This is me and my roommates at Craigo's (January 2011)
Kathryn
My Family (August 2010)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I'm Sorry Friend...
Something that I realized today is that my high school wasn't as "clique-y" as I used to think, at least not compared to many other high schools. There were athletes, skaters, Mormons, "skids", and everybody else, but there was a lot of intermingling.
Some personal experiences or thoughts that came to me this week are in relation to opportunity costs or trade-offs. It made me think of a family I know, the dad has a good job and he works really hard, so he makes a decent living. They own a boat, lake-front property, and a nice car. But what good are these things if you're never away from the office long enough to enjoy them?
When I was in grade 4 I had a classmate that everybody (including me) made fun of. We called him an alien and nobody wanted to be his partner I guess because his family didn't have very much money, I don't really know all of the reasons why we chose to pick on him, but we did. I remember being at a BBQ at my best friend's house at the beginning of the summer holidays and our moms took us aside and told us that this classmate of ours had died in an accident. He and his little sister were at the playground and he had a leash and collar around his neck and he ended up hanging himself. Therefore I never had the chance to grow up and apologize to this boy. I did write a poem about it in grade 7 though. I just feel so terrible that I contributed to the teasing and put-downs directed at this boy, who I recall was actually a very nice kid. I think this experience has helped shape the way I view people around me in relation to their "social class".
Some personal experiences or thoughts that came to me this week are in relation to opportunity costs or trade-offs. It made me think of a family I know, the dad has a good job and he works really hard, so he makes a decent living. They own a boat, lake-front property, and a nice car. But what good are these things if you're never away from the office long enough to enjoy them?
When I was in grade 4 I had a classmate that everybody (including me) made fun of. We called him an alien and nobody wanted to be his partner I guess because his family didn't have very much money, I don't really know all of the reasons why we chose to pick on him, but we did. I remember being at a BBQ at my best friend's house at the beginning of the summer holidays and our moms took us aside and told us that this classmate of ours had died in an accident. He and his little sister were at the playground and he had a leash and collar around his neck and he ended up hanging himself. Therefore I never had the chance to grow up and apologize to this boy. I did write a poem about it in grade 7 though. I just feel so terrible that I contributed to the teasing and put-downs directed at this boy, who I recall was actually a very nice kid. I think this experience has helped shape the way I view people around me in relation to their "social class".
Friday, January 21, 2011
Week 2
I'm struggling to know what to write about, not because I didn't find this week's discussions interesting but, well just because... This morning when I was trying to come up with 9 Rules that existed when I was growing up I was surprised at how difficult it was. The first "rule" that came to my mind was "finish everything on your plate". My dad would always say "that chicken gave it's life for you and you need to eat every bite". Now that I'm grown up and living with roommates I find myself repeating this phrase sometimes.
Something that stuck out to me from one of the readings was that "family stability is actually rooted in change". Beside this statement I wrote the name of my former boss because it reminded me of some of our discussions we would have during the quieter times at work. He was a bishop so he had seen a lot of issues between couples and he would say that in a marriage both husband and wife have to be willing to change or adapt to new situations. We can't expect our life as a newly-wed to be the same as when we were dating, when babies enter the picture life changes again, then we have toddlers, school-aged children, teenagers, and before we know it we're empty-nesters. He would tell me about several recently married couples that had already broken up because they expect life to be "rosy" all of the time and when things get a little bit tough they just quit. Eternal commitments suddenly lose all of their meaning and I just think it's really sad.
Something that stuck out to me from one of the readings was that "family stability is actually rooted in change". Beside this statement I wrote the name of my former boss because it reminded me of some of our discussions we would have during the quieter times at work. He was a bishop so he had seen a lot of issues between couples and he would say that in a marriage both husband and wife have to be willing to change or adapt to new situations. We can't expect our life as a newly-wed to be the same as when we were dating, when babies enter the picture life changes again, then we have toddlers, school-aged children, teenagers, and before we know it we're empty-nesters. He would tell me about several recently married couples that had already broken up because they expect life to be "rosy" all of the time and when things get a little bit tough they just quit. Eternal commitments suddenly lose all of their meaning and I just think it's really sad.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Societal Trends
Some items of interest from the reading and today's class:
1. It's not that half the population's marriages end in divorce, it's that some people get divorced several times and so it messes up the statistics. The statistic (whether accurate or not) that over half of today's marriages end in divorce has always been a bit frightening to me, but I never really considered the people that have been married and divorced multiple times.
