30 years ago the average age for women having their first baby was about 25. Today the average age is 29 and increasing. This is a tendency showing a development in total contradiction to the midwives advices saying that physically it’s better to have children earlier. How did it become this way? What are we prioritizing before our own and our future children’s health?
I believe the first cause for this development is our standard of living. If you want to start a family, but are aiming for a successful life, there is a list of things you are expected to achieve, as well as a preferable order to do so. At first you need to get a good education and a permanent job. The next thing to do is to find a place to live, preferably a house of your own and of course a nice car. In addition to all of this, when you finally have your first child it will be very expensive, since you probably will feel a need of buying the latest fashion of strollers, clothes and other things for your baby as well as for yourself.
In addition to all the material needs, children are often seen as obstacles instead of resources. Many people think they have to live life, travel the world and go to parties before they start their families, since then they might be stuck at home for many years. It is very hard to believe
Maybe the most crucial cause is the constant search for the perfect partner. Media is sending out messages which are creating an illusion of “the perfect relationship” and what it’s supposed to be like. I believe, in a way this is a contributing cause for the increasing amount of divorces and separations. It’s hard to say, but maybe we give up too easy when times get tough, hoping the next one will be the ultimate partner. There is a big risk that years pass by and you end up alone or possibly with a partner but without children.
Being a young parent myself, I have heard all the arguments mentioned above. When I was pregnant with my first child, strangers felt free to stare and loudly express their feelings about me like I wasn’t a real person with feelings. Through my own experiences I know that you don’t need all the material things or a successful career to be a suitable parent. Despite this, the development over the last 30 years is speaking its clear language. It’s evident that even though the achievement of creating a family might be as important for us as for the previous generations, the world has changed.
We have reorganized our values and found new features in life to put on top of the list of goals we want to achieve. Since we are only human there are some physical limitations we can’t avoid. Therefore the question is not if, but when, the trend changes direction.
tisdag 26 maj 2009
Big Brother is watching you
As time goes by, we are getting more and more watched. There are many different kinds of surveillance, and probably as many reasons for them to exist. The question is; who are watching us, and for which purposes?
Our ancestors has fought very hard for our democracy. Therefore it is something we must protect.The big issue to sort out is whether the surveillance is a threat to democracy and the free society. I have thought long and carefully listing both advantages as well as disadvantages, and come to the conclusion that there are very few negative sides of this phenomenon.
The first kind of surveillance I come to think about is the monitoring of all e-mails, text messages and phone calls we make. At first thought I found this quite disturbing, since I would prefer to keep my messages private, but after giving it some time I have reconsidered. I can perfectly understand why this kind of surveillance is needed and now I understand that there are no actual persons going through my e-mails. A computer sort out messages based on a list of high risk keywords, and later those messages are read by employees, who decide whether they need to take action or not.
The next kind is the surveillancecameras. You can find them almost everywhere. In a way this can feel disturbing, but there are many advantages. If there are cameras monitoring public areas in the cities, I believe, less crimes will be committed, since there is a good chance for the police to catch the criminals caught on tape.
I know that since I pose no threat to anyone, my e-mails are not interesting at all. Therefore if this method can catch terrorists or other criminals, I am very happy to pay the price.
Our ancestors has fought very hard for our democracy. Therefore it is something we must protect.The big issue to sort out is whether the surveillance is a threat to democracy and the free society. I have thought long and carefully listing both advantages as well as disadvantages, and come to the conclusion that there are very few negative sides of this phenomenon.
The first kind of surveillance I come to think about is the monitoring of all e-mails, text messages and phone calls we make. At first thought I found this quite disturbing, since I would prefer to keep my messages private, but after giving it some time I have reconsidered. I can perfectly understand why this kind of surveillance is needed and now I understand that there are no actual persons going through my e-mails. A computer sort out messages based on a list of high risk keywords, and later those messages are read by employees, who decide whether they need to take action or not.
The next kind is the surveillancecameras. You can find them almost everywhere. In a way this can feel disturbing, but there are many advantages. If there are cameras monitoring public areas in the cities, I believe, less crimes will be committed, since there is a good chance for the police to catch the criminals caught on tape.
I know that since I pose no threat to anyone, my e-mails are not interesting at all. Therefore if this method can catch terrorists or other criminals, I am very happy to pay the price.
Grades
Since school attendance in Sweden is compulsory, almost everybody despite of age has their own opinion concerning the existence of grades during the first years in school. The current discussion regarding whether Swedish children should receive grades earlier is very important. Since our children are forced to grow up far more rapidly now, compared to a few years ago we must take action in order to protect our children and their right to a carefree childhood filled with joy. According to my own opinion, grades during the first years in school do not contribute to this cause.
We are all influenced by our experiences of grades during childhood. My own memories are dominated by stress and pressure of getting as good grades as my peers, in combination with the feeling of satisfaction and/or disappointment when finally opening the envelope. Therefore the first reason for why I don’t think grades are necessary for the youngest children is that I believe there’s a big risk that the joy and excitement they are feeling towards their education might be partly replaced by the stress and pressure mentioned above.
