Category: Uncategorized

 

This is my best friend Megan Tracy’s dog and she has helped their family in many ways. For one, Megan’s dog always visits her at college and it helps her a lot because dogs reduce stress level and since college is stressful, getting to see her dog helps a lot.

 

 

 

 

This is my cat Izzy. My mom and I adopted her about four years ago when my step father passed away from cancer. Izzy has had a huge impact on the way we were able to cope with our loss and our four legged friend has brought so much happiness into our family and we are very thankful for her. When I am sick she will never leave my side, she will even climb on top of me and sit right next to my face to make sure I am okay.

 

 

 

This is one of the two dogs that my friend Luke Still has in his household. Luke has two brothers, and his mother and father are married and they all live together in the same house. The family is very close to each other and their dogs are extremely important parts of their lives. They bring their dogs everywhere they go including going camping, or even a drive to the store.

 

 

 

 

 

This horse is also another pet of Megan’s and this is the one that she is closest to. Megan takes her horse out for a run everyday and she will spend almost the entire day with him. Whenever Megan is having a bad day or something is stressing her out she will go to her horse and take him out for a ride and it always helps her calm down. Megan’s pet horse has had a huge impact on the way she copes with things and she is extremely thankful to have him by her side.

 

 

 

 

This is my friend Jillian Rawding kitten, Stormi. Jillian adopted Stormi after her dog, Oreo, passed away which she was extremely devastated about. Stormi has helped Jillian cope with the loss of her dog a tremendous amount and she is very lucky to have been able to adopt her kitten. Stormi snuggles Jillian just like her dog did and she even got to raise her because she got her when the kitten was just a couple months old.
This is my brothers bunny Cora. My brother adopted her about three months ago with his girlfriend, Cassey. They moved to Pennsylvania a year ago and they thought it would be a great idea to have a pet for companionship and to add to their apartment.

Having a Pet Helps Relationships Stay Together

 

For anyone wondering if there are any ways to improve relationships and keep them healthy, four legged friends may be the trick! Now more than ever divorce has become more common than people would like to think. In fact according to Sarah Jacoby the divorce rate in the United States is currently at about 50%. However, there may be a solution to help relationships stay healthy and happy thanks to pets.

Pets have always been known to have a positive impact on people’s mood, however not many people know the health benefits that come along with owning a pet. For example, according to Psychology Today there was a study done with one-hundred couples. Fifty of the couples had a pet, while the other fifty did not own a pet. The couples who had a pet together were shown to have had lower blood pressure and when they were put in stressful situations, their blood pressure rose less than the couples who did not share a pet together. Owning a pet comes with many responsibilities, but they also come with many advantages to a person’s mental health and physical health as well. Lily Feinn in Bustle magazine did a study with two-hundred forty couples, some owned pets while other couples did not. She found that the couples who did own a pet together had lower blood pressure and heart rate in response to stress than the couples who did not own a pet. Pets have always been a gateway to a person’s happiness which has a positive impact on the way people act. Being in a relationship while owning a pet together will most likely boost the couple’s moods which will cause them to be happier around each other, and they will be less stressed out than couples who do not share a pet.

Another positive impact that pets have on keeping people happy is a person’s physical health. For example, when owning a dog, they require a lot of walks and they need time to play which encourages the owners to get up and be active. Physical activity isn’t only good for the human body, but it also has a positive effect on mental health. Being active is good for stress reduction, heart health, and good moods. Couples who are active will be more likely to put the couple in a better mood than people who get little to no exercise. Also dogs and other pets require interaction which encourages their owners to socially interact with other people in positive, healthy ways. According to Tracy Trautner, “research shows children who live in homes with a dog can possibly have fewer ear infections and respiratory tract infections and require fewer antibiotics, perhaps because the exposure to animals at a young age stimulates the immune system.” This is a huge advantage to having a dog, not only for the child but also for the parents. In The Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interaction by Andrew N. Rowan and Alan M. Beck, they found that pet owners had a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, systolic blood pressure, and plasma cholesterol than non-pet owners did.

