Family Affairs

There are alot of issues bothering on family and most issues can be properly dealt with if pre knowledge about it is gained. Family is one area God is truly interested in because its the birth Place for a good society. If the family is sick then the world will certainly be sick. An aspect of family affairs that we will treat is on family planning and finance. I'm so sure that the married women in the house know alot about this issue. I call it an issue because, it possess the potency to rip families apart if not well handled even from courtship level. Yes, it starts from courtship. During this period, you and your spouse must extensively talk about how many children you can afford to take care of. Some just like children no matter the number forgetting that its not just about having them but giving them adequate care and training. MAL 2:15 charges us to bring up godly seeds and it's irrespective of number. There are questions to ask before making a family: 1)Can we afford it? 2)Is it what we desire? 3)Are we mature enough to handle parenting? 4)As a mother, will i be ready for a career break or can i cope with being a working class mom? 5)How would having a child affect my career? 6)Can my spouse supports me? These and more are the primary questions you must answer together with your spouse before making a family. To control how many children one has, family planning options have been created by medicine. There is the combined oral contraceptive Injectables(once in three months) Intra uteril system(3-10yr) IUCD(mechanical on the womb) and so on Note that options vary as they don't work the same way for all women. They also may cause disruption in menstrual circle and some other mild side effects which can be handled by your health care giver. Any disturbing effects should be forwarded to your care giver. Family planning is highly recommended as it helps to control the number of children a family can comfortably take proper care of. In time past, some families had plans to have 3-4 children but they ended up having more than what they planned to have. As a result of this, some parents retire from civil service or paid jobs after 35 years or more yet they still have 2-3children to take through school and cater for. It puts pressure on such a family so much so that they really don't enjoy thier retirement. Ideally, at age 55-60,parents should be done training children in school so dt they can spend thier old age resting from thier hard labour. This promotes/encourages long life span. On the other hand, when a parent is strenched beyond capacity at old age when the bones are worn out and tired, we see such experience illnesses caused by stress. In bringing up children, the kind of school they will attend should strongly be considered. Tuition fees are very expensive in our day so consider a very good school that will nurture the children academically and otherwise. A proper academic backgroud plays a big role in the outcome of that child eventually. Another factor to be considered in bearing children is who lives with you while they are growing up. This goes along way in determining what they imbibe as they grow up. Children look up to grown ups close to them as mentors so what they are told and taught by those who live with them is very crucial in the way they eventually model thier lives afterwards. I remember vividly while growing up, we had an aunt and male cousins living with us. But mom did a very great job in ensuring that what is communicated to us through our cousins are correct. She set rule on to cob what language is permitted in the home. No abusive words were allowed. Words like big head, big eye etc were strongly discouraged around the house and this went along way in building ourself esteem outside the home. But children who grow up with people who use such abusive words on them grow up to have low self-esteem. Financial planning: In the family, you would agree with me that finance is one of the focal points of the home. Finance ensures a smooth running of the family. Where there is no finance, there is bound to be frictions here and there. It is therefore encouraged that there must be agreement between spouses before money is spent whether before or after marriage. Amos 3:3. Elements of finance are 1)Trust 2)Planning The fastest way to loose financial favour is by depriving your family of basic needs. You must also learn to control your outflow and know your budget. Always ensure you don't buy things unplanned except its a need. Note that the minimum for family savings per month is 10%of your income so also is your tithing. A way to increase financial favour is to touch lives as much as possible. It is never too early to start saving for your unborn children. It ensures financial security for them in the nearest future . Communication is very important in finance and spending so you should let your spouse know your spending cause it boast accountability and trust. As time goes on and as your financial capacity increases, establish multiple sources of income to reduce the burden of finance in the family. It is also adviced that one looks out for partnership for businesses and consistently document ideas for business as they come. Don't ever neglect any business idea but work towards them. You can never solve all your extended family problems so don't let them deprive your immediate family of their basic needs and comfort. Be sure to be able to account for whatever is spent. This is where most of us are guilty but if this area is worked on, unnecessary spending will be minimal. The road to greatness and increased financial base is in solving tomorrow's problems today.This speaks of investing for the future. This route also demands that we invest before spending once income flows in. By this way, in case of unforeseen circumstances, there will be money at hand to solve such challenges. There are alot as it concerns family affairs and finances but these few are simple guidelines that one can build on to have a stable family. God loves family and that is why He has made adequate provision for its smooth running. Phil 4:19,2 cor 9:p