the final one!

This week, complete your blogs with some advice to future online Family course students. What did you enjoy the most about the class? The least? What advice/tips would you give to be a successful online student?


One this is the easiest blog we have had. And two I recommend making sure you have tons of time to devote to this class, and being able to respond to everyones blog. That was the one thing I didn't enjoy doing and hardly did, and I sure it affected my grade. Next don't fall behind on your reading, in fact read ahead when you can, these chapters are so long, and theres hardly any pictures! ;-)

remarriage and reorganization

How do second marriages compare to first marriages?? Discuss courtship patterns, gender differences, preparation, motivation, and stability in re-marriage


Second marriages have alot more stresses than first marriages. The blending of the new families and the old ones can create many difficult issues. Second marriages have a less chance of survival because of the lack of stability and motivation. With the changes for the children come changes for the new family. The lack of stability comes from the fact that women have a different motivation sometimes than the man. Sometimes couples might rush into the new marriage to quickly, not giving themselves time to heal from the last marriage. Women sometimes take more time to heal emotionally from the old marriage than the man.

Divorce and Uncoupling

b.) Compare the research presented on "her" divorce and "his" divorce. What do you think accounts for the gendered differences in this regard??

Both men and women have negative experiences while going through a divorce, but I believe that women experience more hardships than men. Women experience a great economic loss from the divorce, do to the fact that society has this standard set that men should make more than women. Also women experience a greater economic loss because they generally are the ones to take over the responsibilities of the kids. And with the lack of resources available to divorced women and fathers owing in child support, the economic loss can be even greater. Men on the other hand often experience a greater sense of lonliness and loss. Men often feel lonely because society has taught them to not be emotional and expressive, so they have no way to share their feelings or get their feelings out. A man might also experience a greater sense of loss if him and his ex wife decide to split custody. Even though the father is able to interact with his child, he may miss being apart of their day, everyday.

Violence and intimate relationships

Do songs like the Dixie Chicks' "Good-bye Earl" increase awareness of the problem of domestic violence, or do they do a disservice to those who want to raise the social consciousness regarding this problem? Explain your answer.

I think that many songs can help raise awareness to the issues of domestic violence. I think that Martina McBride is a wonderful artist and helps raise awareness to many issues including spousal abuse and child abuse. Her song, " Concrete Angel", is a beautiful song written about a young girl who is abused by her parents and how no one knows until its to late and she dies. Another song written by her, " Independence Day", is another great one talking about a girls mother that is abused by her husband and the childs point of view with the violence that is happening in the home. The only thing that I wish artists would consider would be, writing from the perspective of the abused rather than the abuser. Instead of blaming the victim in the song, and saying that she chose that person such as in the Dixie Chicks' "Good-bye Earl", " Well it wasn't two weeks
after she got married that, Wanda started gettin' abused". Why not point out the standards of that relationship.

Reproduction and Parenting

I found this website to be very interesting. It is what I believe to be a professional article about a survey taken with IVF children and families with their own biological child. The survey was done to determine the similarities and differences between the two different families.

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/1116



I think I am so very lucky to have stumbled across this website. This website is actually about a group called "Lambda Legal", and they are working to create equal treatment for all people. And the website had some interesting statistics on what they called "LGBT parents", which stands for lesbian, gay, bi- sexual and trans gendered parents.

http://www.lambdalegal.org/our-work/issues/marriage-relationships-family/parenting/

Marriage

(b) given the combination of rising costs of weddings and the decreased stigma of cohabitation and pre-marital sex, do you think that marriage has become more of an luxury, or an option, than a required passage to adulthood??

I think that marriages have become more of an option than a required passage to adulthood. I think that people aren't placing that high of a value on marriage, people are now just getting married to change their social status and to get a tax right off. More and more people are cohabiting and having pre- marital sex because it has become socially acceptable. But at the same time people are choosing to get married because of the social status that comes with it.

Domestic partnership

(b) How are domestic partnership agreements different from marriage?? What are the advantages of domestic partnership as compared to marriage?? The disadvantages??

Domestic Partners are not legally bonded together, like a marriage. The advantages to this lifestyle, is that the partners can choose to leave the partnership at any time, and there is no legal expenses. The downfall is that not many companies give benfits to those in a domestic partnership.

(a.) Go to the following website and check out the information on talking about sex with your kids. How does the advice given on this website compare to how you learned about sex?? How does the way that a person talks about sex to her/his children communicate attitudes about sex?? How does it communicate attitudes about sex in the culture??

I personally wasn't given the birds and bees talk, I feel like I missed out on a typical childhood story. But I know that my dad was just personally to embarrassed to have that talk with me, so I learned about it all in sixth grade. I think it was more awkward learning about sex in school then it would have been with my dad. I personally know what communication style can do to " the dreaded talk". Because my dad never had "the talk" with me, its a well known thing between the two of us that it is a taboo subject that you just don't discuss. I think it is very important for parents to have an open mind when having this discussion with their child. And with the availability of the internet, it could become a project to research unknown facts together.

Mate Selection

When my parents met it wasn't " a head over heels in love" kind of romance, bottom line i wasn't a planned birth and my parents never had plans of including eachother in their future. I honestly don't see any similarities in my parents, my dad is a very mature man in his early fifties, while my mother is an irresponsible woman in her late fourties. I think that the only reason they clicked when they did was because they were both pretty young. I can remember as a young child crushing on boys that made me laugh, that was all they had to, its quite funny because I still like it when they make me laugh. I found it quite interesting while reading the chapter in our text, that I really do base my potential mates on myself. I personally am not a very religious person, I went to catholic church all the time as a kid , but religion has just never really stuck with me, so I prefer someone who isn't very religious. I think I just enjoyed this chapter because I've never really taken the time to think about how I really determine a mates potential. I know that my thinking has shifted over time for many reasons. I think one reason is because I am an adult now and another reason is because of my own life experiences. See at one point I only wanted a guy who didn't smoke and drink. But now that I am an adult now I don't mind the drinking so much, it just can't get out of control or be non stop. But I won't tolerate smoking because I just feel that that is absolutely disgusting, and you were given a life for a reason, why shorten it? Other things that I look for in a potential mate are futurely goals and education, I want some one who is responsible and respectable. Lastly , everyone always told me to look at the way he treats his mom, because that is how he will treat you, and I am learning that that is very true. I think a great match for me would just be someone who is respectful and responsible. Logically physical attraction plays the first role in recognizing someone, I wouldn't say that I put that much into looks everyone has a story about themselves and why they are the way they are. And like I tell everyone else , what do you have to lose? you will make a great friend.

About Me

My name is Diane. I am 19 years old. I am taking this course because I love sociology and enjoy learning how different methods of socialization affects the people in the world. The best time I ever had was probably as a child in general, life was just so much easier. My greatest accomplishment would have to be continuing my education past the mark that everyone thought I would quit at. My top five favorite books would be pretty hard to list because I hardly have time to sit down and enjoy one! If I had to pick I think the three I enjoyed most in high school would be, "One flew over the cuckoos nest", the Shakespeare play, " Hamlet", and " The scarlet letter", As you can see I enjoy books that have a good plot and some love/hate/tragedy in it. If I had one year left to live, I think id drop school and tour the world, Id probably also forget about work and money and just concentrate on the finer things in life. Something interesting or different about me would probably be that I don't like cheese, why? I can't explain I just never really have.