You Could Be Twins!!! The Spitting Image...

Hey guys, er, girls...:D. I thought it would be fun to talk about genes!!!
Do you ever get told that you look like your mom? Or have the eyes and nose of your dad? What characteristics do you get told you have in common with your parents, both physical and in your personality? What characteristics have you diagnosed to be similar on your own? Are there any characteristics you hope someday to have? Some you never want to have? Do you believe you'll fall into the stereotype of 'becoming your parents' when you grow up and start to have a family?

I can't wait to hear your responses!!!
PS: You can talk about siblings too referring to any of the questions.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Well, I recently met my Little for Big Brothers Big Sisters. I was extremely excited to meet her because I had tried to join the program when I was a sophomore, but left for Germany soon after I was accepted as a mentor. I'm glad that I was not able to do the program then because I think I have grown up tremendously as a person and can now serve as a better Big to my Little!

During the interview process, they often ask if you are comfortable working with kids that have been abused or have had other problems at home or school. I know that a lot of the kids in BBBS need a mentor to "help set them on the right path."

I was just wondering what everyone thought about programs like this where a child is set up with a mentor that is usually only a couple years older than them. Do you think these programs are effective for helping children with difficult home lives? Or, do you think these programs are more effective for helping kids with school? Do you think an older mentor would be more effective than a teenage mentor? Just a few questions to possibly respond to! Have a great weekend! :)

Holiday Fun!

Hey guys!

So this is just kind of a fun topic, but when I was in class yesterday and Carolyn was talking about her cooking (which btw I'm really glad you brought!! It was yummy! :) ) I thought of a kind of interesting blog topic. I know it may sound stereotypical but I feel like some family member is always trying to teach me a family recipe of one kind or another, regardless of what time of year it is, and it made me wonder what kind of experiences you guys had with that! Like what kind of food has your family tried to teach you how to make, or a favorite family recipe that you have? Or maybe it's not necessarily a recipe, but just a certain kind of food that your family is famous for loving or eating?

Hope you guys have a great weekend!! :)

Oops?! But That Was Funny Right?

So I really liked Leah's post about favorite childhood memories, but instead of a favorite story, think of one that is you. It could have been something your parents told you that you did when you were a kid or maybe something you remember doing yourself. For instance: I've always been a pretty curious and troublesome little kid. My nickname used to be Tigger because I was always moving and just caused havoc all the time.

This is a story that I don't remember, but gets told at all the family parties. I was very little, but I'd already learned how to walk and talk. One day, my dad with rummaging through the fridge and my mom was watching TV, when the power went out. So my dad closed to fridge door and was heading out to the garage where the power box is. When he opened the door into the garage, I toddled through it with my favorite tall chair over my head. He looked at the power box and saw all of the switches turned down and all the knobs screwed the wrong ways. It didn't take much for him to figure out what had happened. He started having to lock all power boxes and hide things with dangerous buttons on them because I would set off the house alarm or reprogram things on a weekly basis.

I can't wait to hear about all your little things!

Blast from the Past

So i thought it would be a neat post if all of us shared a favorite childhood memory involving our families. It can be one specific memory, or several memories that are related. How did you grow from this memory/these memories? How does this memory/these memories reflect your family?

One childhood memory that stands out to me is the plays my sisters and I used to perform almost nightly for our poor parents. We would either reenact a story we had heard before (Has anyone ever heard the story of One Eye, Two Eye, Three Eye??) or we would make something up to go with whatever props or costumes we had at the time. Our poor parents had to sit through so many ghastly performances, but they always did so with a smile on their faces.

One thing about the plays that I love is the fact that they taught me a lot about creativity and not being afraid to step out of the box. Being that I'm quiet, most people assume that I'm always serious. However, thanks to my sisters, I am actually quite wacky and like to goof around as much as the next person.

I'm looking forward to hearing your memories!

Is Gilmore Girls Realistic?

With the topic of single parenting coming up a lot in our presentations today, I was just wondering if you guys think the Gilmore Girls situation is realistic? For those of you who do not know what Gilmore Girls is, it is a show that follows the lives and relationship of a teenage daughter, Rory, and her cool mom, Lorelai, who had Rory as a teenager. This is one of my favorite shows, but do you think such a friendship between a single parent and a child is realistic? Or does the line of parenting have to be drawn somewhere? I look forward to hearing some feedback, especially from those of you who have experienced a single parent situation! Thanks :)

Wrap Up

Hi, everyone!

