Myth and Reality of Co-Parenting free essay sample

One thing that almost everybody will have to deal with at least once in their lifetime is parenting. In parenting, both parents are needed to make the job easier on themselves, their marriage and their child. In the essay The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was. by Hope Edelman, Edelman tells her experience with co-parenting. Edelman, along with many women, initially believed that co-parenting was possible. She soon figured out, however, that it was not a realistic goal. Some points that Edelman hits in the essay are the gender roles and societal expectations in parenting, being the nurturer versus being the provider, and how poor communication can ruin co-parenting. A major point that Edelman brings up in her writing are gender roles in parenting and what society expects each to do as a parent. Edelman says that coming into her parenthood she thought that if she contributed half of the families’ income, then her husband would contribute half of the housework and child caring (Edelman 284). We will write a custom essay sample on Myth and Reality of Co-Parenting or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She says that she did not want to be the dominant parent in the house and wanted more of a â€Å"shared responsibility† instead of one parent doing all of the care-taking and household duties (Edelman 284). She also talks about her parents’ relationship and parenting when her and her siblings were young. She says that her mother always seemed to do everything around the house, while her father only went to work, came home and sat around (Edelman 284). Her father did provide the families’ income; however, Edelman believes her father should’ve done a little more to help around the house (Edelman 285). Edelman also says that whenever her mother passed away the household duties never were done how they used to be and the house was just different (Edelman 285). After seeing this Edelman told herself that she didn’t want the same relationship her parents had (Edelman 285). Edelman says later that women start with huge expectations for sharing the job of parenting but almost always end up doing the majority of parental duties, which is common in society still today (Edelman 285). Another point that Edelman touches on, is the concept of being the nurturer versus being the provider of the family. This topic really ties into the previous point of gender roles and societal expectations, in that society expects the father to be the provider while the mother is generally looked at as a nurturer. Edelman’s story of her parents and the roles they played as parents when she was young attests to this statement. Although Edelman wanted so badly to achieve her aspirations of co-parenting, with the hours that her husband John worked, however, it was nearly impossible. Soon Edelman accepted the role of nurturer while John was the provider until his company was off the ground and stabilized (Edelman 289). A final point that Edelman touches on is how poor communication made things much more difficult to achieve successful co-parenting. Edelman says that her husband was hardly ever at home, and that one week he logged unofficially ninety-two hours of work (Edelman 283). The way Edelman puts it is that, â€Å"There was no time together for anything other than the most pragmatic exchanges† (Edelman 286). She said that when her husband got home from work the first thing she did was jump up with something to approve, sign, or examine (Edelman 286). This compacted conversation Hope and John were having on a nightly basis was not healthy for them at all. Edelman says that she was mostly mad at John because he never said exactly what was involved when starting his own company (Edelman 287). This anger translated into regret for Hope, saying that she would have never seen herself picking up that much household slack before her and John were married (Edelman 287). This lack of communication kept snowballing until they just stopped arguing in front of each other, and instead started taking small jabs at each other that started to add up after a while (Edelman 287). The jabs included things like buying their daughter something the other didn’t want them to have, or not doing a task the other one asked them to do, small things that added on and after a while (Edelman 288). Eventually, however, John’s company stabilized and with that came fewer hours John needed to work, and with that came the stability of their household and marriage (Edelman 289). Edelman says that it has taken a lot for her to give up her dream of co-parenting, but that she has learned to live with the imbalance and inequality of duties in their household (Edelman 289). Edelman makes some great points throughout her essay and while I do agree with most of them, I disagree with her stance on gender roles. Edelman says that she wanted to achieve a â€Å"shared responsibility† in her household, that way the husband and wife would do the same amount of household duties while keeping their full time jobs. I disagree with her view of this; I believe that if the husband is the one working extended hours during a week, trying to provide for his family, then the wife shouldn’t feel angered or annoyed at having to pick up the extra slack around the house. The wife is generally the one in the household who is known for being the care-taker, the cleaner, the cook, etc. The husband is generally looked at as the provider for the family, the head of the household, the authority figure, and it has always been that way. I understand there are circumstances where the husband can’t find work, or they get let go and the wife has to help out. In that case, while the husband was home and the wife at work, the husband should help out around the house and pick up the motherly responsibilities. What I am trying to say is that it really doesn’t matter who does exactly what in parenting, as long as the child is taken care of, the bills are paid, and everyone is happy, then each parent has done their responsibility. The second point that Edelman hits on is the nurturer and provider topic. This topic really goes hand-in-hand with what was previously stated because society generally sees your role as a parent before you even have a child. They see the mother as the nurturer and the father as the provider. I agree with society on this topic and disagree with Edelman, who says that there should be an even distribution of the two. Like what was stated earlier I believe that the father should do his job of working to provide for the well-being of his family, while the mother raises her children and takes care of the household. The final point that is made in Edelman’s essay is that poor communication made things more difficult than they were, and that good communication would’ve probably helped. She says that John was out of the house so much that they only talked to each other for a few minutes each night and that it eventually got to the point that they didn’t even have time to argue with each other. This is a serious lack of good communication and it is toxic to a relationship. I believe that the most successful relationships are those that the spouses can communicate openly and easily with one another. I agree with Edelman that their poor communication hurt their relationship, as it does to any relationship, but it can be fixed over time as it was in John and Hope’s case. Edelman’s essay is a classic example of someone having high expectations, the expectations getting brought down to reality, and then the person having to cope with the reality now. She was living under a false assumption that co-parenting would be easily reached and maintained. When she realized it wasn’t going to work out she then tried to force it more, before finally giving in and living with the imbalance. She has found something more important than attaining a goal of co-parenting, or her husband John getting rich, she has found that her child’s happiness and raising her daughter no matter what is most important. I strongly believe that no matter what obstacles parents face, they should put their child’s happiness before anything. Parenting is not always easy, as you see here in Edelman’s essay. There are many different ways to parent a child, however; however one thing shouldn’t be different. No child has the right to not be happy and the parents should do everything to make sure that they are happy.

