Children Kurt Bruner and Steve Stroope begin chapter 1 of their book titled It Starts At Home: A Practical Guide to Nurturing Lifelong Faith, with the following two sentences, “If you’ve ever been part of a loving, healthy family you have smelled the sweet aroma of heaven. If you’ve ever lived in a troubled, broken home you have breathed the foul stench of hell.” For many couples, having children can be the most pleasing experience they will ever have in their marriage. Unfortunately, for many others—those that are unable to cope with the stressors children bring to a marriage—will view the experience as a detriment to their marriage. For some just deciding when to have children can be a marriage stressor. For others, an unexpected pregnancy can cause tremendous stress in a marriage. Parenting requires a change in lifestyle and brings with it many challenges to a marriage. Those couples that think they are prepared soon find out that there is no way to prepare for all that raising a child entails. For those that are not prepared or did not get the chance to adequately prepare, there will be times when their commitments to each other will be tested. How does a couple survive and ensure that they and their children get to smell the sweet aroma of heaven as opposed to the foul stench of hell? First and foremost, a couple must have an understanding that there will be challenges ahead. They must identify what it takes to keep their family strong. In the book Fantastic
This usually comes when the couple believes they have their ducks in a row and the creation of an infant would only bring more satisfaction and joy. When women get pregnant the first thing that they usually do is run to the book store and they’ll pick up “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff. Naturally, expecting a child causes a mommy-to-be to read into what to is to come in the months awaiting the arrival of the child. Not because that mother had an essay to write on it the next day but because that mother could feel the flutters in her tummy- which could have either been the baby kicking or gas. This is inconclusive. When the newborn arrives the couple experienced exactly what they sought which was the pleasure of bringing a human being into the world. Raising a child isn’t completely filled with ease but this form of secondary education taught them a lot about themselves as the baby developed. The new parents learned to be unselfish by not spending frivolously in order to save up for their child’s college fund. Having a child also encouraged this couple to improve their health. “Fatherhood comes with a lot of great health perks” says Marcus Goldman, M.D., author of The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months. “Not only does it inspire men to take better care of themselves physically, but it also
The case study of The Thompson family presented in Chapter 10 of our textbook, “Essentials of Human Behavior” delivers a scenario that many individuals longing to become parents are faced with in life. As the wife of a retired military Staff Sergeant, this case study is a reminder of my experience of my husband’s two deployments to Iraq. The Life course perspective gives an outline of how people’s lives are shaped by different life events that we have abso1utely no control over and the also the challenges associated with managing the stressors of life. In this case study I will analyze the challenges that Will and Felicia Thompson are faced with in their transition of parenthood.
I was shocked when I first heard I was pregnant. I had recently drifted away from the first cherished, writing husband like a weathered plastic bottle drifting into the ocean. It was a simple good bye; we both knew it would not work out. Five years after the first marriage, I was adamant about finding another person to share my struggles professionally. I felt lonely, suddenly reminded of my nomadic life – my seasonal commute between rural
The study utilized a phenomenological research methodology to study the impact infertility has had on the couples lives. This method provides a clear portrayal of the meaning of parenthood for couples, the dynamics of relationships, and the thoughts and how the self is impacted by infertility.
When thinking about adding a new addition into a household, there are many things to consider. A main point would question the parents of the future child/children regarding their ability to have a stable income and a big enough house to accommodate the growth in their family. Throughout the pregnancy, the parents will face many eye opening situations, but do we ever consider what can happen after a woman conceives the child/children.
Have you ever been told that you couldn’t have a kid? Well, Kathe Hoch of Sinking Spring, PA did, she got told when she was younger and was really disappointed. From that point on, she never thought she would have a kid in her life. She also realized she had a lot more responsibility after having a kid than before she didn’t have a kid. Kathe did not think life after a kid would be different but now she says it is a lot better and different with a child. Kathe Hoch was a good student at the Governor Mifflin School District. She didn’t really like math but she loved English. Kathe looked up to be a veterinarian or a teacher growing up but never became one. A baby her was like chocolate to a little kid. 14 Years ago in 2003, Kathe gave birth
According to data from the Urban Institute, birth rates among 20-year-old women declined 15% between 2007 and 2012. Research shows that only 1/3rd of couples are choosing to start families. There are many reasons as to why birthrates have decreased. For newlywed couples who are looking to start a family, money and debt may play a serious role. On the other hand, as more women graduate college the need for advancing in their career outweighs the need for children. For others, the idea of kids, in general, may be unsettling. Finally, there is a growing sentiment that having children may be the selfish thing to do.