To wrap up the class for our final blog week, I'd like to ask you about the class as a whole. What did you learn/gain from this course? What text did you like best? What did you like best overall? Least? Would you change anything about this class?

Have at it! :)

No Blog this Week

Hi, everyone!

I just wanted to remind you all that we don't have a blog this week, so save your extra posts for our final week (December 2). Take the week off and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Thanks!

Seeing Double? Twins!

Hey everyone, I just thought of an interesting topic to discuss! Twins. In my family, twins are prevalent on both sides. My dad has twin sisters, and my grandmother (my mom's mother) is a twin. Therefore it is a possibility that either my sister or I might have twins. I always ponder the concept of twins when I think about having children someday. What kind of impact do you think twins has on a family rather than just two siblings? Does sibling rivalry increase with twins rather than just siblings? Does it seem to you that twins either love being a twin or hate it? What differs in relationships between identical or fraternal twins? Finally, how is the twin relationship different if the twins are both the same gender or of two different genders? I know this is a lot of questions, just looking for some interesting feedback! :)

Bye Bye, Baby

Why do you suppose our families, and the people we love as family, make us so happy, but also are able to destroy everything we hold dear? I do believe that the answer you all may think of is obvious: We are so attached to the people we love that when we, ourselves, or they pull away, it rips out a part of our hearts. But try to think differently. Why are we so attached to the people who raise us where other species of animals grow up and get out without a backward glance? Why are we different? Is it because we are "intelligent" or we are "more advanced" than other species of animals? Or is it because we are less wise?

Mother, Dear...

So after talking to a few of you about who y'all interviewed for the final project, an incredible amount of people interviewed their moms. So the question is this, who are you guys closer to? Your mom or your dad? Why? If you're closer to one parent and you interviewed the other, why? If you are closer to the parent you interviewed, why did you interview the parent you probably already know more about? Why do you think daughters are closer to their moms? Or do you? If you think otherwise, why do you think so?

Teen Moms

So, Seemay touched on this a little bit in Frances's post but I's seriously curious about everyone's opinions on teen mother hood. What would you do if you found out you were pregnant? Is it possible to do everything. Lately, I've seen a lot of really young pregnant women and I think this may be due to the attention the media has given this prospect. Many of the shows about this convey a sense of accomplishment in the women who were dumb enough to not think about the future and I think that many young women think, "Oh, well SHE may have had a hard time, but look how happy she is," or "She may not have been able to do it, but watch this." Let's hear it. . .

Moms with Degrees

So I have had this discussion lately with my suitemates. The dilemma I constantly have and that we were discussing was having children. We are all females attending an istitution of higher education, so why are we coming to college for 4 or more years if we want to be moms. So my question is do you want to be a stay at home mom with a degree, or do you want to have children and still work? What age do you plan to have children, if any, and what do you think about the stigma placed on women to have children especially at a young age. How does this have an effect on many young women's decisions about higher education?

Fairy Tale Time!

Since this is an all girls class, I'm going to post a fun blog (even though it's not my week). Having an all girl class has it's perks, like talking about fairy tales!!! So I'm curious what y'all's favorite fairy tales are, Disney or otherwise, and why? What drew you to them? Keeping it in line with the class, I suppose we can look at the family spectrum, what do you think about the families in this fairy tale? Did you ever wish you could be one of these fairy tale princesses (or character in general)? Did you have a favorite character besides the main one? What is you favorite version of this fairy tale?

Parent-child Relationships

Hi, everyone! It's not my week for the blog, but I came across an interesting thought, what makes a person daddy's little girl or a mama's boy? Why do we form a closer connection with one parent over another? Is it simply based on the amount of time we spend with one of them? Or, the quality of that time we spend with them?

I personally think I am closer to my mother, but during my childhood I think I spent an equal amount of time with both of my parents. Both of my parents had full-time jobs so any time I had with them was really special. However, I think I may have had a transition from being closer to my mother than my father. I think I became closer to my mom when I got older because I realized that it was super awkward to talk about boys and teenage girl drama with my dad.

