Male vs. Female

Men and women are unique, individual, divine, and separate but equal.

“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”

What attributes are commonly observed in male/female differences? Below is a brief complied list. Note; these are strengths of each gender. That is not to say that the other gender does not possess any of the qualities, nor does that say that every female, and every male possess these and only these qualities.

           Women                        STRENGTHS                    Men

Sensitive (or more likely to express emotion)	More likely to be aggressive
Relationship and Symbol oriented (i.e. landmarks rather than North/South directions)	Spatially oriented
Cooperative play (“How about you can be mom and I’ll be the dad”)	Competitive play (“okay, here’s the rules”)
Capacity to be aware of multiple things	Incredible focus-one track mind
Within the brain, contain more white matter (connective tissues)	Within the brain, contain more gray matter (storage and processing)
Natural nurturing, loving disposition	Inborn need to protect, provide, preside

“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”

There is evidence after evidence that gender is unique to who you are, and that even as an infant there are differences that can be noted. For example, when my brothers were young they were all about “vroom vroom” noises and then I decided to come along and my mother noticed a stark difference that from the very beginning I was all about “gah-gah, goo” as my sounds were sounds of communication and interactions.

There was a study conducted by John Stossel in which they took children (approx. 18 months if I can recall correctly.) They put them behind a glass barrier and had their mother on the opposite side. The majority of the males would run and bang against the glass in an effort to “get out”, while the females would often look at their mom and break into hopeless tears. These young children reacted differently and without any “social conditioning” per say to tell them that “girls act this way, boys act that way.” It was innate. It was natural. It is who they are. It’s who we are.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are many exceptions, many personalities that differ from this “rigid” outline of genders. I hope to address more of this at a later period. I only wish to say, do not underestimate your talents and abilities. Do not discredit yourself because of your natural make-up and identity. Strive not to change, but rather understand those not of your gender who handle things maybe a little different than you do. Embrace who you are. We have all been blessed with these strengths for divine purposes.

                                                            (https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng)

Family. What is it?

Family matters… and so does the definition. Some may consider families to be anyone they trust or see frequently, while others wouldn’t even consider those of direct blood line, family.  If you look at the official Webster dictionary definition it gives multiple meanings.

·        “The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household including parents, children and servants….”

·        “A group comprising a husband and wife and their dependent children, constituting a fundamental unit in the organization of society…

·        “A group of kindred or closely related individuals..”

(http://www.webster-dictionary.net/definition/Family)

But I’d dare say that there is a lot more to the family then just blood relation, or living in the same house.

Here are some brief points or elements of a family.

·        Fundamental unit of society

·        Blood relations-common ancestry

·        People who love each other

·        Those you grew up with

·        A support group

·        A divine (God instructed) organization

Yet… there is still something more. A family is more than just the outside curtain of what the world sees or what a dictionary says.

Referencing the Family Proclamation to the World it says the following:

               “…The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally…

“We…declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife…Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children….[and] will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

“The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                                            (https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng)

I fully believe that “heaven is the continuation of the ideal home.” Because families are ordained (established, set apart) by God, they are truly the most important unit (or rather bond) now, and for eternity. Here is one of my favorite links that talks about this: http://mormon.org/family