Shout Out for Dad

I just have to give a shout of thanks to my dad for always being there for me and my siblings as we grew up. My teacher told us a statistic in class that says, "The number one predictor of poverty is having a father in the home."  It may seem like such a small thing to have a father present in the home, but apparently it is a lot more important than I ever realized.  The fact makes sense, though.

In my Political Science class today we were talking about women's rights and the Equal Rights Amendment (which has not been passed for those who have not heard of it).  Basically it would make men and women equal in all things that have not been determined otherwise by the Supreme Court - things such as women not being part of the draft.  Women today still get paid less than men on average.  for every $1.00 earned by a man, a woman earns $0.76.  Granted, men have higher paying jobs on average than women, but that is exactly the point I am trying to make.  Men are able to earn more than women and are thus able to better support a family.  Without a father in the home, there is less of an income thus making it harder to stay out of poverty.

So once again, thanks Dad for being there.  You have helped make my life better in more ways than one.

Trends

In class on Wednesday we discussed the different trends within families that have been recognized by social science.  The main ones we discussed are as follows:


Cohabitation - increased
Adults living alone - increased
Marriages being postponed - increased
Household sizes - decreased
Single mothers - increased
Working mothers (especially those with children under 6) - increased
Birth rate - decreased
Premarital sex - increased

One thing that was pointed out by a classmate is a quote from The Family:  A Proclamation to the World.  It reads, "The disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets." 

I don't know about you, but it is kind of frightening how messed up the family is becoming.  Even though I did not always get along with my family, I am glad that we lived the way we did:  everyone together and always there for each other when needed.  I never had to worry about having to bounce back and forth between my mom and dad due to divorce.  I never had to come home from school to find nobody there because mom and dad were both at work.  I seem to have "had it easy," but I am glad I did.  It made life as a child less confusing than it likely was for other children who did have to live with those things.


People do not always think about the affect their actions have on others, especially children.  Something that seems like a tiny thing to a parent - like sending their kids to a child care center instead of letting them come home to parents after school - can drastically change the direction that child takes their life.  Family becomes less important to them because it is less important to their parents.  With the way we are depleting the importance of the family, it is no surprise it is falling apart.  When the family is gone, who will we turn to for help?  For comfort?  For support?

Introduction

Hey Everyone,

I am setting up this blog as part of my family relations class at Brigham Young University - Idaho.  I will be posting information about what I learn in my class with my opinions and insights into the different topics we discuss.  Feel free to respond to anything and everything you have an opinion on so we can learn more from each other.

-Alison Blau