Launching children and empty nest syndrome

3. I found the section on launching children very interesting. It can be found on page 315 of the text book. In looking at my own life I lived with my mom until I went to college then I lived in the dorms until just recently (my senior year-last semester) I moved into an apartment with a roommate.  My mom said I was all grown up when I got my apartment and I told her no I need my mommy (yes I call her mommy) and always will. I still call her and ask her if it is ok to eat something if I think has sat in the refrigerator too long or what temperature to cook something at.

My mom is single so she doesn’t have a husband to enjoy the peace and quiet of the empty nest when she hits the post launching of children. But since we are moving to West Virginia together and I will be living with her I guess I am returning to the nest. I don’t mind, in fact I asked her to move back to Morgantown with me. She is my best friend; she is always there for me. I don’t think she judges me but she always jokes around saying it is part of her job as a parent to judge me every day. Maybe I am the one going through empty nest syndrome with moving away from my college friends and my sister. 

Thanks,

Katrina

Marriage in 50 years

Over the next 50 years I would predict that marriage will become accepted by all states in the U.S. for gays, lesbians and transgender individuals. Of course marriage will still happen between men and women but women will be able to marry women and men will be able to marry men. Currently this is only accepted in a few states but eventually it will be accepted by all of the states and the Federal government will recognize these marriages and allow the spouses to have the same rights as current “men/women” marriages. I also see that when a couple gets divorced and they find new partners they will not be getting married for a second or third time but instead just live together. This will hold true as the population grows older because the couple will need to keep all of their retirement benefits to survive financially. Currently some seniors do not remarry as they need to maintain their social security benefits to live and if they did marry the benefits would decrease.

My sister who is 25 (she will be 26 in January) is getting married this month. I will be 25 in June and will definitely not be married until after I turn 26. My sister and her husband plan on having children in a few years when they are financially stable and I don’t plan on having any children once I get married. My sister and I represent both sides of the statistics mentioned in the text booked.

 In other countries I see the arranged marriage being set aside so that a man and women are no longer forced to marry the individual that their parents made an arrangement for them to marry. This will allow for movement in some social classes while deteriorating other social classes. This will also lead to more intercultural marriages to happen.

Katrina

Family for Me

I define family as a group of individuals who love and support each other during a specific time period. I have several families currently in my life. I have my blood family (mom, sister, aunts, and cousins). I have my college family (which is my roommate, friends, and apartment complex friends). I also have my long distance family (which are those individuals who live in Morgantown, WV or use to live there). In all my families we offer advice to each other, have debates (which could be seen as arguing), we love each other, help each other out, and support each other when times are good or bad.

 I do not fit into the type of family that is gay or lesbian. My aunt is homosexual (lesbian) but my grandparents (her parents were heterosexual). My parents were heterosexual (my father is deceased) my mom chooses to stay single at this time in her life but I think she will remarry later or find a heterosexual partner for life. My sister is getting married this month to her boyfriend that she meant while at SJSU. 

Katrina

Safe Sex

1.                   I am surprised to read about safe sex in a communications book. However, I did find the section on page 290 titled Practice Safe Sex very enlightening. This section provided statistical information on how many people had become infected with HIV in 2006. I must admit I am very surprised in this day of sex education and the promotion of condom use that there are so many transmitted sexual diseases. The textbook states that “one in four girls ages 14-19 is infected with a common STD”(Wood, 2010).

             The textbook discusses reasons why people have unsafe sex. Two reasons they mention are drugs and alcohol impair a person’s judgment. The study they did in a college setting found that people who heavily drank did not take precautions when having sex.  Another reason individuals do not take precautions are because they believe it won’t happen to them. This is a big misconception that people have about various aspects of life. People need to accept and understand that anything can happen to anyone on any given day or at any given time. People think they won’t be a victim of crime, or get caught drinking and driving, or get an STD because they hang out with the right people. Their friends will keep them out of trouble or these types of things don’t happen to people like them….they happen to “other people”. There is a saying “Ignorance is bliss” but really ignorance is only bliss until it happens to you, then it is no longer bliss.  I can only encourage people to be aware of their surrounds and to take care of their body because you only get one body. Once you contract a disease that effects the rest of your life you will regret being ignorant to the issue.

            One word of advice my mother gave to me about having sex or making love as she put it. Know who your partner has made love with in the past because as soon as you sleep with that individual you have slept with everyone he/she has had intercourse with. That's the true meaning of safe sex from my moms point of view.

I hope this advice helps,

Katrina

Committed

1.            I am in a relationship were we both are committed to each other but we are not in love (it may lead to love later but right now we are good friends). We support each other with words of encouragement. He plays professional football and encourages me to finish college and continue on with my education so I can be a sports therapist. I watch his games on T.V. and go to them when his team visits the west coast to play. I text him good luck messages before every game and he responses “Thanks Doll”. He texts me messages when I have a mid-term and finals wishing me luck. We talk on the phone but cannot see each other as I am in school on the west coast and he plays for a team on the east coast.

     According to our textbook on page 278, “commitment is the intention to remain involved in a relationship”. We are both committed to stay active in each other’s lives by open communication and staying in touch. We talk at least once a week and text each other several times. It is a good thing technology has advanced as far as it has otherwise it would not be as easy to be committed to our relationship. He does have a picture of us up in his locker and I have another picture of us on my cell phone which helps serve as a reminder that we want to know how each other are doing at any given time.

                         On the opposite side is a relationship that has love but no commitment. My best friend from elementary school and I love each other like sisters. But we hardly communicate with each other because we are busy and accept that. However, if she ever called me and needed help I would be there for her in a minute and she knows that. Just like I know if I have a problem I can get help from her.

                         A love relationship you know will always be there even if you don’t have constant communication going back and forth. However, the committed relationship takes more time and focus to make sure it endures for time. If you stop communicating in a committed relationship the time and effort you put into can be wasted as the relationship could end. It is important to stay in a committed relationship and invest time in it if you want to grow into some form of love. There are many types of love: friendship love, family love, and relationship/romantic love. Once the committed relationship has turned to love you will always be able to communicate with that individual even if there has been a lapse in time.

Thanks,

Katrina