Blessed by Traditional Marriage

I don't live in California, but I watch with great concern the battle there over the definition of marriage. As I have studied the issue of traditional marriage vs. same-sex marriage and the ramifications of both, I feel to share--as a Mormon wife and a Mormon mom--my deep feelings regarding marriage.

This November my husband and I celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. What I always believed about the responsibilities of men and women in marriage and parenting has simply been reaffirmed and strengthened in my marital experience of 30 years.

Men and women are different. They each possess qualities unique to their sex which build and strengthen the marriage relationship. They complement and enhance each other. Children need ALL those qualities for optimum growth and nurturing. While there are single parents who have raised great kids, the IDEAL is a man and a woman, a mother and a father, each contributing their God-given qualities in the best interests of their kids. And face it, while we all know that ideal is not always available, it certainly is always preferred. In what other area of life do we not seek for the ideal?

I'm grateful for a husband who demonstrates manliness in the highest sense of the word, who has faithfully provided for and protected me and our children. I'm thankful my children have a father who accepts and performs the tasks of fatherhood lovingly and valiantly.

So far, fifteen lives have been strengthened and blessed by traditional marriage, and my greatest hope is that that number goes on eternally.