2. An increased number of people living alone could result in increased loneliness, unhappiness and depression, which means an increased number of people taking anti-depressants (which is good for the LEGAL drug dealers like me)
3. I think it's sad when single moms decide to have children on their own (although I can certainly understand wanting children and not being able to find the right guy) because I think it's so important for children to have a mother and a father. Not just a mother and a father but parents that are active participants in the lives of their children, apart from just dropping them off and picking them up from daycare. I grew up with a mostly stay-at-home mom and my dad was usually home for the evening meal and for bedtime and I'm beginning to realize how rare that situation is and I consider myself truly blessed.
4. From the reading I thought it was interesting and a little bit alarming that if the current trend of decreasing birth rates continues the U.S. population will decrease (without immigration that is)
5. I liked on page 17 of the text when it talked about "a satisfying marriage provides you with a built-in support system to help you deal with the varied challenges and struggles of your life". I haven't experienced this yet but I look forward to having someone to be there for and who will be there for me and our children during the good times and the rough patches of life.
1. It's not that half the population's marriages end in divorce, it's that some people get divorced several times and so it messes up the statistics. The statistic (whether accurate or not) that over half of today's marriages end in divorce has always been a bit frightening to me, but I never really considered the people that have been married and divorced multiple times.
2. An increased number of people living alone could result in increased loneliness, unhappiness and depression, which means an increased number of people taking anti-depressants (which is good for the LEGAL drug dealers like me)
3. I think it's sad when single moms decide to have children on their own (although I can certainly understand wanting children and not being able to find the right guy) because I think it's so important for children to have a mother and a father. Not just a mother and a father but parents that are active participants in the lives of their children, apart from just dropping them off and picking them up from daycare. I grew up with a mostly stay-at-home mom and my dad was usually home for the evening meal and for bedtime and I'm beginning to realize how rare that situation is and I consider myself truly blessed.
4. From the reading I thought it was interesting and a little bit alarming that if the current trend of decreasing birth rates continues the U.S. population will decrease (without immigration that is)
5. I liked on page 17 of the text when it talked about "a satisfying marriage provides you with a built-in support system to help you deal with the varied challenges and struggles of your life". I haven't experienced this yet but I look forward to having someone to be there for and who will be there for me and our children during the good times and the rough patches of life.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Welcome to My Blog
I'm new to the world of blogging, so bear with me... I was instructed to create a blog for my Family Relations class, so here it is. For the sake of my classmates I'll tell a little bit about myself. I am from Taber, Alberta, Canada and this is my 5th semester at BYU-Idaho. This class will be going toward my Home and Family cluster. I'm the middle of 5 kids; 2 girls and 3 boys. I have one beautiful niece and two adorable nephews. I like to read, watch movies, play games (I'm slightly addicted to Blokus and Gilmore Girls), and spend time in Glacier Park or at the lake with my family.
When I think of the talk "The Challenge to Become" by Elder Oaks I am reminded of a particular seminary lesson. My teacher held up a picture of a convertible and then went on to say that a convertible is not the same as taking a regular car and tearing the roof off. A convertible can go back and forth. We as children of God need to be converted, not convertible. We are told in the scriptures that we cannot enter God's kingdom unless we are converted. We can't be flip-flopping back and forth between righteousness and wickedness. "No man can serve two masters." (see Matthew 6:24)
When I think of the talk "The Challenge to Become" by Elder Oaks I am reminded of a particular seminary lesson. My teacher held up a picture of a convertible and then went on to say that a convertible is not the same as taking a regular car and tearing the roof off. A convertible can go back and forth. We as children of God need to be converted, not convertible. We are told in the scriptures that we cannot enter God's kingdom unless we are converted. We can't be flip-flopping back and forth between righteousness and wickedness. "No man can serve two masters." (see Matthew 6:24)
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