Why did I go to College?

                I always knew I wanted to go to college from a young age. I had big dreams of becoming a doctor and taking care of sick kids. As time went on things in life change, yes I still had the same dream but my circumstances changed. When I got to my senior year of high school I started to take post-secondary classes and knew I wasn’t ready to go to college right away. I had a difficult time focusing and knew it would be a waste of time to try college at that stage of my life. I chose to enter the working world and do some life lessons through on the job training. Throughout my life I got the itch to go back to school and would try, but it never seemed like the right time and I’d quit.

                I was doing good with the work experience and advancement through job training. Then came the day I found out I was pregnant. I knew at this time I needed to make a change because as I was doing okay, I knew I wasn’t doing well enough to take care of me and my child. I sat down and did a lot of research on the best program and school for me before making my choice. I knew I had to do better for my son and here I am fourteen years after high school going back to college. For me I think this is the best decision I could have made. While I knew I could struggle through and make it work, I wanted better for my family. So at this time in my life college was the right choice, as it never was before.

Writing Process

I have never been sure on what my writing process is and to this day I’m not 100% sure. I think it depends on what I’m writing about and what I know on the subject. When it comes to research papers I always thought I have a good grasp on them, however now days I’m not so sure. When I was in high-school I always looked forward to research papers and learning as much as I could about the subject at hand. I’m not so sure of this now. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t had to write a paper in a long time but I have seemed to have lost my excitement about research papers. While I still like to learn about the topic, I’m finding it harder to put my thoughts and knowledge down in a paper. For me I think that if it’s something I’m passionate about it makes it harder, for there is so much information to learn and going on in my head it’s hard to put it into words. My mind is whirling with so much information and opinions it makes it hard to tell which is which and they become confused with each other. I actually think for me it is easier to be given a subject to write about so I’m more focused. I guess after so many years my writing process is still a mystery to even me and at times makes writing difficult. 

Logical Fallacies

Logical fallacies are a tricky thing in themselves. We know the popular one for all kids these day, or you could say always has been, is that everyone is doing it. My brothers were big on using this argument on our parents. Anytime they wanted to do something that they knew our parents weren’t in favor of, out came the “but mom everyone else is doing it.” While this didn’t always work sometimes they would give in and let them think they had won. Now, my brother was always inventive when he really, really wanted something and would change up his argument. I’m not sure you would consider it a logical fallacies or not, as he used the opposite of his usually argument. One year my brother really wanted to attend this summer camp that was being offered. He knew darn well that he regular argument, “but everyone is doing it,” wasn’t going to work as no one he knew was going to the camp. When it came time to sit down my mom and step dad to convince them to let him go, he shocked us all. He casually explained the camp and of course got the usually, “we’ll think about it” response. This didn’t deter him through and the next thing he said had shock value. He looked straight at my mom and step dad saying, “But no one else is doing it and I want to be different.” I couldn’t believe it, we all just stared at him for a minute. I think my parents were expecting the same argument as always they were shocked into letting him get his way and go. They just looked at each other and said, “Who are we to stand in the way of letting him be different.” So that summer my brother was off to his camp while the rest of us were stuck at home.

Daycare Issues

Daycare is a big issue for me. My son has been home with me for the first 15 months of his life and it becomes hard for me to put my trust in others to take care of him. I know no one can give him the care that I would myself, but the debate comes in who can do it best. Which brings me to the question of what is better, home daycare or daycare center?  I have talked to many people, and of course everyone has a different opinion so I still am confused. I have heard many horror stories of things happening at home daycare, more than I have at centers. However, does that mean that they are better? I tend to think so after I have looked at many daycares over time to pick the right one for my son.

                In my opinion someone running a home daycare is more at risk of becoming stressed and taking it out on the kids they are watching. While in a center there is other support staff they can call to relieve them if they are feeling stressed. Also, in a home daycare they are with the kids constantly with no break unlike in a center where they are giving a break to decompress. Now I’m not saying this is the choice for everyone, just my opinion. Another issue I had is the education my son would receive while in daycare. This again I feel he gets more of at a center versus home daycare. While in a home the children range in all ages making it hard to design a learning activity that fits all the children. In a center the children are with other children of the same age and thus making the learning environment more stable. The last thing I had to consider was supervision. Who is there to supervise the home daycare and report to you anything that happens? That’s right; no one all you have is the word of the care taker themselves. While in the center you have the care givers in the room, the director, and the cameras throughout the facility.

                In the end my choice was a center, however this may not be the choice for everyone. Whatever choice you make be sure to do your research, as our children are important and deserve the best there is out there. Good luck if you end up in my shoes and having to make the right choice, it’s a hard one.

The Glass Castle

Reading The Glass Castle this semester was an eye opener for me. I also knew that there was these type of problems in our world, but to get a firsthand look from the perspective of someone who lived it makes it that much more real. Do I think that it was a good book, yes. I think this should be a must read in all English class rooms. Not only because I find it a good book but it brings forth some important problems in our world today. This book would help young people see first-hand through their reading what someone in certain situations goes through. I think it would also help someone who is in the same kind of situation deal with what is happening to them and help them learn there are options out there. I think that there are so many kids in the world who are dealing with hard times and have no clue of the help or resources out there; they think they are the only ones dealing with it. This book opens up a new world of understanding, not only for the ones living with the abuse, but also to give others an idea of what to look for to help and understand.

Tattoos

Tattoos use to be a sign of a trouble maker or that someone has been to prison, which is still the case in today’s society. However, with the changing times more and more people are into the art of tattoos. In some societies a tattoo marks your journey into manhood, while in others it’s a sign of respect and worth you bring to the village or community. Tattoos can mean so many different things to different people, cultures or society in general.

              

  I have always been fascinated by the elements of tattoos. I got my first one on my eighteenth birthday and since have gotten two others. In my way of thinking tattoos are a way to express a time or special memories throughout your life. While I think they are an expression of one’s self, I also think people should be careful to make sure they can live with this art for life not just the time and place they are in life when they get it. My tattoos so far are all simple and be chosen to represent a time in my life, but are all something I could live with even in old age. As my life has progressed I have others I would like to get that represent one a great tragedy and one of great joy. I would like to express my memories in a memorial tattoo to my grandfather, who helped raise me, and to the birth of my son who changed my world.  However, I’m at a standstill, as the cost is higher than I can part with at this time, but I will in time express my memories in the art of tattoo soon.

Functional or Dysfunctional

What makes a family functional or dysfunctional? Well if you have even a fraction of what my family is like, we are a mix of both.  In my opinion most families that are functional have a little dysfunctional in the mix. Who are we really to say what is functional or dysfunctional, as these mean different things to everyone. What one may call a functional family, may be quite dysfunctional to another or vice versa. When it comes to my family it seems the dysfunction actually makes us function as a family. Take out these few differences and we become a 100% totally dysfunctional family, instead of a functional family with a few dysfunctions. So why labels are easy for us to throw around when we see something that fits into our definition of functional and dysfunctional, this isn’t how others truly see the same things. I think it’s safe to say that every family have elements of both and work in their own unique way to make up the family dynamic.