved?

This wording is so important to pay attention to because it is a reminder that God lets us have our free agency. That means He cannot force us to do anything, which means He also cannot force the outcomes of our decisions. It is more likely that when we follow His rules and try to live the best life we can lead, our lives will end up pretty happy, but there is always the chance that others in our lives can make choices to hinder that happiness.

There are nine things that the Proclamation outlines to establish and maintain successful marriages and families. Communication is not mentioned! Why do you think that is the case?

The fact that communication isn't specifically mentioned in the proclamation is interesting. For people that don't take the time to study it out- that could definitely cause problems in the relationship because communication IS actually a leading factor to a healthy marriage and family. But what I find interesting, is that- if you look at communication as the overlying topic, and each of the nine things as individual pieces to having good communication- then it puts a whole new perspective on the relationship and communication within that unit. Each one of those nine topics, when combined, prove to be the ultimate form of communication- and that is so powerful, because sometimes a big and obscure topic like communication can be daunting to try and achieve. But if you break it down and focus on perfecting the smaller portions of it, you will eventually become an expert at what communication means for your family.

Pick three of the nine and explain why you believe they will help your marriage and your family?

Faith i think is the number one important thing to look at with a family. When you are all united in your morals/standards/beliefs, you will find that it is a lot easier to have open communication, understanding and love towards one another. Next I feel that respect goes a long way and is very important. You want to be friends with your kids and have a great relationship with them, but you were given a divine superiority over them to help teach them what is right and wrong in this life. IT is also important to teach them respect, because in the world we live in today- respect is becoming more and more of a rarity, so if you raise them to be truly respectful, they will be able to get far in this life. Finally, I would choose work as the last one. Nothing is free in this world- nothing. and if you let your children believe that, you are setting them up for failure. Therefore, teach them to have a good work ethic so that they can be successful in this life. I do want to say that I think all nine of these factors are important in their own ways, and your shouldn't ignore or substitute one for another. all of them are important to success.

Fathers have the "three Ps," provide, preside, and protect. Clearly a father should protect his family physically, but in what ways can he protect his family spiritually?

There are many ways that he can spiritually protect his children. I think first and foremost, he needs to continuously strive to be worthy to keep the priesthood. Being able to have that in a home where blessings can be given is SO important. I also think the can spiritually protect by providing open communication between them and their children, that builds a level of trust in the bond that allows for the father to provide the truth and important information children need to know in order to provide guidance in their child's life. A final suggestion I will give (of many that I could give) is to instill the desire to read the scriptures daily. life is different and changes when you read the scriptures daily.

How would you describe a mother who nurtures her children? What would that look like?

I think nurturing can take on many different forms, in many different cultures, and religions, and financial situations. I would like this question more if it asked what an IDEAL nurturing mother would look like: to which I would say, she spends as much time with her children as she can. She encourages them to explore and grow while providing a safe/clean environment to do so. She promotes skills like reading, drawing/writing, singing, building, cleaning, finishing all of their food, learning respect and rules, etc. She also shows, through example (not just words) love, and respect- towards her husband, strangers, her children, herself, God, and their extended family. Providing all of this would be ideal to raise children and nurture them to be the best they can be. But again, not every situation in life allows for this- so doing the best she can is good enough.