What's on Macey's Mind

This week I wanted to discuss the importance of fatherhood. In today’s world, the role of a father can be a little undermined.  We have talked in previous blog entries about the different, but equally essential roles, both mother and father have in a family unit. By claiming “it does not matter who does what,” it significantly undermines the way Heavenly Father created male and females, mothers and fathers. For this post I wanted to solely focus on fathers, but do recognize the role and duties of a mother are just as beautiful and essential. By design, males were created to possess certain attributes that will help them become the best father they can be for their family, if they put forth the effort. There are also specific duties that fathers must fulfill, while relying on Heavenly Father and their wives whenever they need help. I would like to recognize some of the most important attributes of a father based on a few articles I have read, as well as my own personal experience....

We discussed a little on communication last week but as I have said previously, I believe communication is one of the most important elements of any relationship. Therefore, I wanted to convey its importance even further, as well as describe some techniques that can significantly improve a relationship. A lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings, unsaid feelings, or contention. I have witnessed in my own family a fairly significant lack of communication which has driven some family members apart, making it difficult to feel the Spirit in our home. Sometimes people just do not want to talk. So what do you do when someone refuses to communicate or open up? Let us begin with another valid question: what are the reasons for someone to not open up? Perhaps he or she has a fear that the other person will not understand where they are coming from, or maybe fears being judged. Perhaps the person does not feel they can trust or feel comfortable around the person they do not want to...

Sometimes life can get extremely stressful. It happens for anyone and everyone. It can happen at anytime. It is essentially inevitable. However, how we deal with the stress that inevitably comes is important for the well being of ourselves and our families. Whenever I experience stress, which I do quite frequently, I have found that my immediate reaction is to try and distract myself. Turning away my attention from a stressful situation or a current or future stressful event is in fact not the most beneficial way to cope. Instead of communicating my concerns to someone I trust and care about, I would just go hang out with friends, watch a show on Netflix, or something along those lines. It seemed like I was just avoiding my problems, rather than solving them. I am sure my family and friends noticed in times where I was more stressed because it came across in my behavior and my manner. I was less patient with myself and others, was in my head more and less focused on those around me, ...

The topic I am going to write about this week may seem a little odd coming from an 18 year old who has never been married but I wanted to discuss the importance of intimacy and fidelity. Intimacy is dictated by God. It is not just a desire of the natural man that people should treat lightly. God has given us the gift of intimacy for us to be united with our spouse as husband and wife, and to bring His spirit children to this earth. It is one of His sacred gifts meant to bless our lives, and we must treat it as such. It is selfless, considerate, spiritual, an opportunity to work together, to be vulnerable, to grow. It is meant to be exclusive, set aside, for husband and wife. During marriage is it essential that they covenants they make with God are upheld and that they treat each other and God with immense respect and love. Getting to experience intimacy with solely the person you love more than anyone on earth is much more worth it than not reserving this physical and spiritual bond. ...

Last week, I discussed dating and its importance. It allows you to get to know many different people a little bit and lets you figure out what types of things you are looking for in a relationship. This week, I wanted to talk about marriage in its preparation and beginning stages. As dramatically portrayed in various movies, it is assumed that the bride-to-be is essentially supposed to plan the wedding with the help of a wedding planner, her mother, or other friends and family members. However, usually the groom is not really involved. Why might that be? Does the groom not want to participate in the planning? Does the bride not want him to? I never really thought twice about how there is such an assumption that its the bride's day and her wedding and her job to plan. Although it would make much more sense to involve the other half of the relationship. It is their day, their wedding. Perhaps planning this incredible, life changing event together instead of separate, would start of...

Something I did not really realize was how much dating has changed over the years. For me, it has always been pretty normal to simply hang out with a bunch of friends all the time. People in my high school were either "dating," which basically meant being with one other person, or did not really go on dates. We had high school dances where people would ask each other out in a big way and then go on an extravagant sometimes significantly expensive date before going to the actual dance. On top of that, we would typically ask a friend or someone we already knew fairly well so we would feel more comfortable and not awkward. Other than these dances, going on dates- especially with a lot of different people- was not a frequent occurrence. I did not really think much of it until I came to college and everyone was asking everyone on dates. I did not think it was weird but it was just a different atmosphere than I was used to. When we "hang out" with each other or solely p...

Hello everyone! I wanted to touch on a topic that may be a little more sensitive this week. I was reading an excerpt from an article entitled, "Infants Prefer Toys by Gender," and found it pretty interesting. I learned some new things I had never thought of before and wanted to share some of what I read. You may have noticed growing up your parents, grandparents, or other friends and family members bought you either “boy” toys or “girl” toys depending on your gender. Some people have increasingly expressed their concern with creating and implementing gender stereotypes on children at a young age. They may believe purchasing their infants and young children certain colored clothing or specific types of toys usually catered towards one gender may prevent them from being able to express or discover their individual selves. What I did not realize was that there have actually been studies done that show there is a reason boys gravitate toward certain “boy toys” and girls gravita...