So, please write what you think about it! I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

How Much is Too Much?

Hey everybody! Lately my mom has been tuning into shows like "19 and Counting..." and "Kate Plus 8." Even if you haven't seen them, I bet you've heard of the "Octomom." What do you think about these super-sized families? Is it "the more the merrier?" When do you draw the line? At what point do you think these parents should step back and say, "Woah, we might need to take a break"? Or should they continue having children? How do you think the children are affected by this lifestyle? What are the positives and negatives of having such a large family?

Anyway, those are just some questions to get your brain pumping. If you'd like, you can also mention your own family! What are your experiences with a large (or small) family? Do you ever wish you had a larger or smaller family? Why or why not?

I hope you guys have a good week! See you next Wednesday! :D

Family Restoration

Hey everyone!

So, I was actually talking to a friend over the weekend and we got on the subject of family issues. One that was particularly interesting to me was absent family members. What I mean by an absent family member is a close member that dies or a close member that leaves the family for other reasons (divorce, personal reasons, etc). I was curious not about what your thoughts were about leaving, but about the restoration of the family after. Do you guys think that a family can ever be fully back to “normal” after a family member leaves the family? Also, does it vary depending on whether the family member died or whether they left by choice? Who do you think has the hardest time returning to “normal”, older members or younger members? Why? I can’t wait to see what you guys have to say!

On a side note, since it is nearing Halloween, anyone want to share what they’re going to be?? :)

Revised Blog Schedule

Hi, all!

Meagan has volunteered to post for our remaining missing class member week, so here is the revised blog schedule:

October 28: Sybelle
November 4: Meg
November 11: Frances
November 18: Meagan
December 2: Kathryn

Thanks, all!

Family or Peers

Hi, everyone!

Sorry for the late post. I totally forgot to revise the blog schedule when we had so many people drop the course. So, it looks like next week we're going to need either Meg or Sybelle to switch weeks. I'm just going to randomly assign one of you and it's Sybelle. So, Sybelle, you will be responsible for coming up with our blog topic next week and then Meg will do the following week. We have one more week where Genesis was supposed to come up with something, so do I have any volunteers? Posting a topic that week will count for a quantity post credit, so that means you then only need to respond once more that week to earn full credit. So, let me know if there are any takers!

Anyway, I'll just come up with the post this week. First, who do you think is more influential on a child--the child's family or the child's friends? Why?

Second, who do you think a child is more likely to listen to--his/her family or his/her friends? Why?

Have at it!

Family Traditions

Hey everyone!!

So the other day I was thinking about how excited I was about Halloween (favorite. holiday. ever!!!! I mean how can you beat free candy all over the city and wearing fun costumes, not to mention the epic scary movie marathons??) and it got me thinking about one of my favorite childhood memories. When I was little, my parents would always decorate the house like crazy for Halloween and I loved helping them out with it (even though often times I'd do more damage than help haha). It was like a ritual - every second week in October we'd go out and get the supplies (you know the drill, spider webs galore and skelton figures) and start decorating. I always loved feeling close to my family that way.

Most of my families traditions revolve around decorating for the holidays (don't even get me started on what we do for Christmas haha) as well as the food that my mom cooks (she make the most amazing green chile stew and beans ever. But maybe I'm a little biased on that account haha). My mom is hispanic through and through and although she speaks even less Spanish than I do, she still carries these cooking traditions as part of her heritage because they're things that her mother taught her. My dad is mostly Italian with a bit of German mixed in there and he doesn't do much cooking so I don't experience as much from those two cultures, but for some reason I definitely have the talking with my hands thing down. haha. Anyway, now that I've finished rambling, I just thought this would be a good opprotunity for us to share some of our family traditions.

What's your favorite family tradition or what's the biggest tradition that stands out to you in your memories of when you were little? How do you think following these traditions has influenced you as a person? Why do you think that you enjoy these traditions so much? Do you have traditions that have been passed down from previous generations to those of your parents? How big of a part does your family's background play in the traditions that you partake in?

Expectations & Family

Hi Everyone!!

So this is kind of a different topic than we've had before but I do think that most of us can relate to it or at least know someone who can, so bear with me here!