twentieth century essays

twentieth century essays The new generation of drivers have been an interesting symbol in the twentieth century , these new generation of drivers have best represented our revised American culture , not merely because of their impact on our culture but because they have changed our relationship to automobiles in our society . the new generation of drivers have a tendency to sacrifice responsibility for convenience .They have significantly changed our personal standards by accumulating driving violations . They spend too much time in the company of police officers writing tickets .these drivers seem to be missing a critical element that is relevant to the balancing of "social risk" the need to get there " with the need to take responsible precautions . But more importantly the new generation of drivers have changed the way people experienced travel . The new generation of drivers lack maturity and the willingness to analyze themselves as good responsible drivers . This grave mistake have slowly caused our roa ds to become dysfunctional . This has changed the concept of leisurely driving as a family activity . We have become a very mobile society and today our roads are thought of as killing highways . Now family outings are no longer designated on a so called " things to do " list . Today drivers convey a sense that any instances that occur on our roads are due to fate and are devoid of predictability " . These new generation drives seem to show more concern with having personalized relationships with their cars . It is apparent that the new generation of drivers lack the willingness to analyze themselves as a driver or understand that the loss of the rules of our roads create a devastating impact on all of society . It is obvious there is not likely to be any one " silver bullet " solution . There has been no orchestration of an ensemble of efforts to yield any results and a slow search for solutions . It is a fact that we have not well educated...

Global Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Global Strategy - Essay Example The formation of strategy has to be done very carefully keeping various factors in mind so that the strategy becomes successful and the company gets advantage from it in many ways. In 1980, market guru Michel Porter formulated the five forces focused on the formation of strategy based on the internal and external factors which influences a huge role in the business operation. These five forces are been set up based on the competitors that the company has in the market and these has limited the effectiveness of the strategic management to a great extent. Teece in 2007 defined the strategy formulation as the strategy being the essence of strategy which involves the selection and developing of technologies and the business models that are been built to provide the competitive advantage to the company through by removing the difficulties and thereby providing a competitive edge over the other competitors. For implementing an effective strategy the company needs to follow 6 major steps. These steps are been listed below. Define the organization- The company should know what the company is all about, who are its customers, how the company’s products can create value for the customers and also have a clear idea about the needs and wants of the customers. Define the strategic mission- Based on the knowledge about the company, the customers the company needs to define the mission for the strategy which will include the specific objectives and the goals that the company needs to achieve. Define the strategic objectives- Based on the mission statements the company needs to set up the clear objectives for the employees, these objectives will help them to focus and work towards a particular direction. The strategies implemented by the company are made either deliberately or by the emergence of a strategy from a particular situation. For a particular strategy to be

