Week 11: Fidelity and Physical Intimacy

The subject of physical intimacy has been treated very poorly in my family as I was growing up. I think my parents always assumed my siblings and I will learn on our own from friends or other outside sources. I did, but now that I have been married for a few years I realize how wrong it was of them to not take the time to teach me about it. As a mother now, I see how many lies are being taught that lead our children to confusion about sex, marriage, and specifically about our gender roles. My husband and I are teaching our children about sex already, without getting into much detail since they are pretty young still, but I can already see how they are beginning to understand and make sense of things. Here is a link to a wonderful resource that will hopefully help parents as they prepare to have "the talk" with their children: https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/collection/family-conversations-talking-about-healthy-sexuality

I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I am grateful for the knowledge that marriage is sacred and it is meant to last forever. I love my husband and I feel joy in being a wife and a mother. It teaches me to be humble, to be selfless, and kind.  In the 6th chapter of A Parent's Guide it says: "Both husbands and wives have physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs associated with this sacred act. They will be able to complement each other in the marriage relationship if they give tender, considerate attention to these needs of their partner. Each should seek to fulfill the other’s needs rather than to use this highly significant relationship merely to satisfy his or her own passion" (Full text). (Links to an external site.). I find it hard sometimes to focus on what my husband needs, especially when I feel tired at the end of the day. My husband doesn't have to tell me how much it hurts him when I push him away; I know it does because I feel it. One of my goals is to make more time and to put more energy into my marriage. My husband is my best friend and he deserves to be happy just as much as I do.

I always thought of infidelity as being strictly related to extramarital sex. Boy, was I wrong! A person is being unfaithful to their spouse by "simply" spending more time and sharing affection with another person of the opposite sex. Things such as, spending time alone with that person, giving small gifts, wishing their spouse to be more like this other person, are just a few ways someone can be unfaithful. These activities can do so much damage to a marriage. An honest repentance process, time, and complete fidelity can slowly repair a broken marriage.