Reflection Blog #10

        Death is something I never think about and now realizing that it is something I don’t want to realize because I don’t want to lose my loved ones. I could never imagine losing anyone and that is me in denial of death. I guess I am just glad that after reading all of the stages that one way or another, things do get easier. I have never really lost anyone who was very dear to me so I have never experienced all the confusion, and denial and rage. During my reading I came across that not everyone dies in their sleep and many people live with the fact that they are dying and I can’t even imagine how that must even feel, but maybe it even brings peace. I have always pictured my husband I dying peacefully together which I know wont happen but there is some sort of comfort in knowing you are not going alone. Death is scary when it should not be death should be relieving, but its the not knowing that is scary. The worst part for me is dying without being able to say goodbye or make peace with others before I go. 
        When I was younger about 10 years ago my nephew died from SIDS at 3 months old and I was too young to even realize what had even happened. I remember crying and being sad, but I don’t remember talking about my feelings and I think that is the most important thing about dealing with loss. Taking about it is accepting what has happened and it’s willing to realize that it’s the process of life and we should accept it. Thinking about death makes me want to do more with my life. We live only for so long, and we are so caught up in school and family and forget to smell the roses which really do smell great. We also forget to appreciate everyone in our lives. Reading about death has made me realize that it isn't something to be afraid of, but instead something we all need to learn to accept. 

Reflection Blog #9

            After reading the article “As Good As it Get’s” it really got me thinking about retirement, and how it actually affects me and it is hard to envision since it is so far away. During my interesting read all the numbers really confused me. Yes, maybe those other places have a better system so to speak, but are they that much better? I personally don’t mind helping other people with their retirement as long as I get the help in return, but what about that percentage of people who play off of the government and already are receiving money should we still be pitching in for their retirement as well. There are so many different reasons why their way of things isn't such a good idea. Next when I read about the health insurance and yes here in the states we do pay a decent amount for health care, but it is very worth it. Unlike everywhere else in the world we get care right there and then. Everywhere else they could literally die before a doctor has any time to see them which is insane. If I had the opportunity to talk with the author I would want to know how many of people out of the state would rather have our health care and how would want to try a different strategy for retirement.

            Reading about the neglect in healthcare all over the world really hit close to the heart. A year back I got really sick and needed to be hospitalized. I look back now and wonder what if there was no doctor available and I didn't receive the care that I needed I would have died at the age of 21. Same goes for when my mom had a stroke a few months back and they were so quick with the care that she bounced back to herself within 8 weeks. I cannot imagine another system it works and anyone who has needed medical attention can relate and I wouldn't change it for lower costs.

Reflection Blog #8

        This week I read the article “Is There Love After Baby,” this article was very interesting in the fact that many people think that once they have a baby that things will change for the better or the almost failed relationship will somehow be revived. The author writes that half of the parents will get a divorce by the time their child turns 18 which is a huge number, and would scare anyone into not wanting to have children. The author also writes that there is also a huge misconception about where the problems are coming from after having a baby. Most of the problems are present, but are suppressed and after the baby the problems are then reveled, and most often are blamed on the new addition to the family. One of the major problems a new mother or even father face is postpartum which can lead to child abuse. I think it is even more dangerous when there is an unstable marriage. If I could talk to the author I would want to know how to be better prepared for a child and how to know when your relationship is stable enough.

            I know a few people that got pregnant in high school because of bad choices, but not all of them doomed with no future. I don’t in any way believe that children should be having children, but I know one couple who had a child but are now married with another one. I believe that that proves their relationship must have been right. It does not take much to get pregnant, but it takes everything to raise one. 

Reflection Blog #7

Reading the article “Should You Stay Together For The children,” really hit a soft spot. I don’t have a definite yes or no, and I believe that there is no right or wrong for everyone. Every situation is so unique and for people to decide what is good or bad for a family to me is very wrong. At one point in the article they said that staying outweighed the benefit for the children which I find it cannot be true for most families. If I could speak with the author I would want to know on what kind of situations were the families in that they studied on.

