MORE INFO!

These are my class mates blogs! Check em' out!

•                Alexis Priestly	http://lexandfamily.weebly.com/the-family.html
•                Ally McClain	http://www.allysfamilylife.blogspot.com/
•                Amber Kranc	http://amberkranc.blogspot.com/
•                Annabel Detering	http://thoughtsonhomeandfamily.blogspot.com/
•                Bailey Baird	http://baileybaird.blogspot.com/
•                Caitlin Schofield	http://caitlinschofield.blogspot.com/
•                Candice Merrill	http://candicermerrill.blogspot.com/
•                Cristel Carlini	http://familiesareforeverandever.blogspot.com/
•                Elisse Cook	http://lovethatlasts4ever.blogspot.com/
•                Emily Hayes	http://thenutty9.blogspot.com/
•                Erica Arguello	http://familiesconnectedtoheaven.blogspot.com/
•                Hailey Patera	http://haileypaterafamily.blogspot.com/
•                Haley Lucas	http://miissblondiiefamilies.blogspot.com/
•                Heather Christensen	http://thefamilyrelationship.blogspot.com/
•                Janaya L. Johnson	http://the-family-is-ordained-of-god.blogspot.com/
•                Jenney Premont	http://thatsalongtime.blogspot.com/
•                Julie Moss	http://lovemyeternalfamily.blogspot.com/
•                Kayleena Johnston	http://throughtheeternities.blogspot.com/
•                Kaylonnie White	http://tormentorjoy.blogspot.com/
•                Kelsey Lawrence	http://familysmatteralot.blogspot.com/
•                Kelsey Murphy	http://kelseyleighannmurphy.blogspot.com/
•                Kody Daffer	http://kodydaffer.blogspot.com/
•                Krystal Palmer	http://alove4eternity.blogspot.com/
•                Laura Hudgins	http://centeredonfamily.weebly.com/index.html
•                Madeline Vance	http://madelinemarievance.blogspot.com/
•                McKayla Nicole Hess	http://smilingfamilies.blogspot.com/
•                Michael Watts	http://someviewsonlife.blogspot.com/
•                Olivia Welch	http://thestrongestalliance.blogspot.com/
•                Patrick Williams	http://patrickallenwilliams.blogspot.com/
•                Rachel Blaylock	http://4everfamiles.blogspot.com/
•                Rachel Escobar	http://raebar92.blogspot.com/
•                Sammi Scott	http://sammischaweet.blogspot.com/
•                Tamara Handa	http://familiiesareforever.blogspot.com/
•                Tina Trepanier	http://tinatrepanier.blogspot.com/
•                Tod Flory	http://familyrelationsbytod.blogspot.com/

How many is too many?! Tell me what you think!

     It's time! ....To start thinking about the future, your future in fact!  Tell me, how many children did you have in your family?  Do you find yourself wanting the same family size that you grew up in?  This week in class we watched a documentary called "New Economic Reality: Demographic Winter".   It taught me a lot about the issues that are going on right now relating to population, fertility rate, and birth rate.  All of those are very closely related.  I think we can all agree that it is pretty modern these days to have a smaller non-traditional family.   These days the average family will have around 1 child.  Which has greatly declined after the Baby Boom of the 1950's.  Birth rate has gone down, but the population has gone up!  How does this make sense....its simple!  We have a rising older population.  Medical care and advancements in health have gone up so much that the life expectancy has too.  Less children are being born, but less people are also dying.  Do you see this as an issue?
     What do you think is affected by this issue?  The environment?  The economy!? DEFINITELY the economy!  But first before you get really excited about the really juicy economy issue, lets talk about the environment.  A lot of people believe that if there are less people in the world, than there will be less of a carbon foot print and the world can be a lot healthier.  Here's a solution...if you care so much, take the time to educate your children to be environmentally aware!   They can bring a better environment to reality and be conscious of what they are doing to our planet and make a difference.  What larger families can do for the economy is a much bigger issue.  More people are retiring and less are young healthy workers.  That means that with less people working, each person much be that much more productive to pull the workload that is slacking.  Taxes are also higher where fertility is lower.  Part of this is because of the elderly retiring.  This comes out of our taxes, lots of people are retiring and more people are having to pay for that.  Less are working and the younger population's are paying more money!  More people need to live in assisted living homes, with less young people to assist.  Also, side note: There are less people to innovate!
     You might also think to yourself, Its OKAY! Mexico and immigration will continue to fuel our country full of people. Problem solved :) Nope.  Mexico and other european countries (especially France) are having startling birthrate decreases as well.  They wont always be giving us more people, because they themselves arent having more babies!!

I know there's a lot going on in this post, but what I really want to know is what you think?  How many children is "ideal."  Are you concerned about the birth rate being in decline?

"MAWWWWAGEEE, MAWAGEE IS WHAT BWINGS US TOGEFFFHA TODAYYY...AND WOVE, TWUE WOVE..." -Princess Bride

       What is marriage?  How do we know what its like?  How do we know what anything is like?
Answer: We ask everyone else, and simply take their word for it.  We do this assuming they're correct because we have no idea what the wonderful world of WOVE has in store for us.  We're mormon and we know, live, and love it but we also have no idea what its like to live and love another in the state of marriage!  Most of us have not cohabitated, been intimate, or had children with our special someone....and the idea of starting that for the first time with some one for time and all eternity is scary! This class(Family Relations) could do anyone some good.
       Within the first chapter alone we talked about the great myths of marriage.  Has anyone ever told you that half of marriages end in divorce, that its better to test out living together before you get married, or that physical intimacy is the most important part of marriage?  Well you're in for a surprise my friend because thats not necessarily true.  These are all myths.  Learning how to decipher truth from bias and false facts is one of the most important lessons to learn.  If you just believed what everyone said you'd believe that purple octopi were taking over the BYU-Icenter and green chickens are shooting  cannons off at the stadium....but really they are...go look ;)




SIKE!


Dont believe everything you read, don't trust everything you hear, and don't be afraid to conduct your own research.

Brief Intro!

Hey! This is me, Kelsey Murphy. 

Favorite color. 

I'm a junior and am 20 years old, birthday October 2nd. 

From North Eastern Pennsylvania!

Loves playing and coaching soccer here on campus as well as singing and photography.

I want to be a child life specialist, so my major is psychology with family studies clusters. 

Can't wait to blog for this class and share/bounce ideas off of each other.