Deciding to co-own a pet together is also looked at to be a step towards marriage and children. Co-parenting a pet requires a lot of teamwork and decision making which strengthens the couples ability to work together, get along, and improve decision making with each other. Also, having shared interest in affection for their pet can cause a strong, healthy bond. A study done by the University of Buffalo found that pet-owning couples were closer and were able to handle stress better than their pet-less counterparts, said Lily Feinn in 8 Ways Getting a Pet Will Affect Your Relationship. She also goes into detail how sharing a pet will deepen the commitment to each other and create a stronger bond because of the affection that is shared for the pet.

Overall, pets are shown to improve people’s mental and physical health, and many couples who own pets together are recorded to have lower blood pressure and heart rates when compared to couples who do not own a pet together. Pets help improve people’s moods, their stress and anxiety levels drop, and owning a pet together is also a stepping stone onto marriage and kids. Pets do have a very positive impact on relationships, and since they strengthen a relationships bond and deepen commitment to each other, pets do help relationships stay together.

Works cited:

“3 Surprising Ways Dogs Make Your Relationships Better.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-games/201606/3-surprising-ways-dogs-make-your-relationships-better.

Feinn, Lily. “8 Ways Getting A Pet Will Affect Your Relationship.” Bustle, Bustle, 17 Dec. 2018, www.bustle.com/articles/133393-8-ways-getting-a-pet-will-affect-your-relationship.

(Rowan), Andrew N., and Alan M. (Beck). “The Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interactions.” Anthrozoös, vol. 7, no. 2, 1994, pp. 85–89., doi:10.2752/089279394787001916.

Trautner, Tracy. “The Benefits of a Family Pet.” Native Plants and Ecosystem Services, Michigan State University | College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, 19 Nov. 2018, www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_benefits_of_a_family_pet.

 

 

I took Jocelyn’s advice about including more detail about my nana’s surroundings and how she goes about her day. Her overall review was very positive which helped me feel like I was on the right track. I rearranged a couple paragraphs to include some of the details she mentioned and I also took a few things out. I also took some corrections from my professor, one being to correct my run on sentences. She reminded me to proof read my work which helped me find corrections. She also told me to have a sense of “a day in the life” of my nana which helped me write my ethnography in a sequence of my nana’s day. overall I am very happy with the way my ethnography came out and I included many of the given corrections. I was able to be more specific about her daily snacks, blankets, and jewelry. I did not have to make too many corrections, although switching around the paragraphs and adding more details enhanced my essay to be better well-written than before.

Ethnography Essay

I have the opportunity to live with my ninety year old nana, Betty, who I love very much. About ten years ago when I lived in Plymouth she lived right across the street from me, my brother, and my mom. She was very independent when she lived alone, even after her husband passed away which was about fifteen years ago. Her declining health issues has caused her to no longer live alone. In all of my nana’s ninety years she has experienced a lot of changes and this one may be her most challenging one yet because she is losing her independence.

Betty is five feet six inches and she is is on the heavy-set side. In the morning when she wakes up, Betty uses her walker to bring herself to the stairs and after she makes her way down the stairs, she has a second walker waiting for her. In the kitchen, she brings herself to her special corner on the counter where she keeps all of her cookies, individual pies, scones, and her bran muffins. She always starts her mornings by having two cups of coffee to go with her bran muffin which she insists is essential to her diet.

My nana has many special places in the house, but her favorite one is in the sitting room. She has her favorite chair that she always sits on where she crochetes and reads. On her kindle she always plays solitaire. When she is not in her chair, my cat Izzy will jump in it as soon as she gets the chance. It is always a competition between them of who will get to it first. She always wears several beaded bracelets and she is never without her watch. Since she had to move out of her own house four years ago, she does not have a lot of her own things anymore. Therefore, the few things that she values mainly consist of photographs, blankets that she made, and jewelry.

In my nana’s room she surrounds herself with old photographs because it brings back precious memories for her and it helps my home feel like her home as well. She misses her husband a lot so looking at the pictures brings back joyful, happy memories. I can tell that even though it is sad, she has so much love and care for them. Betty has been knitting and crocheting blankets for years and she has made at least one for every member of the family. She generally chooses school colors or people’s favorite colors. She will crochete for hours and she designs her blankets with zig-zag patterns. Before her arthritis worsened, she used to make people blankets everyday. She has given me so many blankets as gifts and I love receiving them because it makes her so happy to give them away.