            Growing up I was always taught that divorce is out of the question and that a women can make or break a marriage. Now days you find more people divorced than married. My aunt and uncle have never had a good marriage even as a child I would always hear them yelling when we were over and the children always complained life was very hard for them. Two people who can’t stand each other raising children they did not divorce until the children had grown up and everyone took is somewhat hard, but now things have improved for everyone. The mother is happy the father is happy and they both remarried. Divorce worked for them and the children, but their situation will never match another.  I know many families where the parents don’t get a divorce and the children are into drugs, alcohol or are pregnant. Each family needs to make their own decision on what is right for them, and it is no one’s right to judge.

Reflection Blog #6

          It was very interesting reading “Inside the Teen,” because it is very fascinating that being a teen means there are many excuses for having absurd behavior. I personally don’t believe it and feel it is greatly exaggerated and teens that are extreme in their behavior are the few among normal teens. My favor part about the article was when the author wrote “yes, teenagers do have brains, but theirs don’t yet function like adults”. This was interesting because people are actually questioning it, and they shouldn't be children need borders and structure not, oh he/she is just a teenager. Yes they grow out of that stage of being rebellious, but what kind of mistakes are we actually allowing out children to make for the same of them being a teen? We need to teach them how to control their emotions and behaviors not hope and pray that they figure it out. If I could speak with the author I would want to know more about how parents should act, and control their teen’s behavior so that the behavior can controlled with minimal damage. 

            

         My parents have been fairly strict my whole life and especially during my teenage years. The worst thing I have even done was date a boy, and that was in high school. I am very grateful for their nosiness, control, and borders because who know what I could have done to myself or my future. I don’t truly believe in small mistakes they all hurt you in one way or another and teens don’t have the mental capacity to handle that kind of stress.

Reflection Blog #5

I really enjoyed this week’s reading because I plan on writing about parenting in my special topic paper. There is nothing worse for me then a parent who isn't willing to do whatever it takes. This week I read the article Parenting: The Lost Art, and as sad as it may be children are not being raised like they used to be. I really like the part where the author said that children are the ones who pay the price in the end not the parents. I find this very interesting because I feel that every parent wants to do their best in raising their children. Parents that may have had very uptight parents want to be looser and cooler parents, and the same goes for the parents who didn't have parents who cared and went a little over board with their own children. I think that in the generation I grew up in it was more focused on bringing up their children in a polite, clean, and a disciplined environment whereas this generation is all about expressing yourself and being the cool parents and telling themselves that they rather have their kids drinking at home rather than anywhere else. The sad truth is that many parents give up at a certain point and just have no energy to fight their children anymore and just go with the flow. If I could talk with the author I would want to know out of all the parents who went the easy and laid back route with their children wanted the opportunity to go back, and redo their parenting. I wanna bet that all of them did. Parenting is a very delicate art and I say this with the out-most respect. Parents need a balance between every child because each and everyone they raise will be different,  and what worked with their 1st might not ever work with their 2nd or 3rd.  

            Technology is so advanced now days that meeting someone without a television is withdrawn and weird. Instead of drawing the right conclusion in the fact that it actually might be smart. I remember as a child when we would go on road trips, forget the GPS and phones and maps. My dad or mom would have all the directions with written out by hand on how to get to where we were going and we did a lot of the old fashion of pulling over and asking for direction, and that was normal to us. Today I cannot even leave the home without my phone, I feel that the world would end if I was not able to check my email or messages.

            Our generation needs to realize that there is so much we can actually control in our lives, and our children are worth the fight and find the voice that is in each and every one of us. Technology is not a bad thing neither is TV or video games, but anything good can be just as bad. As parents we need to find that balance between raising proper young adults rather than laziness and being afraid of not being cool. Our children deserve to grow up feeling like they have the right tools to go on and not feel as though they have no one to turn to for guidance because all they have every know was their parents as their friends and never having anyone truly to look up to. 

Reflection Blog #4

            After reading the article “Medicating Young Minds,” it really made me think about my childhood, and how even I experienced many different emotions and waves or moods and behaviors. Yet I don’t remember popping medication for anything or everything that was wrong with me. It was very interesting in the article they mentioned that we are raising generation Rx (prescription). I find this very true, there is nothing a person can have there isn’t medication for. I am not anti medication, but I am against medicating children unless absolutely necessary. We are messing with growing, and developing children who could possible improve with simply growing up, but we would never know with all the chemicals they are taking by the time they are 8 years old. If I could discuss this with the author of the article I would want to know more information on diagnosing techniques and how to be more thorough and prevent over medicating or completely avoid it. Children are so fragile and their brains are still trying to figure things out, and I think we should let it grow before interfering for the most part. Some children are indeed sick and need help, but this should not be the standard across the board.