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY - Essay Example Therefore, like the social, economic, and political elements, which countries borrow from one another, design forms are considered part of a country’s culture, and countries borrow these or elements of these when they come into contact through the process of globalization. This has therefore, resulted in the globalization of designs today (Eldemery 2009). Nonetheless, the globalization or internationalization of designs is not wrong, neither is it disadvantageous to any country in major ways. However, various concerns have been raised today with regard to the globalization of designs. Primarily, some designs are distinct, and only identified with specific countries. These therefore, act as a kind of cultural identity of the countries. Therefore, when such designs are globalized, the country loses a part of its cultural identity, since the design will also be identified with other countries (Eldemery 2009). Therefore, despite the globalization of design forms, it is important f or countries to uphold the cultural, regional, national, and local aspects, as these remain of great importance. This essay will, therefore argue the case for these factors being included as influences on design processes and outcomes. According to Kim (2010), the processes of globalization and internationalization have influenced different forms of designs in different countries, including the architectural designs. However, this was witnessed since the eighteenth century, especially among the East Asian design forms, which were highly adopted by most European countries. The various designs from East Asian countries that were adopted in Europe included fashion designs, architectural designs, and art designs, among others. For instance, the popular American architect Lloyd Wright is known to have adopted various elements from Lao –Tzu, including other design elements of the Japanese architecture. Nonetheless, only the outstanding designs by a country are most likely to be ado pted by different countries. For instance, although Korea belongs in the same region with China and Japan, its designs, including architectural designs, have not attracted interest from outside countries, and this therefore reveals something about Korean designs, which might be unattractive to (Kim 2010). Nonetheless, the first factor, which is considered important to a country and its design amid the high level of globalization today, is mainly the cultural factor, which also includes the historical element. Culture is specific, as each community or society has its own culture, which is distinct, and might not compare to culture from other communities. On the other hand, culture of any community dates back to the historic times, although several components might show great changes today. Furthermore, the culture of a community is responsible for the identification of its people. Members of a community are identified by their cultures, including the various components therein. Archi tectural designs are components of the culture of any community, since each community has its distinct way of designing their buildings. Since this is crucial, countries need to preserve their historical designs, as these give meaning to their cultures, and help countries to restore their originality. An illustration of the cultural aspect might focus on Korea. The architectural designs of the Korea highly borrowed from the country’s philosophy, which is a cultural element. Kim (2010) notes that the Korean, â€Å"pungsu,† which was the Korean philosophy, contributed to the traditional architectural

Southwest Airlines - External Environment Analysis Essay - 1

Southwest Airlines - External Environment Analysis - Essay Example This paper will look at the Five Force Model affecting the degree of competition as developed by Michael Porter and discuss the effect of each factor on the airline industry. We will also conduct a PEST analysis for Southwest Airlines as part of the airline industry. The Porter Five-Force Model Michael Porter put forth his Five Force Model in his groundbreaking work ‘Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors’ back in 1980. In the decades that followed, he has further explored the global business arena in terms of competition, the value chain, the competitive advantage of nations and even how to create and sustain superior performance in business. Porter maintains that the five forces that affect the level of competition among firms in an industry are (1) barriers to entry and exit; (2) threat of substitutes; (3) bargaining power of buyers; (4) power of suppliers and (5) existing rivalry between firms. In the same work, Porter has also anal yzed industries as falling into one of the following five groups: (a) Fragmented; (b) Emerging; (c) Mature; (d) Declining and (e) Global (Porter, 1980). In fact, Porter’s analysis serves as a good theoretical tool to supplement a firm’s PEST analysis, which we shall now conduct for the airline industry in general and Southwest Airlines in particular. Sources-barriers to entry and exit: The high cost of entry and exit in the airline industry globally include investment in equipment, infrastructure, buildings and facilities, an experienced workforce and aircraft maintenance and inspection, insurance, safety and security features. The high cost of aircraft and fuel is also affecting airline sustainability and the bottom line (Southwest website, 2012). Sources-threat of substitutes: Alternative choices for air passengers would include fast trains, buses, automobiles and even ferry services. However, nothing beats the convenience of an airplane. Terrorist threats, luggage r estrictions and safety and security checks can also scare passenger away (Porter, 1980). Sources-bargaining power of buyers: With the Passenger Protection Act in place to safeguard customers against price hikes, and insurance, safety and security measures that must be maintained at all times, and discount prices that are eagerly picked up by bargaining customers, this puts the buyers in the driving seat on many counts (David, 2011). Club memberships and frequent flyer miles may be offered to regular passengers to help retain their loyalty, and there are often possibilities of an upgrade to a higher class if seating is available.   Sources-power of suppliers: McDonnell Douglas and Airbus Industries are two of the most well-recognized aircraft manufacturing firms having a global recognition and reputation. Both of these firms take most of the world’s orders but there are also a number of smaller firms that make smaller and lighter aircraft for other purposes.