Her bedroom is upstairs and she uses a double railing to help her up the stairwell where her second walker awaits her. In her bedroom, there is a bar on the bed to assist her with standing and sitting down easily and there are many old pictures that surrounds her with memories.

Although it has been difficult to give up her own home and move in with us, there are some positive situations that have occured for her, one being her social connections. Betty attends the Council on Aging once a week to play bingo, she attends church suppers the first Friday of every month, and she gets out to the grocery store with her daughter. Betty does not have any friends because they have all passed away. However, she does have a sister, Margaret, who is ninety-nine years old and they talk everyday on the phone.

Technology has had an influence on her, even at her age. She uses a kindle to email which she happens to call texting. She also has a facebook page but not to post anything, just so she can see pictures of the family. However, sometimes she gets confused and hits the wrong buttons and will repost an odd picture or send them to her relatives. Her use of technology is part of her daily schedule along with crocheting, watching tv, (usually Judge Judy or The Price is Right), and a daily nap is an essential part of her day.

Life for my Nana has changed dramatically and she feels as though she has lost her independence. She gets frustrated because she needs to be taken care of, but she also feels blessed to have a home to live in with family because she gets to see her grandchildren. There are many activities in this house with people coming in and out all the time. She has no past regrets, she feels she has had a good life and her future dream is to reach one-hundred years old.

 

POSSIBLE Q’s:

1. Do dogs help with people’s individual mental health? (ex. Lower chances of health issues as well?)
2. If more couples stay together if they have a pet what factors does the pet help in?
3. If thinking about having a pet, how to find out which pet fits your lifestyle best?
4. Health benefits of having a pet? Which pet is best for stress-relief?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-games/201606/3-surprising-ways-dogs-make-your-relationships-better

Continue reading Sources

After receiving the review/peer edit I got from my partner, I was able to make some minor changes. Thanks to his comments, I remembered the sources needed at the end and adding more supportive arguments from the author(s). It was helpful that he felt my paper was well organized and thought out. When my professor reviewed my paper and gave me corrections, it helped me to direct my writing to express more cognitive and emotional impacts that cell phone usage has on relationships with parents and kids. She was also able to help me find a balance between children and the parents needs. I was able to put more substance into my opening paragraph. With the use of my sources I was able to write more works cited material. I was also able to add more quotations from both of the sources which helped me to tie in what the author was trying to convey, and my agreement with the authors. By combining the recommendations from my peer and my professor I feel my paper has become far more complete and has shown what the authors message was trying to get across. Overall, I took and appreciated my partners review, as well as my professors.

Distracted Parents

In “The Dangers of Distracted Parenting,” Erika Christakis argues that parents are becoming so obsessed with their phones which is distracting them from their children. It is easy to get distracted with a noise, or a buzz, however that diversion becomes a huge issue when it begins to interfere with the emotional and cognitive bond between a child and the parent. When parents get distracted while trying to watch a toddler, it can be a very dangerous game. Children are unpredictable and often like to run off, and if you are preoccupied with what is happening on your phone it is easy and much more likely for an accident to happen.

Phones and tablets distract people extremely easily with everyday things which include driving, walking, or even watching your child when you go out. When parents stop focusing on the child’s safety and are more worried about notifications on their phone, it then puts the children in harm’s way and many horrible accidents are open to happening if the child is not being watched. Many people give young children a hard time for playing with electronics at such a young age, but it is the parents that need to be talked to. The reason why children have a tablet or know how to use one is most likely because their parents allow them to use it.  Christakis stated that “more than screen-obsessed young children, we should be concerned about tuned-out parents.” In the beginning of 2010 researchers in Boston watched 55 families in a restaurant to see what the family interacted with more, electronics or the children. As it turns out, 40 out of the 55 parents were so tuned into their phone, that when the children begged for attention, the parents neglected everything they were saying. The more often parents get distracted with notifications or conversations happening on their phone, the more often accidents are going to happen.

Another point Christakis makes in her article is how when parents spend most of their time on a screen, the children are more likely to as well. Studies show that “the average age of onset of “regular” screen use has gone from four years to just four months.” Children should have a chance to be kids, and have an endless imagination instead of being occupied on a screen at as little as less than a year old. Children should be playing outside and exploring fun possibilities with their friends and also learning how to socialize with people face-to-face rather than screen-to-screen. The more parents that become “screen obsessed” the more negative impacts it has on children.

