Family Relationships

      One of the most difficult things about having a relationship with other people is communication. It’s hard to fully understand another person and what is going on in their mind. There are so many things that play a role into how we convey feelings, ideas, and thoughts to others. If I’m having a rougher day than usual, it’s challenging for me to focus on others and what they’re trying to emit to me. I’ve found that my attitude, perspective, past experience, knowledge, feelings, and many other factors all directly impact the way that I communicate with the people in my life. Seeing this has made me realize that to properly communicate with another person in a healthy and meaningful manner, it often takes a lot of work and effort of my part. In turn, I have the power to contribute to a growing relationship by doing my part to nourish it. It’s a valuable skill to develop and maintain healthy habits of communication, and I’d like to break down what this looks like. ...

     I often think about what it will be like to be a parent in the future. I’ve heard from many family members and friends that parenting is hardest thing they’ve ever done. I’ve seen some of its challenges by watching others, but I can only imagine what it’s actually like. This week, I’ve been thinking about why parenting is actually important. I’ve learned a lot about the benefits of parenting children, and I think the world would be very different if parenting became nonexistent. Let’s talk about what good parenting can look like.      We’ve all seen children acting up in public. I’ve noticed that a lot of parents seem to be embarrassed when it happens. From my perspective, it seems normal and common, and there’s no need to feel embarrassed. However, when I put myself in their shoes, I think I would feel the same way. It’s hard having other people watching you, and you not being able make your child stop. I imagine that a parent feels very powerless in ...

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the different roles that everyone plays in a family. We all have our spots in our own family, whether that be oldest, middle, youngest, or only child. We generally grow up with each other and learn how to act around the others. When we look at our parents, often “mom” is seen as more kind and caring. “Dad”, on the other hand, seems to be perceived differently. I’ve noticed that everyone describes their dad in different ways. The popular opinion I heard growing up was that “dad” was the strict one that made rules and ‘cracked the whip’ around the house. As I get older, I’ve learned of a more vast description of many peoples’ dads. It’s been interesting for me to observe a difference in the way people view their dads the past few years. In this article written by Howard Todd-Collins, I read some great descriptions of things that ideally describe and encompass a father-figure. Five attributes, in particular, stuck out to me on which I’d like to expan...

     When I was growing up, I remember my family undergoing many events that put everyone through stress. Throughout this stress, I noticed that the family changed and adjusted in different ways. I’ve come to learn that that’s how families work. They go through certain stressors as a family unit, and they grow and change with the stress. It can grow, or diminish the strength of a family, depending on how it is dealt with. I’ve been thinking about stressors that I might face in my future family, and I think it is best to come up with a game plan for how to deal with them.      One of the first relationship stressors I can think of is the stress of actually getting into a relationship. It can be really scary to start a relationship and not knowing what the future holds. It could end in so many different ways, whether the guy breaks it off, or the girl. Or, it could progress to the point of marriage. Both are intimidating futures to wonder about. I think the b...

      I've been to a lot of weddings in my life for lots of family and friends. I've been able to participate in the celebration and help out with the execution of the wedding. Its always been interesting for me to see the differences between each wedding. Over the years, I've learned just how much time, money, and effort can go into a wedding. It's such a happy and exciting time of life where everyone comes to celebrate two people they care about. It's gotten me thinking about what I'd like to do for my wedding. I've also been thinking about how these beginning parts of a relationship affect the relationship for the rest of a couples' lives. I want to start a relationship off strong, and I've discovered some good tips for how to do so.     Let's start off with the engagement. Often, online and in the movies we see people putting on a huge display for their engagements. Sometimes they invite others to come watch and take pictures of this special ...

      When was the last time you planned, prepared for, and went on a date? Dating is something that is becoming more and more scarce in the world. I’ve noticed that it has been replaced with casual hanging out. Based on my observations and experience this past year, I believe a “date” is seen as a stronger commitment than hanging out. Hanging out is more comfortable and there’s almost no decision making happening in it. No one has to decide if they like the other person enough to become more serious with them. It’s often around other people rather than one on one, so there’s others to interact with. Also, you don’t have to commit to hanging out with someone, and it’s easier to cancel as well as reschedule. However, I think dating has become seen as a greater commitment than it actually is.     When someone goes on a date, they are wanting to get to know the other person better. Questions are asked about one another, and there’s a lot of listening and learning i...

      I look at the world today and I see so many stereotypes that we put on others. I also see stereotypes that others put on me. I’ve always tried to avoid these stereotypes and go against what is expected of me. I chose a major that not a lot of women are found in. I love hanging out with guys as much as I can and always try to be “one of the boys”, doing activities they like to do. A term that may be used for this is ‘tomboy’. It’s pretty common among girls and is a socially acceptable, and even encouraged, behavior. Now, I’d like to turn the perspective a little bit. What if there was a boy that wanted to hang out with girls, paint nails, and play with dolls? How did your perception change? What was your initial thought of this boy? There is also a term commonly used for this: ‘sissy’. This brings to attention the fact that our perceptions of men and women are different.     When I think about it, I can think of quite a few things that are socially unaccept...