Week 5

We talked about dating, and marriage this week. There were so many things that I learned, and connections that were made that just made sense. It was like Mr. Gru from Despicable Me when he said, "Light bulb." I had never thought of it like that before, and it was awesome! Here is a little something I learned.
We learned about the three P's of dating, which are Paired off, Paid for, and Planned. By dating you are accomplishing different things. You are able to practice marriage commitments, you are learning to be partners by pairing off, you adapt to norms, you are socializing, and it helps you realize changes that you need to make. The three P's of dating go hand in hand with the three P's of marriage which are: Preside, Provide and Protect. That's where I had my "light bulb" moment, it clicked in my mind. By going on planned dates with someone you are able to make decisions together, pay for each other, and look out for one another. You also do all these things in marriage, and believe that after you are married you should continue to go on dates with your spouse.We also talked about the difference between dating and courtship. Dating is with a variety of different people and a variety of activities. Courtship is dating one person exclusively and you both are ready for marriage. We talked about who was the best judge of who you should marry. Is it you or your roommates and family? Its been proven that it's roommates and family, but if I let my roommates decide who I date I would need to "have my head checked" as my sister says. I completely agree with family, because family is important and you grow up with them. You live with them for 18 years or more and your family would know you best. You are going to live with your family and you and your spouses' family forever. You don't necessarily get to live with roommates for the rest of your life. Between you, the Lord and your family I think that those are the opinions that truly matter. I believe that dating really does prepare you for marriage, as well as how you are raised, and that the opinion of your family matters a lot when it comes to who should I marry.