I agree with what the author is expressing and the numerous examples that the author has given causes me to see how big of a problem this is. Time spent on devices is time not spent socializing with other people. Parents have more time with their children today but the quality has decreased because they are physically there, however emotionally they are somewhat detached because their focus is on their phone. Distracted parents are slow to see what the child needs and can then make a negative impact on the children’s cognitive development. The importance of conversation is key so strong language skills for children and if their parents are barely talking to them or paying attention to them, that has a bad impact on the child’s social patterns and abilities.

I can relate to this issue as a gymnastics coach, I can see parents from the viewing window and instead of watching their child do gymnastics they are glued to their phones and they barely ever look up. Many times when a younger child notices their parent is not watching them they get very upset and it soils their mood for the rest of practice. In the article “Kids Feel Unimportant to Cell Phone-Addicted Parents” Ellen Stum Niz says how the kids said they had to compete with technology for their parents’ attention. I also agree with this statement from my own experience and it clearly has a negative impact on the children.

A June study by AVG Technologies “discovered that 32 percent of children felt unimportant when their moms and dads were distracted by their phones.” It is not enough for the parent to just glance up from their phone and give the child a simple acknowledgement. Children need more from their parents and they need more interaction and balance between the attention they get from their parents and the phone. They lack the emotional impact that these young children need as part of their development. The studies show that more than half of parents were concerned that their use of cell phones is setting a bad example for their children.

Not only do disconnected parents cause child developmental problems, this can also lead to relationship issues, loss of empathy, sleep disturbances, car fatalities, and sadly the list goes on. Adults spending time on devices is a larger problem than people think and it should be looked at much more seriously. The balance between children’s emotional needs and parents use of electronic devices is an issue that if not dealt with, will result in cognitive and emotional disturbances in children.

 

Sources:

Christakis, Erika. “The Dangers of Distracted Parenting.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 16 June 2018, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/the-dangers-of-distracted-parenting/561752/

 

“Kids Feel Unimportant to Cell Phone-Addicted Parents.” Parenting, 15 July 2015, www.parenting.com/news-break/kids-feel-unimportant-to-cell-phone-addicted-parents

 

Ethnography Essay

I have the opportunity to live with my ninety year old nana, Betty, who I love very much. About ten years ago when I lived in Plymouth she lived right across the street from me, my brother, and my mom. She was very independent when she lived alone, even after her husband passed away which was about fifteen years ago. Because of some of her declining health issues, she can no longer live alone, she she now gets to live with us. In all of my nana’s ninety years she has experienced a lot of changes and this one may be her most challenging one yet because she is losing her independence.

Betty is about five feet six inches and she is is on the heavy-set side. She gets around the house with her walker, however she is very stubborn about using it so sometimes she will try to sneak around with her cane, or without anything. She always wears several bracelets and she is never without her watch. Since she had to move out of her own house four years ago, she does not have a lot of her own things anymore. Therefore, the few things that she values mainly consist of photographs, blankets that she made, and jewelry.

In my nana’s room she surrounds herself with old photographs because it flushes back many memories for her and it helps my home feel like her home as well. She misses her husband a lot so looking at the pictures brings back joyful, happy memories and I can tell that even though it is sad, she has so much love and care for them. She is huge on knitting and crocheting blankets. Before her arthritis worsened, she used to make people blankets all day everyday. She would make some for the ladies at nursing homes, and even her friends she met at therapy more recently. She has given me so many blankets as gifts and I love receiving them because it makes her so happy to give them away and watch people use them. Another thing she is very careful for is all of her jewelry, especially one ring that her  deceased husband gave her. She never takes the ring off no matter what, and she also has many other rings and bracelets that she wears for show.

My Nana has many special places in the house, but her favorite one is in the sitting room. She has her favorite chair that she always sits on where she crochetes and reads. On her kindle she always plays solitaire, she is obsessed with that game. When she is not in her chair my cat, Izzy, will jump in it as soon as she gets the chance, it is always a competition between them of who will get to it first. In the kitchen, she has her special corner on the counter where she keeps all of her snacks and desserts, especially her bran muffins which she “needs” to have everyday.

Her bedroom is upstairs and she uses a double railing to help her up the stairwell where her second walker awaits her. Her bedroom has a bar on the bed to assist her with standing and sitting down easily and there are many old pictures that surrounds her with memories.