When I was trying to figure out what to write about I thought about something that all of us could relate to and I thought about a friend I had in Boston. Danielle, that's my friend, her entire life her parents pressured her to go to law school. Of course she went to college and majored in criminal justice, and frankly she hated it. She hated her classes, she hated the subjects she was taught, and she was dreading having to apply to law school. At one point I remember her calling her parents to tell them she was thinking about changing her major... this conversation was not a pretty one. Her parents simply couldn't support her doing anything besides being a lawyer, regardless of whether or not it was something she actually loved. Personally I felt so bad for her; I couldn't imagine knowing I was going to have to study and prepare to go into a field that I hated... and yet that is exactly what she was and still is doing.

So basically I was just wondering what everyone thought about situations like that? Do parents always know us better than we know ourselves and therefore have the right to tell us what is best for us to do? Are we as teenagers incapable of knowing what we should ultimately do with our lives? Or should we rebel against our parents and do what we think we want and see how it turns out?

Class Tomorrow

Hi, everyone!

Sooo, my flight back today ended up being killer (we basically started flying last night at midnight and just got back in) and I don't think there is any way I'm going to be coherent tomorrow. I'm sure you're all very upset about this, but I'm going to cancel class tomorrow. ;)

So, come prepared for class next week for Group One to present. Group One--you should really make you sure review those attachments I emailed everyone about tips on the reflection papers and the group presentations. The one major thing I'd like to underscore here is that you need to be engaged throughout the entire presentation (that is, if you're having us do an activity, you need to be moving around the groups and answering questions, etc. and not just stay in the classroom by yourselves), you need to sit back and facilitate class discussion (as opposed to answering your own questions), and you all need to work equally together (which I don't foresee as a problem in this class!).

Everyone please come prepared with The Lovely Bones for next week then, and, Tara, you will be posting your blog topic this week, so please make sure you have that up here by noon on Thursday (and the rest of class needs to look for her post and respond).

Oh, and email me your lectures, too, please. I know quite a few of you already have and I'm in the process right now of recording credit for those and sending you a confirmation email. If you don't get one by tomorrow, please go ahead and email them again.

Thanks!

Groups (again)

Hi, everyone!

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the group projects. Since I couldn't get anyone to switch over to Group Three (even with the bribe of extra credit! seriously, though, I know it's late in the semester and the real problem was that everyone in Group One had already started working on stuff), Group Three is just going to have to make do with three people. I'm sorry Group Three members, but I just couldn't force someone who has already read the book for her group and started working on the project to move over. You three will be able to do this on your own, I know it! After all, I manage to teach class each week and there is only me... :P

Seriously, though, I will definitely take into consideration the fact that you only have three members in your group when you all get graded, okay? So, I know you can pull together here, Group Three. Let me know if you have any questions or need some guidance. You can do it! :)

Stereotypical Family

So we've all been talking about the dysfunctional sides of families and what we think about divorce and sibling rivalry and abusive relationships, etc...but what about the other side of things? I'm talking about defining the stereotypical family, and not only that but defining a 'perfect' family. What do you think makes up the stereotypical family? In other words, what does 'stereotypical family' mean to you and does it differ from your definition of a perfect family, or to you, are these one and the same? From personal experience, does your family fit underneath any of these definitions?

For me, stereotypical family can several meanings, depending on what type of family you're talking about: the number of children, the kind of parents and the definition of a 'perfect' family is only one of these stereotypes. Here is the picture I paint in my head of a stereotypical 'perfect' family: upper-middle class working father who loves his job, kisses his wife each morning when he leaves and each night when he comes home and is caring father to his two children: a boy and a girl who both excel at sports and school. The wife is a stay-at-home mom who bakes and has a sparkly clean house and helps her kids with their homework. So now I've told you my personal image, what's yours? And does it relate to your family?

The Abusive Family

Hey so I was having a really hard time thinking about what to talk about this week, but then I realized that I'm living right next door to my topic. My dorm neighbor, let's call her Susie, has had her boyfriend over for over a week without her parents knowing. His living with us didn't bother the rest of us too much until he starting using the bathroom regularly and getting food all the time and having unexpected sex with Susie while the roommate was still in the room.

