Newsletter—April 2006
Welcome again to TheFamily.com Newsletter!
My name is Nikki Ormond and Alan & Suzanne Osmond have asked that I serve as the “Intern Supervisor” and help get your ideas and those of our interns and specialists to help maintain our monthly newsletters! I hope that you will help us.
You may have noticed that we have taken a short break and upgraded and moved our web sites to a new server, changed our computers and software, and staffed up One heart Foundation and TheFamily.com with a bunch of great interns and new sites to “Strengthen Families”! Be sure to check out “The Family Forum” and sign in so you can add your feelings about families. Go to “Get Noi-Z” and help us get the good word out about families and the values in which we stand!
Here are some highlights that we have for this month about “How To Strengthen Families”:
Physically:
Family meals do a lot more than provide us with good nutrition. When a family eats meals together regularly communication is increased, school performance enhanced, and emotional adjustment comes easier through life stages. Life is busy so choose a time that works around your family’s schedules. If it is easiest to eat breakfasts together rather than dinners than do it. There is no right or wrong time to eat together.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/habits.html
Socially:
What are some of your fondest childhood memories? No doubt a lot of them include family recreational activities. These activities do not have to be extravagant. In fact, a lot of the most memorable experiences come from being creative around the house. Have family members brainstorm ideas and write them down. A family activity jar filled with written ideas from family members is a great way to entertain a bored child. For example, some ideas may include having a picnic in the living room, have a silly fashion show, celebrate an un-birthday, or go on a photo scavenger hunt. See the attachment (“Creative Core Activities”) for more ideas.
Spiritually:
Our life here on Earth isn’t meant to be an individual journey but one that involves the whole family. A family effort is required to establish and maintain spirituality in the home and it is then that we progress towards our final destination. The following is a quote from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Spencer W. Kimball suggesting ways we can strengthen spirituality in our homes.
“A true Latter-day Saint home is a haven against the storms and struggles of life. Spirituality is born and nurtured by daily prayer, scripture study, home gospel discussions and related activities, home evenings, family councils, working and playing together, serving each other, and sharing the gospel with those around us. Spirituality is also nurtured in our actions of patience, kindness and forgiveness toward each other and in our applying gospel principles in the family circle. Home is where we become experts and scholars in gospel righteousness, learning and living gospel truths together.”
Spencer W. Kimball, “Therefore I Was Taught,” Tambuli, Aug. 1982, 1
“One of my most memorable experiences growing up was family prayer. Because my father taught an early morning class, we would all gather together in the dark hours of the morning to pray. Some mornings it was difficult to climb out of my warm bed and probably half of the time we were half asleep, but each time we knelt together I felt that spiritual bond and love between us. We’d then go off our separate ways for the day and return in the evening to conclude in prayer. This daily ritual constantly reminded us of our purpose here on Earth and renewed our spirits to strive to be better. With this simple act we have grown tremendously over the years and will continue to grow.” –Nichole Johnson
Mentally:
Pornography is one of the greatest threats on the Family. The following demonstrates some of the great ways that pornography can destroy the family.
"I was asked to consult on a case where a Phoenix-Tucson area professional person, president of his firm and head of his church's committee on helping troubled children, was found to be a serial rapist who had violently raped a number of women at gun- or knife-point in the
He was an outstanding student in high school and college. His wife, children, business and church associates had not the slightest inkling of his double life or dark side. The only significant negative factor in his life was an early adolescent addiction to pornography which, for the most part, was kept secret from others. This gradually escalated over a period of years….
In my clinical experience, however, the major consequence of being addicted to pornography is not the probability or possibility of committing a serious sex crime (though this can and does occur), but rather the disturbance of the fragile bonds of intimate family and marital relationships. This is where the most grievous pain, damage, and sorrow occur. There is repeatedly an interference with or even destruction of healthy love and sexual relationships with long-term bonded partners. If one asks if porn is responsible or causes any sex crimes, the answer is unequivocally, "Yes," but that is only the tip of the iceberg." - Pornography's Effects on Adults and Children By Victor B. Cline, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist,
Help Fight The War On Pornography Visit
http://www.stopthefilth.org
Read the Rest of The Above Article at: http://www.moralityinmedia.org/index.htm?pornsEffects.htm
Read the One Heart's
http://www.oneheart.org
How to Overcome Pornography Addiction
http://www.stopthefilth.com
Financially:
Despite popular belief budgeting actually does allow a family to have more freedom. “An effective budget puts YOU in control of your finances” rather than the other way around (www.ourfamilyplace.com/budget.html). The first step in successful budgeting is to record your expenditures for two months. Find out how much you really spend, and on what items. After doing so it is time to create a working budget with categories and goals. Keep your budget in a visible place where you will see it often. This will help remind you to write down your daily expenses. The key thing to remember in budgeting is to be flexible. If your initial budget didn’t work—which it probably won’t—don’t give up, rather keep adjusting. Once you find a budget that works for your family you may find that it is easier to save money for a rainy day and avoid impulse buying. For more information on how to budget and for a sample budget sheet visit http://www.ourfamilyplace.com/budget.html.
“Creative Core Activities”
Hill, E. J., & Klein S. R. (2005). Creating a home as a sacred center: Principles for everyday living.
BYU Academic Publishing.