Pursuing Life

Sometimes being different can be hard, but have you really taken the time to notice how amazing differences can be? Imagine if every flower smelled and looked the same, if every bird sang the same song, or every kitchen utensil only did one thing. Wouldn’t that be a little annoying or frustrating? Now I’m not just talking about the different ways we look, or what our personalities are like. I’m talking about the differences between genders. Jenn Evelyn Ann on Unsplash There is a lot of turmoil right now between gender differences. There are some things that I agree with, and others I don’t. But I don’t want to stir up contention in this post; I just want to point out how amazing it is to be male or female! There was a study done with children of different genders and what toys they naturally picked. The study focused on children from the ages 9-17 months, 18-23 months, and 24 to 32 months. The study found that these children, independently playing without the presence...

We are surrounded by things that are different; old and new, tall and short, male and female. It is a thing that happens naturally. Differences allow us to see from different points of view, cherishing what is uncommon. Unfortunately, there is a difference in socioeconomic status where there are lower, middle, and upper classes. The differences in these classes are usually determined by money, occupation, appearance, possessions, education, and a few other things. This status has caused us to look down at some and envy others. We don’t realize that it doesn’t matter at which end of the scale someone is, we end up with the same outcomes. If we focus on two extremes of the socioeconomic status, lower and upper, we will see very similar outcomes with their families. When coming from a lower class there is usually a single parent in a home. This parent is the sole provider for the family and often must work long hours to make ends meet. This leaves their children with no structure, n...

Recently I have been learning about different kinds of theories that are used to try and explain why families are the way they are. There are four that are commonly used. There is Conflict Theory, Systems Theory, Exchange Theory, and Symbolic Theory. Each one is unique, and there is no right theory to determine why a family is the way it is. Families usually experience a bit of each one in their own homes. But the one I want to focus on is Systems Theory. Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash Imagine for a moment your current family. Who is the peacemaker in the home? Who does everyone go to for relationship advice? Financial advice? To talk about drama? Were there unwritten rules in your home? Now, why do you think your family was this way? Every family will be different because every member takes on different roles and have different rules. These roles and rules create a system which contains subsystems (e.g. spousal, parental, siblings). For example, in my home the...

Family Trends Life seems to be getting more complicated and confusing. Every day there is something new that’s hard to believe would ever happen. One of those things that I would like to talk about is the dropping numbers of total fertility rates around the world. I grew up in a family where I had two older half-siblings and two younger biological sisters. I really enjoyed having that many siblings. We all grew up experiencing different stages of life together. And although I did have some quarrels with my siblings earlier in life, I am now amazing friends with them. But in today's world, families are getting smaller. Photo by Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash Right now, in the United States alone, we have a TFR (Total Fertility Rate) of 1.80. If these numbers keep going down, we’re going to see some changes we didn’t expect. One of these changes that I found interesting is that many of those who are from the Baby Boom era are beginning to retire and downsize their home...