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Week 12: Family Counsel

Family and Individual Counsel 
           I love the idea of a weekly counsel meeting with all of the family members. When I was in the Young Women program, we were taught to engaged in family counsel. I specifically remember my leaders advising us to sit our parents down when we had questions or wanted to ask for permission for something important. We were supposed to offer the reasons why we believe we should be able to do this thing and then be willing to listen to our parent's view. I loved this idea because my parents were normally very strict and this offered me a way to get my parents to see my point of view. I decided to counsel with my mother about my curfew. I sat down with her at the kitchen table, told her what we learned about in Young Women's, and then explained the topic I wanted to talk about. I want to say that this worked wonderfully, but it did not. My mother (whom I love dearly) laughed in my face. 
               Even though I did not have a positive experience with personal counseling with my parent's, I still believe that family and personal counsel can bring a family together and invite positively and bonding. I believe that listening to my children and giving them the proper space to talk about personal things. I want my kids to always feel like they can talk to their parents. I believe that family counsel will allow that to happen. 
               I'm thankful for Elder Ballard's book he wrote, specifically his thoughts on the importance of counsel in every respect. Counsel is important in every part of life. In government, in religion, in any sort of organization, and in the family. I'm excited to implement this practice into my family's lives and to see the changes that happen. 

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