Another phenomenon which comes with grades is students studying only to achieve as high grades as possible. When this occurs, one crucial factor might get lost; the students are supposed to study for themselves and their own learning, not for the sake of their teachers. By own experience I know this affects the long term learning. The students prepare themselves for the test, and as soon as it is written they focus on the next one, forgetting the previous things they’ve learned.
Some people might say that grades are necessary in order to evaluate the progression of every child from the very beginning ,and that this actually works as an advantage for the children as well as for the teachers. They mean grading the children makes it possible for teachers to put in resources early for those children in need and through this help them.
I understand their point, but I have to say that I think the tools available right now are effective enough to help the teachers assessing their young students. Working in school I have seen both teachers and parents being very well aware of which children are having difficulties and/or being in need of help. Considering the fact that the current tools for assessment seem to work well, I believe that instead of benefitting the children, grades at this early age could cause harm.
To sum all of this up, I must say I strongly believe that grades are the wrong tools for helping the youngest children. Going to school has to be joyful, fun and inspiring from the very beginning and therefore I feel that the children should be as unaware as possible of the fact that they actually are being assessed by their teachers.
We are all influenced by our experiences of grades during childhood. My own memories are dominated by stress and pressure of getting as good grades as my peers, in combination with the feeling of satisfaction and/or disappointment when finally opening the envelope. Therefore the first reason for why I don’t think grades are necessary for the youngest children is that I believe there’s a big risk that the joy and excitement they are feeling towards their education might be partly replaced by the stress and pressure mentioned above.
Another phenomenon which comes with grades is students studying only to achieve as high grades as possible. When this occurs, one crucial factor might get lost; the students are supposed to study for themselves and their own learning, not for the sake of their teachers. By own experience I know this affects the long term learning. The students prepare themselves for the test, and as soon as it is written they focus on the next one, forgetting the previous things they’ve learned.
Some people might say that grades are necessary in order to evaluate the progression of every child from the very beginning ,and that this actually works as an advantage for the children as well as for the teachers. They mean grading the children makes it possible for teachers to put in resources early for those children in need and through this help them.
I understand their point, but I have to say that I think the tools available right now are effective enough to help the teachers assessing their young students. Working in school I have seen both teachers and parents being very well aware of which children are having difficulties and/or being in need of help. Considering the fact that the current tools for assessment seem to work well, I believe that instead of benefitting the children, grades at this early age could cause harm.
To sum all of this up, I must say I strongly believe that grades are the wrong tools for helping the youngest children. Going to school has to be joyful, fun and inspiring from the very beginning and therefore I feel that the children should be as unaware as possible of the fact that they actually are being assessed by their teachers.
onsdag 6 maj 2009
Causes of climate change
Even though awareness of the current climate situation reaches many years back, very few things has been done to prevent it. The problem escalates as we speak, and the time to take action is now. What we really have to think about is how it became this way. Why have we put ourselves in this intolerable situation, when something could have been done far earlier to prevent it?
The first thing I would like to point out as a contributing cause is our outrageous overconsumption. We buy new clothes, things, cars and technical devices all the time. What we forget when we replace our fully functioning TV-set with a new one, just because of its looks, is that the old TV has to be put somewhere, probably on a garbage dump far away from us, at the same time as the new TV already has polluted the environment all through the process of manufacturing and transporting it home to you.
The second cause would be our ignorance. We are very good at looking away from things we don’t like. When the topics on the news get awkward we turn our backs at them or just switch channel to something more pleasant. Even the politicians have ignored the evidences of pollution and rising temperatures. Speaking of politicians, many times there has to be a really critical situation before they take action. Environment issues weren’t on anyone’s agenda until they became actual, serious threats against Earth as well as mankind.
The final cause I would like to bring up to the surface is greediness. The desire to earn money increases by the hour. Companies move their production sites to countries situated on the other side of the Globe, just in order to make more money. Most of the clothes we buy are actually manufactured in Asia. It’s a fact that it is actually cheaper to ship Norwegian fish to Asia for packaging and then back to Scandinavia again, than to handle the production here, is outrageous. Just the thought of all those unnecessary transports makes me sick.
If we truly want to turn the situation over we have to revaluate our needs and lifestyle. What do we need, and which things can we actually give up, due to saving our environment? It’s easy to think that the small actions, like sorting your garbage, are meaningless. But if we all work together we can actually get to a point where we are spared from news regarding dying polar bears and flooded cities. This might be a cliché, but in this case it’s very suitable:
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!
The first thing I would like to point out as a contributing cause is our outrageous overconsumption. We buy new clothes, things, cars and technical devices all the time. What we forget when we replace our fully functioning TV-set with a new one, just because of its looks, is that the old TV has to be put somewhere, probably on a garbage dump far away from us, at the same time as the new TV already has polluted the environment all through the process of manufacturing and transporting it home to you.
