Tag Archives: New York Times

Social Media and Conventional Interactions

Posted on August 10, 2011 by sarah.deikun

In a New York Times article, the Boston Public Health Commission argues that changing your Facebook status to single before telling your ex-parent is not healthy. The fact that a whole convention was held on such topics seems ridiculous to me. The health commission argues that before posting a single status, ex-partners should come to an agreement to break up and stay informed. This is not a social media phenomenon, people have moved on to new partners or been over there old one before letting them know way before social media was invented. Social media is now just a visible extension. Anyway, how did they really come to the conclusion that breaking up in person is more “healthy” than doing over the internet. In person, there may be a chance for a physical altercation or less chance for one person to get their opinions out if they are not well spoken. Of course, there are pros and cons of the internet and social media specifically, but I am not sure the issues covered by the convention are those that deserve such attention. If parents and families foster environments of encouraged communication and interaction I believe there would be less impersonal interactions among peers. If parents spend all night on their blackberry and laptop, it sets an example for teens on how they should conduct their relationships with others.

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Do Husbands and Wives have equal workloads?

Posted on August 8, 2011 by sarah.deikun

A New York Times article assessed whether men and women had an unequal distribution of work in the household. The original argument that women do more stemmed from the authors’ own experience and those of the women she knows. She went on to explain a little of why she believed what she did in the first place. Her investigating on the matter, led her to analyze the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In it, she appeared to be convinced by their data that women in fact do not do more work than men. I remain skeptical of this data. I have many questions left unanswered. For example, what was considered paid work or unpaid work? What was categorized as leisure rather than work? What questions were asked to determine these findings? I think that many women and mothers do things that may not be considered work or even essential to the functioning of the household but rather just to make things a little better for the family. I do agree that perhaps mothers spend more time thinking about the functioning of the family which would remain unaccounted for. Essentially, the argument of whether or not the workload between spouses is equal does not matter. If the arrangement of the household works for the individual family, then why keep tabs? However, credit is due to mothers who do live the role of housewife and take care of children and the household. It is arguably the most underpaid job out there and has the least vacation time (none!)!

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“Was I a child abuser? Did I leave my children alone and go out to a bar? Was I on crack? “

Posted on July 24, 2011 by iselva.alcantara

While doing research on what does it mean to be an “unfit mother”, I came upon an article on the New York Times, called “Losing Custody of My Hope”.  I always thought this term to be quite subjective, but at the same time I believe there are some highly indisputable reasons you might think someone is “unfit”.  For example, a mother who is a drug addict, or physically or sexually abuses their children would be considered in most people’s eyes as unfit.

This article is written by a woman who tells her story as a divorce woman force into a custodial battle for her 3 children by her ex-husband.  According to the ex-husband, she was unfit and sued her for full custody of their children.  As you read more into the case, you realize that they ex-husband’s grounds for such allegations are unfounded.  Both were subjected to various exams/license procedures to try to prove who can be the better parent.  I was very surprised to see that he was able to make such accusations and still tell her that he didn’t feel like she was a “bad mother per se” but feels like he can be a better “primary caregiver”.  It is stated in the article that he didn’t spend enough time with his children when they were still together due to his career as a civil engineer.  I’m a little taken aback because although it is not stated I feel like what evidence he had to support this claim when he went to the courts.  What made him underestimate her motherhood and overestimate his job as a father? How do courts evaluate “unfit”?  Part of my problem is that in a country with a myriad of cultures, can one prevent favoring one set of qualities provided by one culture, over the others.

 

 

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Finding half-siblings

Posted on July 24, 2011 by natalia.tatishvili

After reading an article from the New York Times called, “Hello, I’m Your Sister. Our Father Is Donor 150”, I have learned that there is a new demand from children conceived through donor insemination, to find each other and to create relationships with their half-siblings. At first, I was shocked by this new phenomenon, but as I read stories in the article, I started to understand why it was so important for these kids to find each other. According to the article, “Donor-conceived siblings, who sometimes describe themselves as “lopsided” or “half-adopted,” can provide clues to make each other feel more whole, even if only in the form of physical details.” This statement shows us how important it is for children to be able to know their origins of birth and to relate to other kids that have the same experience or physical detail; it makes them feel more at peace, and in a sense, helps them to create their unique identity. For example, it was mentioned in the article that, “For children who often feel severed from half of their biological identity, finding a sibling – or in some cases, a dozen – can feel like coming home.”

On the other hand, these half-siblings are bonded only through the same donor and although these relationships show us how nature overcomes nurture, there is still a psychological process involved in these bonds. These kids could grow up and never find out about other half-siblings, therefore no bond is created. But once they find each other, they claim to have “Sense of familiarity”, which could be attributed to their same donor genetics or it could be placebo effect. I believe that more research is needed it in this area to really understand if it is natural bond or psychological one that makes these kids feel better about their identity or maybe even more confused depending on individual experience.   

 

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Use of Midwifes, a Childbirth Phenomenon, Fades in City

Posted on July 24, 2011 by joanna.aull

In class we saw a video on midwives and it made me think about what a good idea it was and it made me question why more people don’t make the choice of having midwives over hospitals. In a New York Times article it becomes apparent how much the choice of having a midwife becomes a financial concern. It is not a matter of having a hospital birth or home birth but women also have to think about how much money they would be investing in a midwife and how much money they would be saving in a hospital.

Many insurers see it as safer to have hospital births and ignore the fact that they may be saving money with midwives. This opinion coming from a form of higher authority affects the decision of the mother who is the one giving birth. If having a midwife was supported more by insurance and hospitals then it would become more of an option for women and it could be better for everyone. It could save the hospitals more money and could possibly lead to a healthier generation of babies.

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