Then, just today, her mother shows up and starts slamming on the door, Susie having been gone with her boyfriend for the night, and Susie's roommate opens the door. Susie's mom said that she needed to talk to Susie immediately and that Susie had lied to her family about her boyfriend living with her.

Apparently, Susie's boyfriend has beaten her in the past and he is bad news. Well, she left then I saw Susie later in the day and asked her about what was going on. She said that her boyfriend had never touched her, but that her dad had verbally abused her several times and has hit her hard enough to bleed. It's really hard to know whom to believe. Susie raised her little sister, who is now 2, and she should be able to have her parents' support in everything she does, right?

She left today. She's going back to Gallup and has decided to enroll in that branch of UNM. Is this a good idea? To be so close to an abusive family life? She has run away before, but has always returned to her little sister. What can she do? her parents are her parents, but at what point is their authority too much? When does respect and love die to fear?

Sibling Relationships and Rivalry

To begin with, I have to let everyone know that I am an only child so I’ll never know what it’s like to have brothers or sisters; however, I do have an outsider’s view of sibling relationships! It’s actually really weird that I am an only child because my mom is the one of seven children, and my dad is the one of five. They often tell me they wanted more children before they had me. I guess I was a handful!

From what I have seen from my friends with siblings and even within my own family, it seems like the oldest child is usually meant to be the exemplary child, and the children born after the first are meant to follow in the older one’s footsteps. I am not saying that this happens in every family, but I have definitely noticed younger siblings compared to their older siblings in areas such as school and sports. I have also noticed that the youngest children are considered the “babies” and are often favored by the parents as much as the oldest child or even more. This is definitely the case on my father’s side of the family. My dad is the only boy and also the oldest child. My aunts often refer to him as the favorite along with their youngest sister while they, on the other hand, feel lost in the mix as middle children. A few of my aunts have also admitted to feeling like they were competing for the attention of their parents. This is the point where I’m not sure how sibling relationships work. Why do siblings feel like favorites exist within a family? Is it possible to love children equally? Also, do you believe that sibling rivalry exists within every sibling relationship to a certain extent?

I can't wait to read your replies! I hope everyone has a good rest of the week! :)

Friends as Family

Hey everyone! I want to look into the theme "Friends as Family". For years, I went around from group of friends to group of friends until I found the right one. After staying in this group for four years (all through high school), I consider these friends to be my family. I feel their pain as strongly as the pain of my immediate family's. So what is everyones' take on friends as family? Do you truly believe that friends can be your family? Also, do you believe that there are instances where friends are better than your family? While giving your answers, try to relate personal experience (only if you want, of course) so we can learn more about you and better understand the point you are making. Looking forward to reading your replies!

Groups, etc.

Hi, everyone!

So, we've had another student drop the course--Genesis (I swear, you all are dropping like flies...I hope I'm not upsetting people, lol).

Since this leaves Group Three with only three people, I am requesting that someone from Group One to move to Group Three. If you all have done too much with your project already and you don't want to, I understand, but I'd really, really appreciate someone moving to Group Three--this is a lot of work for just three people and having just one extra person will really help them out a lot. Whoever moves over will also earn some extra credit (which we will talk about as soon said person lets me know) since we're already three weeks into the semester. So, maybe that will be some good enticement...  :)

Please either respond to this post or email me and let me know!

Thanks!

Mixed Families

Hey Girlies!!! My turn. So, since all of us are girls, I'm hoping all of us have seen Cinderella. We see the family relationship between the evil step mother and step sisters. I wanted to know what your thoughts were on the whole topic of mixed families. Does the movie portray realistic relationships between step parents and step siblings? Or is this a false fear Disney puts in childrens' heads about mixed families not being able to get along? Can a person suddenly form a familial bond with a person they've never known? Also, in being a step parent, would one have the same authority and ability to discipline a child as a biological parent?

Hope you guys have a great week and we'll see you next week

Divorce and Relationships

Divorce use to be a big deal; a poor choice in society. Nowadays it is sadly common and 'normal'. When researching a bit, I found this website http://www.divorcerate.org/ and it said that the correct rate of divorce is about 41% and gets higher depending on how many marriages. Then it goes into more detail about each age group. I was surprised to see that the 20 to 24 year olds had a greater chance of getting divorce than the 20 and under year olds with about a 10% difference. To me, this is pretty significant. As young adults, what do you think about marrying young? And why do you think the 20 to 24 year olds have a higher chance of divorce?

