For some people family is the most exciting thing about their
lives, the element that holds them together and the one group they want to be a
part of when they are struggling. Family then becomes a safe haven, a place of
refuge and the calm in the midst of the storm. Ideally, this is how everyone
should feel about family. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone.
Research shows that the feeling of peace
within the family has decreased. One 21 year old male said, "Having the
family as a safe haven sounds like a dream. But it is hard to believe in that
when you have gone through the storm of divorce and feuding. I want to make a
difference for my family, but I can't imagine how I'll really be able to do
something different than what I've seen my whole life." Another victim of
divorce explained that she "wish[ed] fighting wasn't the norm but it was
kinda expected".
It's not only divorce that is decreasing
the belief in peace for the family. Alina from Los Angeles described her
feelings about family: "...just saying the word family is weird to me. I
love my family, like don't get me wrong, but my dad was an abuser so family
doesn't really sound like where I wanna be." And Jake from New York used
one word to describe his feelings on family: "confused".
With so many attacks from the adversary on
the family, it is no wonder many of our youth today are struggling with the
idea of family. After all, how can they understand the family can offer peace
when all they have felt is contention?
This blog is meant to address these
concerns about the family by researching what many of the youth in the LDS
community have said concerning the family and provide faith and hope from
experts on the subject. It is my hope that at the end of this project family
will no longer be a trigger word for fear.
