Family Home Evening

[NerdGirl]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/66222/

This is the main reason I never went to family home evening when I was an undergrad at BYU (when I was a grad student at BYU I quit going to a singles' ward, so there was no FHE) - I had other things that I had to do! Seriously, I was an international student, so I had to be full time every semester, plus I had to work 20 hours a week to actually pay for school, plus I had to do research because my major required a senior thesis. And I was an astronomer, so if Monday night was clear and I needed data, I was going to get data. Not go home so I could run around the apartment complex throwing marshmallows at people. And when I was TAing astronomy classes and they needed TAs to work on Monday nights, I always said I could do it because I figured it would be nice for the people who were married and had actual families to be able to be home for family home evening. There was one semester where I was scheduled to work every single Monday night until midnight, and the FHE coordinator was giving me constant guilt trips about how I just needed to make time for FHE and how would I ever do it with my kids if I couldn't make time now, and if she could make time for it, why couldn't I, and if I really was working because I actually needed the money and not just to get out of FHE, then why didn't I just ask my parents for money (which they didn't have). It makes me mad just thinking about it now. Anyway, that had nothing to do with the actually question. Sometimes I just like to rant. So carry on.

[mic0]

o_O I think I would have punched your FHE person. Well, I couldn't punch anyone, but send them a strongly worded email....

[Portia]

Gross. Where does she get off? I actually experienced less classism ("why doesn't daddy pay for it?") at BYU than in high school, but I went to a very chichi high school. There are plenty of BYU jobs which require work on Sundays and/or Mondays.

[Craig Jessop]

I don't go if I don't want to go... and that's about it. My roommate is our FHE dad (we don't have a mom, we're a progressive ward), and he understands. Sometimes I want to go to get some social interaction. Other times I don't want to sit around and throw marshmallows at other people. It really depends on the week.

[Katya]

My roommate is our FHE dad (we don't have a mom, we're a progressive ward)

Single-parent FHE families are a threat to the traditional nuclear FHE family! *shakes fist*

[Fredjikrang]

I like to go as much as possible, because even if maybe the activities aren't all that great to start with, they can usually be helped. But, I admit that I did not go this past Monday.

Why?
1. Because it started at 7:00, which is a really hard time for me to get somewhere. That day I had a work meeting that started at 6:00.
2. It was super far away. About two miles, which wouldn't be too bad, but I don't have a car, and as I am new in the ward (and my roommates do not typically go) there was no guarantee that I would get there before it ended.

[Digit]

and if I really was working because I actually needed the money and not just to get out of FHE, then why didn't I just ask my parents for money

I would have asked if they would be serving brioche at the next gathering, and if so, would they let me eat it.

[Marduk]

Or how about "because I'm not a parasite?"

[bobtheenchantedone]

Despite the fact that we just had a HUGE lecture about it on Sunday, I still do not plan to go to FHE.

Though maybe that's mostly because I'm not technically a member of the ward, and the reason why I go to that ward (hi, Marduk!) doesn't seem at all interested in going. Which is fine with me.

[Craig Jessop]

I'm not technically a member of the ward

It's because of people like you that they made YSA stakes to begin with!!!

[bobtheenchantedone]

I knew posting that was going to cause trouble. ; )

I have legit reasons, though:

-I do not have a car, except for when Marduk lets me use his, and both my actual meetinghouse and Marduk's are a little too far for walking.
-My actual ward meets at 1:30, and since I help Marduk cook for his family on Sundays 4:30 is way too late for me to be getting out of church.
-Church is, for mostly unknown reasons, my second most stressful place to be, and having Marduk there to convince me to go, keep me calm or calm me down, and prevent me from leaving early is doing wonders for my church attendance.

[Craig Jessop]

I can certainly empathize with the stress church causes! And I have no idea why it does. Just make sure you stay on the down low or you'll attract ecclesiastical wrath.