I have thought about this a lot myself. I have been going out with my boyfriend for a little longer than 2 years and we just moved in together (which is going very well). And while we were discussing relationships, he said something that I hadn't ever thought about before. Many people who have had past relationships compare them with relationships they are in now. In a way sometimes that can be detrimental. I would like to think these 20 and under year olds have had fewer relationships. Do you think this could be a possible factor? Also when you think about what you are doing in each age group, what factors do you think about?

While we are on the topic of relationships, does anyone want to share some awesomely sweet stories about your partner?

Hooray for an all girl class!! :)

Families Left Behind

We have not studied familial themes in many sources yet since this is the beginning of our class, so I would like to direct your thoughts to The Odyssey. As you know, Odysseus' journey begins in The Iliad, when he leaves his home of Ithaca and family to fight in the Trojan War. When Odysseus has still not returned home after many years, we see the effects of Odysseus' absence on his family in The Odyssey. Now think about how this same situation pertains to our world today. Odysseus left his loved ones to fight and stand up for his people. Today, many men and women are leaving their own loved ones to defend their country. Think of the lonely Penelope and Telemakhos who was an infant when his father left. Think of the families left behind who have to carry on in the absence of their husband, wife, father, mother, sister, brother, etc. How do these two situations compare? What effect(s) does the absence have on the family? How could/should the families respond? Do you think this situation was more difficult in Odysseus' time or in our world today? For what reasons? You may want to figuratively put yourself in the shoes of the family members in order to better understand if you have not experienced this firsthand in your life.

Revised Groups

Hi, everyone!

Since we lost Lexi and David and Genesis has moved to Group Three (thank you, Genesis!), I just wanted to pose the revised groups here.

Group One: Tara, Seemay, Lauren, Meg, Carolyn (the same as before)

Group Two: Sybelle, Ale, Meagan, Amy

Group Three: Genesis, Frances, Taylor, Leah

Thanks!

Groups

Hi, class!

Below are the groups with their chosen themes/books (except Group Three--also, Group Three, please note that since Al has dropped there are now only four people in your group. If you would like one more person in your group to handle the workload, then someone from Group Three needs to please email me ASAP and we'll see if we can't convince someone in Group Two to move over; otherwise, the groups will stay the same).

Group One: Tara, Seemay, Lauren, Meghan, Carolyn

Book: The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

Theme: Absent Family

Group Two: Lexi, Sybelle, Ale, Meagan, Amy, Genesis

Book: My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult

Theme: Sibling responsibility and personal conflicts

Group Three: Leah, Taylor, Frances, David

Book: TBA

Theme: TBA

Blog Schedule

Hi, everyone!

So, Al has decided to drop the class (which leaves David all alone in a sea of women, hehe). That means that we have one week without anyone posting, so please, please notice that I have moved Lexi to take Al's spot on October 21. If this totally doesn't work for you for whatever reason, Lexi, please email me and let me know.

Otherwise, the schedule is below:

September 2: Lauren and Seemay
September 9: Leah and Ale
September 16: Carolyn and Taylor
September 23: Meagan A.
September 30: Tara
October 7: Amy
October 14: Fall Break; No Blog
October 21: Lexi
October 28: David
November 4: Meghan M. and Sybelle
November 11: Frances
November 18: Genesis
November 24: Thanksgiving; No Blog
December 2: Kathryn

Welcome!

Welcome, class, to the Legacy of the Family Story Blog!

I hope that you all were able to set up your accounts without much problem. The topic for this week to get us started will be created by me. Since it's the first week of class, I just want us all to get to know one another a little better. So, why did you sign up for this class? What do you hope to get out of the class? After our first class and reading the syllabus and getting an idea what's in store for you, what are some things you're excited about? What are some things you want to learn more about? What are you dreading? :)

Finally, what are you hoping to get out the honors program in general? Why are you taking honors? What does honors mean to you?

Okay, let the games begin...