Last Blog!

             Well, here we are at the end of the semester.  This is going to be my last blog post since I have now officially finished this class.  Before I share my quick thoughts with you all, I would first like to say thank you.  Thank you to everyone who has been reading my entries and who has been trying to apply what I have been sharing into your own lives.  I really hope that it has been a positive experience for you while learning, because I know for a fact that it has been one for me.  I have learned so many important lessons that I feel most people out there do not fully understand, and because of that I feel obligated to continue to share through my example and persona.  Anyways, enough of that. 

            So, this week was not quite normal due to finals, we only had one day in class where we had one discussion instead of the normal two.  However, the discussion we did have was an interesting one for sure!  We talked about divorce, and more specifically remarriage, after a marriage is split whether through divorce or death.  The biggest point that stuck out to me especially in terms of remarriage, is that there is a lot of emotional “baggage” that one or both members of the marriage (and children) could be holding depending on their past.  Because of this baggage, transitions and disagreements need to be approached with serious care.

In preparation for class, we needed to watch a video of a family that is going through remarriage, and how they handled a tough situation with their children.  The husband (we can call him Jim) was divorced to his last wife, while his current wife (Sarah) had her previous husband pass away.  Both Jim and Sarah had children with their previous marriages.  The situation of the video was that Sarah and her oldest son were looking through old pictures of their family before Sarah’s husband passed away.  Her son made a borderline rude comment about how he missed their old life, and his biological father (right in front of Jim).  To this, both Jim and Sarah responded negatively (Jim mostly hurt while Sarah was probably embarrassed if anything).  They both handled the situation completely wrong.

            As we have already established in past blogs, children thrive in consistency, because it really provides a way for them to develop in a very healthy manor.  However, remarriage goes against the “consistency” that children crave and need.  Because of this, it is important to be patient with them (and each other) as everyone goes through the adjustment of combining families.  After watching that first video, a second was presented where Jim and Sarah handled the situation very differently.  This time they were patient with their child.  They acknowledged that it was a difficult situation that he was going through, but that they were all going to get through it together.  This helped establish love and support from his parents, especially from his new father, Jim. 

            If we handle difficult situations (whether in new marriages, established marriages, or remarriages) like this then everyone will feel loved and important.  They will recognize that their opinions and struggles are valid, and that most importantly, they are not alone as they deal with their “emotional baggage.” 

            Anyways, that is all that I have for you.  Hopefully, you learned something new this week.  I appreciate you all and wish the best for you.