Interesting Trend

This week we talked about some recent trends happening in the family. None of these trends are new to me, it is all stuff I have heard before such as cohabitation, delayed marriage, divorce, employed mothers, premarital sex, birth rates, and so on. But one thing that did stand out to me was birth rates. Birth rates began to decline in the 1950's but then leveled off around the mid 1990's. But did you know that the rate is now lower than what is necessary for natural replacement of the population? Well, it is. That I did not know! If the birth rate continues to stay so low than without immigration the U.S population will decline. That is very interesting to me and it could have many future repercussions.

Living alone is another trend that is increasing. More and more people are opting to live alone for various reasons. We discussed the pros and cons of living alone. It is nice to live alone(I often dream of it), have your own space, and be able to think and do things by yourself. But if one is living alone they must find ways to fulfill intimate needs. I have thought much about this because I will be graduating soon and off to live by myself and who knows how long I will be living alone. I don't want to become a hermit and I will need to find a way to have my relationship and intimacy needs filled. How will I do that? I can create relationships with the people I work with, in my ward, and in other social contexts. It will definitely be a stretch for me because I am not outgoing. I will have to be though, because I will probably be going to a place where I know NO ONE.

This class has already got me thinking about some of the changes I need to make in my life, perhaps I should reconsider the whole living alone thing. I've been looking forward to it for so long but maybe being alone and taking care of myself is too much of an individualistic view. I have always known the importance of family, mine is so important to me. But I am beginning to realize how truly important it is in so many aspects. I am excited to learn more and to develop a stronger testimony of family!