Thoughts and reflections on family

I have tried to be very general in these blog entries, trying to share my thoughts that are based in my religious beliefs, without including religion in them for the sake of avoiding misinterpretations or misrepresentations of the Church, but today’s topic is impossible for me to detach from my religious beliefs. Today I want to write about righteous parenting.  If the love between a married couple flourishes and matures enough, it is natural that children come through their union, and what a great responsibility falls on that couple! You have a spiritual child of God in your arms, it is your responsibility to establish the foundation of someone's life in this world and God will hold you responsible for that individual. So, what are we supposed to do for the children that will inevitably come through us? Interestingly, in the account of Luke about the childhood of Jesus he wrote that Christ was "...subject unto [His parents]." (Luke 3:51). I don't think that it is mer...

Financial struggles are not uncommon. I would dare to say that every family goes through financial struggles at some point. It is the responsibility of both the father and the mother to make sure that the family can get through these situations, and while each of them has a different role, they both collaborate to ensure the safety of their family. Even if not all marriages successfully get through financial struggle, that does not mean that it is impossible. Fathers have a unique paternal instinct to protect, care, and provide for their children. In turn, children look up to their fathers as an almost mythical role model, with an inborn drive to make their father proud and live up to his expectations. He doesn’t just provide for his family; he protects them from poverty. He shelters them, takes care of their needs for a roof, food, and clothing. While Dad has a job, the family feels secure. Even in a two-income home, it seems, children sense that Dad is the main provider, and theref...

 Have you ever had the experience of fighting with your significant other and feeling like you just keep having the same argument over and over again, but that you're not getting anywhere? I have had that feeling from time to time, and I think it safe to say that it feels like you're stuck on a merry-go-round. You’re making no progress, things are getting heated and you’re starting to say things that you don’t mean. You can't explain what you need to the other, and trying to talk things through only leads to more fighting. Conflict is a part of life. It is a part of every close relationship, and every marriage, and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. When we respond poorly to conflict (as most of us do) or when we don't use it as an opportunity to learn, grow, or change, then conflict can distance us from those we love, and cause even more problems in the family. When we feel threatened, even just verbally or emotionally, the logical part of our brain temporarily sh...

Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes people feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress can be seen as an imbalance between the demands of the family and the ability to cope with those demands. Every member of the family suffers from different sources of stress, social, economic, emotional, mental, and physical. Experiencing these kinds of stress is normal and, in fact, it can have a positive effect in short bursts, such as helping people learn, or make decisions faster. However, if stress is left unchecked it can have catastrophic consequences; some of them could be sleeping problems, arguing, distancing between family members, among others. However, with proper care, communication, love, and balance in the family life, stress stops being an issue. One of the first things that comes to my mind to avoid the consequences of high stress is resilience. The ability to bounce back from loss, trauma, tragedy, and other stressor...