Married couples that have a baby think it is a gift from God, but it can be the exact opposite for a teen. Statistics show that almost 750,000 U.S teens become pregnant and 79% are unmarried each year (Facts On American Teens) Teens don’t think of the conflicts that come with raising a baby, they just imagine themselves being parents. Having a baby as a teenage mother is very difficult. It affects with your education, work.
Before having a child, there has to be an agreement between the two people involved. Both parties have to agree on having a baby, and have to feel ready to be able to deal with the responsibility of being a parent. Once you have a child, you are stuck with the responsibility. For many people this causes a problem between the couple since their feelings towards having a child might be different. In an article titled Till Children Do Us Part by author Stephanie Coontz it states, “The Cowan’s found that the average drop in marital satisfaction was almost entirely accounted for by the couples who slid into being parents, disagreed over it or were ambivalent about it. Couples who planned or equally welcomed the conception were likely to maintain or even increase their marital satisfaction after the child was born.”, children can either create a family and bring it together, or in some cases it can cause conflicts. A marriage works out more and
I resonated with the idea that there are societal ideals at play in the expectation that couples should have babies. This strong social narrative is imbedded with values such as a “selflessness” that could come from being a parent. The video entitled Just the two of us: Childless by choice provides us with the perspective that some individuals do not feel this is the only way to be selfless. Another value in our culture is the narrative of all the joys of being a mother. While this could be very real, this narrative can bring disappointment to many mothers. The article by the Huffing post entitled Why Childfree Couples Have It All notes that “when a social role like motherhood is difficult, romantic myths need to surround it to keep it in
Not only can premarital sex lead to an unwanted child, but it can also bring about a time of great psychological pain and
Bass identifies three process through which the anticipation of parenthood influences heterosexual couples without children: 1) mental processes that lead women to be more likely than men to consider parenthood when thinking about balancing work and life, 2) emotional processes that cause negative experiences for women, when preparing for parenthood and a career and 3) the behavioral process that lead men and women to adjust their career goals in the anticipation of future parenthood.
There will be many life altering decisions taking place within the course of one’s life. The decision of giving birth to a child is the one that will carry the most profound effects for the rest of your life. Not only is a new life being created, but the one carrying that life undergoes a series of physical, mental, and biological. A woman’s body is able to adjust itself in order to make room for the baby that is growing inside her. The side of effects of what happens to a pregnant woman will not be happy ones, but they will be necessary for keeping the baby alive and well.
People always think that once you have a kid, it will be all sunshine and daisies. Maybe sometimes it can be like that, but not always. There are joys and challenges with everything in life. Many people have different ways of describing the joys or challenges of taking care of an infant, for example, some people would find that first outing as a joy and some people find it as a challenge. Men and Women both have perspectives with how they raise their children, whether together or as a single parent.
Becoming a father is a life changing experience. Most fathers will remember that one special day for the rest of their lives, while other fathers say the day their child was born was the day their life as they knew it was over. After sitting down and interviewing three different fathers who had three very different experiences before and after child birth my eyes have been opened to the multiple views, experiences, memories, and feelings these three gentlemen have experienced or will soon experience. Mr. Snyder who is currently awaiting the birth of his first child in the spring of 2015 was the first man I interviewed. Mr. Celso is the second man I interviewed. Mr. Celso and his wife experienced a very emotional and nerve wrecking pregnancy and birth of their two 4 month old twins. Lastly, Mr. Shipley was the last man I interviewed. Mr. Shipley is a father of a one year old boy. Mr. Shipley’s experience of the birth of his child was much different then the other two gentlemen given that Mr. Shipley and the mother of his son are not in any type of relationship, nor were they during their child’s birth. Each of these men shared a lot of similarities as well as an abundance of differences regarding their children and soon to be children.