Another week has gone by and we had the chance to have yet another interesting week full of lessons and discussions in this class. This week’s topic was “Preparing for Marriage”. My parents have always been one of the greatest examples of a good marriage to me. Growing up, I’ve always seen marriages that are going well, and others that aren’t. I’ve always wanted to know what works and what doesn’t, and why a marriage works or turns out a certain way and not another. As I’ve grown older, I’ve started to think of my future and what I want my marriage, career, family, etc. to look like.

            A tall and beautiful skyscraper is a true sight to behold. It is an engineering marvel that is built to stand the strong winds and even earthquakes, depending on where it’s located. This is only possible because of the strong foundation it has. Without a strong and solid foundation, it will never be able to withstand mother nature and all that she has to throw at it. I feel like preparing for marriage should be the same – there has to be a strong and solid foundation, built upon good values and morals, so the marriage can be successful and will be able to withstand anything that is thrown at it.

            In class this past week, we talked about how there are several “steps” that we have to be aware of and follow so we can ensure a good marriage. The four steps are: (1) dating, (2) Courtship, (3) Engagement, and finally (4) Marriage.  An interesting thing that we talked about with dating was how it is so different now compared to what it was even just a decade ago. Dating, or more specifically, assorted dating, brings so many benefits because it allows someone to meet and spend time with many different people instead of just homing into one person and developing a serious relationship right away. I find it beneficial because when you get to know more people, you get to see how different people act and react in different situations and to different things, which helps you decide what you are looking for and what you would want to avoid. I also believe that once someone has met a variety of different people and they meet someone who they like, they would appreciate the person more.

            Next, we talked about courtship. In today’s relationships, many people seem to not appreciate or practice courtship anymore. I feel like this is so unfortunate because courtship is the stage in a relationship when two people date exclusively, really start to know each other, and form a strong relationship with each other. I find this step so important because a lot of people just skip this and end up not really getting to know the other person. If I am going to marry someone, I will want to make sure that I know them well and try my best to do as many things together as we can so we can see each other in different situations. After two people have gotten to know each other and have been dating exclusively for a while, they can then get engaged and get married.

            I’m not saying that marriages that do not follow this exact pattern will fail or will not be as good as marriages that do, but I believe that if two people try their best to follow these steps, they would be able to know the person they want to commit to a lot better, which is part of building that strong foundation that I talked about earlier, which would benefit the marriage.