            When I was in middle school it was very rare to meet or hear of someone who was on medication and if they were it was taken very seriously. Now days I find that every other person has something wrong with them and has a list of prescriptions they are taking.  I believe that ADHD is so common today that many children/teens will make up any excuse not to go to school or get some kind of attention. Or every the opposite parents thinking something is wrong with their child when they are just developing. Disorders are abused by too many people and there should be a much stricter procedure to ensure the most possibly safest route for our children. 

Reflection Blog #3

            Doing the readings this week was great. I have never before thought about what truly is the difference between boys and girls, and why we are different? It really made me go back in time and think about my childhood and my friends. I would really love to know more about what truly sets us apart. If I could discuss this topic with the author I would ask about how much culture was involved in shaping children as well as or maybe only parenting is the key here. In my mind I see that kids do what they see other kids like them do, which brings me to another question. What would kids do if they were never introduced to or exposed to media or other kids and toys? Would they still be so creative, adventurous, and imaginative children or would they be just blank slates doing what their parents told them to do?

            When I was a lot younger my little sister and I were very close, and would always be playing with dolls. We had everything from bottles to strollers to diapers. We never played with Barbie or what we called “boy toys”. It wasn't until my mother took our dolls away that we stopped playing with them. Sometimes I think if we kept playing with them we would have never stopped on our own. To my parents though playing with a boy toy or playing a rough boy game was not something a little girl should do and it was never allowed. It feels like we were raised very gender specific and girls are to be compassionate, soft and cuddly while boys are supposed to be tough.

             I would really like to know more about how to set a gender neutral environment where being warm and fuzzy was not a necessity in order to pass for a girl or rough and touch for a boy. I would rather have no one judge you on being the opposite of what is only culturally okay.

Reflection Blog #2

During my reading of chapter 2 I found it very interesting that a fetus can sense different sounds and flavors. This was very interesting to me because I have always wondered about how much influence surrounding the baby actually has an effect on the fetus. This also makes me wonder if say the mother was sad or cried a lot, or the baby heard a lot of yelling would that affect the fetus at all? Would it make the baby react/cry to loud noises once it is born? Would there be a long term effect? After reading all of this I want to always make sure that I remember this for my future pregnancies, and make sure that I keep calm and surround myself with a healthy environment for the life growing inside of me. If I could discuss this with the author I would ask about how strong of an influence are these different things, and would the babies grow out of bad reactions if the surrounding how changed? Would the children be able to grow up and lead normal lives or will it affect them throughout their lives?

            When my sister in law was pregnant with her first child a boy, I remember her being very stressed out, and a nervous wreck. One day she was experiencing intense contractions, and we all thought she was going to labor early. Luckily the hospital found her just extremely dehydrated and malnourished. This reminded of one of the other sections I was reading about on how stress can harm prenatal development by weakening the mother’s immune system. She was so stressed out that she wasn’t eating or drinking and we all had to keep an eye on her and give her a hand to make sure she was all right. Thank fully everything went well and I have a healthy 6 year old nephew.

            If I had all the time to learn about something I would want to know more about how badly can a fetus be damaged by unhealthy surroundings and whether or not these effects will be reversible once the baby is born.

Reflection Blog #1

This week’s reading was all very interesting, and made me look back at my own life and compare it. While I was reading “The Identity Dance,” it made me think that just because someone looks a lot alike; it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are one and the same. I wonder if they have ever done a research on just sisters. It makes me look back on my relationships with my siblings. We are all different ages yet we are all very much the same. We all took up nursing and are very caring people, and think very similarly among other things. To me DNA is just a fraction of what plays a role in who we are today. I look at it as if DNA is where I come from, and then life is what truly shapes us. The other thing that really got me thinking is the continuity vs. discontinuity. I find that I have stayed the same since I was a little girl. I love staying inside and enjoying things on my own, while one of my sisters have turned more of an extrovert. I would love to know more about what is means to share DNA, and why don’t we all experience life’s circumstance in the same way? I want to always remember that we all think, learn, and process differently.