Globalization In Times Square In New York City Media Essay

Globalization In Times Square In New York City Media Essay What effects does globalization have and what role does it plays in Times Square in New York City? New York City is a multicultural city in its global age, experiencing economic integration, political harmonization and cultural globalization, thus forming a monoculture. New York City is a home to people who belong to different race, nations, ethnicities and class but are forming a heterogeneous salad bowl. People living in New York City are culturally converging, creating a hegemonic consensus about the culture, yet becoming more culturally distinctive under globalization. According to Shehzad Nadeem (2009) in his article Macaulays (Cyber) Children, an increase in the cross-cultural contacts and emergence of new classifications of knowledge, sensibility and the awareness created by globalization leads to culture diffusion  [4]  (102- 122). Shehzad Nadeem (2009) in his article Macaulays (Cyber) Children writes that globalization has sown a seed of desire in an individual to increa se ones standard of living and enjoy foreign products and adopt new technology and practises  [4]  (102- 122). Thus a lot of people living in third world countries think and wish to migrate to developed countries and earn money to afford lavish lifestyle. Jagdish Bhagwati (2004) in In Defence of Globalization observe that economic globalization in any area for example, in the Times Square involves the growth in the flow of trade, technology production, identical consumer goods and an increase in financial capital  [1]  (3). Globalization of the New York City has attracted a large number of financial groups and publishing companies to set up their headquarters in the area of Times Square. Thus a lot of talent is driven from poor countries to places like New York City. Globalization does affect New York City in different ways which can be seen through a homogenous global network formed in Times Square. According to BBC News of January 21, 2007, one of the aspects of globalization in Times Square is the industrial effect on the commencement of worldwide production markets in the area and the availability of a large variety of foreign products for consumers in Times Square  [5]  . Well known brand names for example Fergie Footwear, Shoe Dazzle and HM can be seen in the area. Business Week explained the financial aspect of globalization seen in Times Square in New York City from the introduction of worldwide capital market development as the tourists come to visit the place and thus increase the capital inflow  [6]  . According to Business Week, tourists that go to USA, the highest number gathers in Times Square  [6]  . The spending of the tourists goes directly to the citys economy  [6]  . The other aspect of globalization in Times Square is the economic aspect which is based on the freedom of the flow of goods and capital across borders of countries  [7]  . For e xample certain brand names found in Times Square can also be found in other parts of the world. Thus, economic boom or collapse in Times Square will influence other regions of the world. According to Sheila L. Croucher (2004) in her book Globalization and Belonging: The Politics of Identity in Changing World, interconnectedness is the transfer of information, knowledge, ideas and people across the world which has an impact on the globalization of culture  [2]  (9-11). Globalization in the world leads to changes in some regions that have significant repercussions for the safety and protection of communities in other parts of the world. An example of the global influence can be the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, the largest city of the United States of America. This event had a huge impact on the other parts of the world in terms of the economical, political and immigration changes across the world. Another feature of globalization in Times Square is the upgrading of products that is necessary for survival in global business market due to the increased competition between the various companies. An example of competitors is Hersheys Time Square and MMs found in the same area of Times Square. Media is a powerful source of globalization that includes music, cinema, visual arts, photography, television and radio. An example is a lot of advertisements and films shot in Times Square which are then shown in the theatres worldwide. Someone who has not been to the Times Square physically will come to know of how it looks like and what do people do there. How is Times Square in New York City representing cultural diversity and globalization? Darcy Tell (2007) in her book Times Square Spectacular: lighting up Broadway writes that Times Square is located in the middle of Manhattan, which is one of the five boroughs of New York City  [8]  . In her book she also writes that Times Square serves as a centre of Manhattans transportation system  [8]  . Alan S. Oser (1986) in his book Great White Way: Planning for a Brighter Times Square writes that Times Square is famous for its bright gaslights which are symbol of the intense urban aspects of Manhattan  [9]  . Times Square is a tourist mecca and New Yorkers call it crossroads of the world. Times Square has now formed a world landmark of New York City. Due to the growth in New York City, Times Square quickly became an immutable prime location as a cultural hub of multiplex movie theatres, music halls, shopping malls, upscale hotels and grand restaurants that flourish beneath glittering canvas of eye popping neon signs. Huge billboards of well-known brand names like LG, Toshiba, Samsung, Coca Cola, McDonalds fast food seen in the Times Square are also seen in some third world countries and this is an evidence of the corporate globalization and the integration of the same into different cultures. People living in third world countries listen to Rihanna and Eminem in the same way as people walking the streets in Times Square. b) C:UsersOwnerPicturesmcdonsds.jpg Attractive features of the Times Square are the ABCs Times Square Studios from where Good Morning America is broadcast live, Naked Cowboy, shopping and entertainment places like the Toys R Us store, Virgin Megastore, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Hersheys Time Square, a candy heaven where one can find best of Hersheys brand, MMs store, Hello Kitty store, B.B. Kings Blues Club and other luxury stores  [10]  . LED screens put up in Times Square give the news updates and thus people in the surrounding area get to know what is going on in the other parts of the world. The Discovery Times Square Exposition is New York Citys first large-scale exhibition center  [10]  . The Discovery TSX offers unforgettable experiences for the ones who visit the place for entertainment, learning, and adventure  [10]  . James Traub (2005) in his book The Devils Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square writes that Times Square has turned to a popular center of New Yorks civic li fe  [11]  . Times Square is the most popular intersection and a famous gathering place to celebrate Hercules Electric Parade in June, presidential election and is also the site for the annual New Years Eve ball drop. Ball drop ceremony started on 31 December 1907 and is celebrated ever since  [10]  . Hundreds of thousands of people gather in December while tens of millions sit in front of their television sets to watch the ball drop. In the 1920s and 1930s Times Square had become an area associated with corruption and crime  [12]  . Times Square was generally regarded as a dangerous neighbourhood  [12]  . But the situation changed when in the 1990s, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani made efforts to clean the area by shutting down pornographic theatres, increasing security and relocating drug dealers  [12]  . Corporate investors planned to build skyscraper offices and thus develop the area to be tourist friendly. According to Sharon Zukin (1996) in his article The Culture of Cities, a Disney store was opened in 1990s in Times Square by the Walt Disney Company, which attracted more family-friendly businesses to the area, leading to what is called Disneyfication  [1]  4.The area is a lot safer now than in the early nineties and is once again a magnet for tourists and a center of New Yorks social scene. Broadway theatres in the Times Square area refer to the performances presented in one of the 40 large professi onal theatres, which is a popular tourist attraction in New York City  [13]  . Sharon Zukin (1996) writes in his article The Cultures of Cities that Time Square is famous for its night-life and social entertainment thus every year 26 million visitors come to gawk at the bright lights and enjoy themselves  [14]  . Another Tourist attraction close to the Times Square area is the New York International Fringe Festival which is the largest theatre festival in North America  [15]  . The festival has art and dance performances, childrens theatre and is also popular of its live-action events conducted by people of different countries who have come to present their culture  [15]  . Author Lynne B. Sagalyn (2001) writes in her book Times Square Roulette: Remaking the City Icon that Time Square has become citys icon of entertainment as the place is famous for its busy streets, dense and diverse pedestrian activity and cultural diversity  [16]  . Another feature of globalization visible in Times Square is a variety of food available from Thai soup to Indian curry. Time Square has been a place where tourists have found what feels like home in an Americanized environment. Now Times Square growth and prosperity had made it a distinct icon of its own and people visit it to observe its social life and because of its entertainment providing atmosphere. For some people, visiting the place is like a dream come true.

Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve :: Music Bitter Sweet Verve Essays

Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve A contemporary song must be carefully chosen to be put in the UTD time capsule. The song must cover the many characteristics assembled in this class as well as the many characteristics of our generation. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® by the Verve is the perfect song to combine these positive and negative aspects. It will fairly portray to the future the many colors of the students of UTD. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® should be chosen by the class, because it is the ideal song to accomplish getting our message to the future accurately. It is important for the complexities of our generation to be shown through the song our class chooses. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® accomplishes expressing the differences in our lives and how we see and react to the world around us. The youth of this generation lives many different lives with different wants and ambitions driving us and a different life style and past to withhold us. One thing we have in common is we have all experienced joy and sorrow, some more than others and some to a greater extent. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® combines crucial elements of lyrics and music to represent our generationà ­s complexities. Through its poetry, the song combines thoughts of good times and the remembrance of the bad. Using the symphony to illustrate oneà ­s past and naturalness was a brilliant move. This correlation of lyrics and music is like no other and à ¬makes all attempts from this day on to create à «rock classicsà ­ utterly redundantà ® (Time Out). Taking the simple fact that à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® combines elements of todayà ­s youth leads to another idea. In portraying the characteristics of each one of us, it will equally represent us all. In expressing the bitter and sweet sides of a personà ­s life, the song accurately captures the importance of each individual, specifically each individual in this generation. For each person in this class, on this campus, and of this generation there is an aspect of à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® that will reflect them. The reality of life is what the song reflects, and reality is something everyone can relate to. The song combines critical characteristics of reality to equally represent each youth of today.