Although it has been difficult to give up her own home and move in with us, there are some positive situations that have occured for her, one being her social connections. Betty goes he the Council on Aging once a week to play bingo, she attends church suppers the first Friday of every month, and she gets out to the grocery store with her daughter. Betty does not have any friends because they have all passed away. However, she does have a sister, Margaret, who is ninety-nine years old and they talk everyday on the phone.

Technology has had an influence on her, even at her age. She uses a kindle to email which she happens to call texting. She also has a facebook page but not to post anything, just so she can see pictures of the family. However, sometimes she gets confused and hits the wrong buttons and will repost an odd picture or send them to her relatives. Her use of technology is part of her daily schedule along with crocheting, watching tv, (usually Judge Judy or The Price is Right), and a daily nap is an essential part of her day.

Life for my Nana has changed dramatically a lot and she feels as though she has lost her independence. She gets frustrated because she needs to be taken care of, but she also feels blessed to have a home to live in with family because she gets to see her grandchildren and there are many activities in this house with people coming in and out all the time. She has no past regrets, she feels she has had a good life and her future dream is to reach one-hundred years old.

 

In “My Daughter’s Homework is Killing Me,” Karl Taro Greenfeld goes into detail how is daughter Esmee is drowning in homework and she is only in eighth grade. Greenfeld attempted to do Esmee’s homework for a week after continuously finding her up after her her bedtime hours trying to complete all of her homework. She does about 3-5 hours of homework everyday and gets about 6 ½ hours of sleep each night just to wake up the next day and do the same thing all over again. “She wakes up teary eyed and exhausted” each morning and it kills Greenfeld to see his daughter like this.

One thing that surprised me was how much homework Esmee was actually assigned each night. She had to read about 79 pages for english while annotating on the side, she had algebra homework every night, and she had multiple tests to study for, and that is only for three subjects. When Greenfeld attempted to do his daughter’s homework, he often fell asleep while trying to complete her work that was expected to be finished for the next day. School is like a job for children, they go all day long, come home to complete 3-5 hours of homework, go to bed and repeat the same stressful cycle for the next five days.

One interesting fact that Greenfeld used in his article is how “it turns out that there is no correlation between homework and achievement. According to a 2005 study by the Penn State professors Gerald K. LeTendre and David P. Baker, some of the countries that score higher than the U.S. on testing in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study—Japan and Denmark, for example—give less homework, while some of those scoring lower, including Thailand and Greece, assign more.” I like how he used that information because that is very strong evidence that supports his claim that there is too much homework being given. Instead of piling homework for hours every night, teachers should cut down the workload and then see how students do instead of drowning them in unnecessary homework everyday. Also, I liked how he tried to do all of her homework and was honest about how much it was and admitted that it was very hard and strenuous to complete. I enjoyed this article a lot because it was different and very interesting to read.

 

In the article “How long Can You Wait to Have a Baby?” by Jean M. Twenge, she goes into detail how people seem to misunderstand when it is “too late” to have a baby, because local ads and newspapers are sharing false and out-of-date information. Some people seem to believe that as women grow older, they have a slight chance of getting pregnant. Therefore, women get freaked out and have what some people call, “baby-panic”. Newspapers and magazines have and are still filling people’s brains with the idea that if you do not have a child when you are young, it is too late to have a child at all. They say that female fertility declines at age 27, however that is not true. In fact, Twenge goes into detail how “the typical woman is able to get pregnant until somewhere around 40 and 45 years old.” Also, it is proven in recent statistics that the fertility of women in their 20’s and 30’s are almost identical and the risk of not being able to get pregnant barely changes.

I thought it was very interesting how many magazines use old statistics and and out-of-date data about female fertility rates and risks for the modern day women. “Millions of women are being told when to get pregnant based on statistics from a time before electricity, antibiotics, or fertility treatment.” This false information that is being shared creates an unnecessary panic throughout females and it is not fair to anyone that the information is not true or up to date.

I found this article to be very interesting because while Twenge went into detail about how magazines are sharing false information, she was also sharing a story of hers. She used extremely vivid detail and I felt as if I could put myself in her shoes because I knew how she felt from how she described things. This was a great, intelligent article to read and I learned a lot of facts from it.