Parents need to be actively engaged in raising and caring for their children. In my class, we discussed current trends in parenting, such as delay in having children (by choice), having less children, choosing to not have children, having a nanny care for children rather than parents caring for them, increase in the number of children born outside of marriage, and increases in abortion. These trends play an important part in the family overall. When parents delay, have less children, or choose to have no children, they are not only opting out of the responsibilities of parenting, but out of the blessings too. Also, when parents choose to have a nanny care for their children, they are not as close to them.
Along with these trends associated with parenting, in my class we also discussed some specific purposes of parenting and blessings associated with parenting. Some specific purposes of parenting were preparing you for eternal life, provide discipline to children (through teaching), be loved mad to love. The benefits we discussed were confidence, capability, learn to sacrifice, develop selflessness, understand eternal perspective, and understand God. The blessings of parenting cannot be achieved through anything else.