When I knew I was an adult

Parenthood

Marriage leads to parenthood . This is the primary purpose of marriage that children are generated and cared for . Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute very substantially to the welfare of their parents . There was a time before the advent of contraceptives when parenthood means simply providing food , clothing shelter and education to the offspring /s . Today , mainly because of economic factors , as the exigency of providing the necessities of life has become more difficult to obtain , parenthood has become a heavier challenge

Today , responsible parenthood

includes the ability to make an honest decision on the size of the family , on the number of children that couples can manage to care for and to support given their resources . In spite of the intimately private nature of this decision , it has a wide socio-moral implication , making such decision difficult . In many countries , especially those referred to as Third World , the size of the family and the methods to be employed towards this particular objective has become a political controversy

Concededly , the decision has to be made by the parents themselves . But such decision shall not be based solely on personal motives but on the requirement of the family itself and of the common good of society Certainly such a decision is moral and , therefore , cannot be arrived at without recourse to the moral established in human nature by God

Parental authority is natural an essential for the governance of the family . It is natural because it flows from the responsibility of procreating and educating the offspring . It is essential because without it the goals of the family would be impossible to attain

Furthermore , parents should keep children in their company , to support educate and instruct them by right precept and good example , and to provide for their upbringing in keeping with their means . They should also give them love and affection , advice and counsel , companionship and understanding thus , to provide them with moral and spiritual guidance inculcate in them honesty , integrity , self-discipline , self-reliance industry and thrift , stimulates their interest in civic affairs , and inspire in them compliance with the duties of citizenship . Parents must enhance , protect , preserve and maintain their physical and mental health at all times , furnishing them with good and wholesome educational materials , supervise their activities , recreation and association with others , protect them from bad company , and prevent them from acquiring habits detrimental to their health , studies and morals

When I conceived and gave birth to my first child , I knew that my youth ' is at stake in such a way that the things I used to do before are already impossible to happen because my priorities in life are already changed . The baby gave me direction in life and what is life all about . Having a child is such a fulfillment as a parent and as a mother thus , the responsibilities of having a child mold me to be a better person and I never regret having my baby because I have learned many things in life that make me complete as a person

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Parenthood ...