Marriage - A Love Story

I’ve never really thought about these five stages of life, but I have now been through all of them.  And I am happy to say that I have made it through each of them successfully. These stages of life are:

•         Single, with no children
•          Married, with no children, or children ages 1-9
•          Married with children ages 10-19
•          Married, launching children
•         Married, with children launched  

Each stage of life is different and each stage of life has its challenges and its fun time.  I remember when I had babies at home.  It was tiring and difficult at times but yet having a baby in the home is one of the most precious times in your life. Then when the children were toddlers, it was busy and the house was always a mess with toys and a different type of stress, yet what is more fun than watching your children learn new things, like learning how to read, or ride a bike, or learn to interact with others and attend their school activities. Then they become teenagers and you think you will never survive the eye-rolling, the sibling fights, and constant drama, yet watching them become independent and their own person brings such joy as you watch them turn into young adults. Then comes the time they begin to leave home. You know it is coming, you know it needs to be done, but the thought frightens you because you no longer have control in their lives.  Yet, knowing that you have taught them all you have, and that they now know how to be successful people in life and make their own way, can give you peace of mind and joy. Then your four beautiful daughters are all grown-up and you now have four choice sons-in-law that you could not have hand-picked better for your child and you are the dreaded mother-in-law.  You are truly blessed. But wait. Then your children become parents. Life gets even better. It is so much fun to watch my children parent their children. It is fun to watch them implement “rules” they learned from their family into their own family and to also learn to live with their husbands “rules”. This has been my life so far. And now I am an empty-nester with my husband and we are grandparents to six wonderful little human beings and life just keeps getting better.

Each of these stages has created new challenges, both physically, mentally and financially.  But we learn and we grow and it is part of life and Heavenly Father’s plan for families. What a wonderful plan it is. We need to make wise choices in each of these stages, as well, in order to enjoy the plan. As I thought about this week’s lesson, the thought occurred to me that I have been truly blessed with wonderful examples in my life.  My parents were wonderful at giving their children wings and letting them fly. They taught us the gospel and they are great examples of the gospel. My In-laws raised an almost perfect son who has been a wonderful example to his four children and they love and respect him. My children also love and respect their grandparents so much.

It has been interesting to see that my family life has been a combination of things I have learned from my own parents and the way they raised me and from my husband and I making our own family life together.  I have also noticed that my children have taken things they learned from us, as their parents and incorporated them into their own families.  Traditions are important. Family relationships are important. Eternal marriage and families are two of the greatest gifts our Heavenly Father has given us.  Learning all that we can to improve family relationship should be worth the time and effort it may take.