The second cause would be our ignorance. We are very good at looking away from things we don’t like. When the topics on the news get awkward we turn our backs at them or just switch channel to something more pleasant. Even the politicians have ignored the evidences of pollution and rising temperatures. Speaking of politicians, many times there has to be a really critical situation before they take action. Environment issues weren’t on anyone’s agenda until they became actual, serious threats against Earth as well as mankind.
The final cause I would like to bring up to the surface is greediness. The desire to earn money increases by the hour. Companies move their production sites to countries situated on the other side of the Globe, just in order to make more money. Most of the clothes we buy are actually manufactured in Asia. It’s a fact that it is actually cheaper to ship Norwegian fish to Asia for packaging and then back to Scandinavia again, than to handle the production here, is outrageous. Just the thought of all those unnecessary transports makes me sick.
If we truly want to turn the situation over we have to revaluate our needs and lifestyle. What do we need, and which things can we actually give up, due to saving our environment? It’s easy to think that the small actions, like sorting your garbage, are meaningless. But if we all work together we can actually get to a point where we are spared from news regarding dying polar bears and flooded cities. This might be a cliché, but in this case it’s very suitable:
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!
onsdag 22 april 2009
Reasons to watch TV
I do love the TV, it's a great invention, but I must admit that I hate it sometimes. I’m sure many of you know how easy it is to spend far too much time on the couch. Since I've got at least 50 different channels to choose from and the fact that there is always possible to watch something, even during night-time, I spend far too much time in front of the TV watching programs I don't even like, when I could have done something more useful instead.
On the other hand I love the nights when the kids are asleep, the house is quiet and I can relax in front of my favorite TV-series. To dream away and live the lives of the characters for a little while is a great way of escaping the real world, although I watch far too many series for my own good, most of them I don’t even like.
The series I do like airs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Therefore I rarely do something else besides watching TV those nights. Tuesday night starts with Ugly Betty, which is followed by Desperate Housewives. I’m totally in to both, but especially Desperate Housewives has caught my full attention since there is always something new going on at Wisteria Lane; Lies, murder, infidelity, stolen babies, deception, you name it.
Ugly Betty is about work and life on MODE; one of the world’s biggest fashion magazines. Actually I’m not very interested in fashion, but if you have seen an episode you know there’s so much more to love. Betty is a strong girl, always being herself regardless of what other people might think. I think Betty is a nice contrast to the girls we are used to see on TV. And of course there is Amanda. Her irresponsible “dumb-blonde-personality” is hilarious!
Despite the fact that I really dislike TV-series which takes place at hospitals since all the seasons with E.R has wore out the genre, I watch Grey’s Anatomy on Wednesdays. Just like I said about Ugly Betty, Grey’s is so much more. The intrigues never go too far, there’s lots of love and emotions and I feel like I know the characters as my own friends.
Speaking of friends, I must mention F*R*I*E*N*D*S, my all time favorite sitcom. I think I started watching Friends in 1994 and since then I have seen every episode multiple times, they never wear out. Despite the fact that I have all 10 seasons on DVD, I often watch the reruns in the afternoons.
As I said, I think TV is a great invention, even though I wonder how life would be without it. What would we do instead? I'm certain that we would be more social, spend more time with our families and talk more to each other.
But a night on the couch in front of a favorite TV-program now and then wouldn't hurt, right?
On the other hand I love the nights when the kids are asleep, the house is quiet and I can relax in front of my favorite TV-series. To dream away and live the lives of the characters for a little while is a great way of escaping the real world, although I watch far too many series for my own good, most of them I don’t even like.
The series I do like airs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Therefore I rarely do something else besides watching TV those nights. Tuesday night starts with Ugly Betty, which is followed by Desperate Housewives. I’m totally in to both, but especially Desperate Housewives has caught my full attention since there is always something new going on at Wisteria Lane; Lies, murder, infidelity, stolen babies, deception, you name it.
Ugly Betty is about work and life on MODE; one of the world’s biggest fashion magazines. Actually I’m not very interested in fashion, but if you have seen an episode you know there’s so much more to love. Betty is a strong girl, always being herself regardless of what other people might think. I think Betty is a nice contrast to the girls we are used to see on TV. And of course there is Amanda. Her irresponsible “dumb-blonde-personality” is hilarious!
Despite the fact that I really dislike TV-series which takes place at hospitals since all the seasons with E.R has wore out the genre, I watch Grey’s Anatomy on Wednesdays. Just like I said about Ugly Betty, Grey’s is so much more. The intrigues never go too far, there’s lots of love and emotions and I feel like I know the characters as my own friends.
Speaking of friends, I must mention F*R*I*E*N*D*S, my all time favorite sitcom. I think I started watching Friends in 1994 and since then I have seen every episode multiple times, they never wear out. Despite the fact that I have all 10 seasons on DVD, I often watch the reruns in the afternoons.
As I said, I think TV is a great invention, even though I wonder how life would be without it. What would we do instead? I'm certain that we would be more social, spend more time with our families and talk more to each other.
But a night on the couch in front of a favorite TV-program now and then wouldn't hurt, right?
onsdag 15 april 2009
Assignment #1 - Growing up
Among many things children need, I think the most important one is love. The blessing of growing up in a loving family is something many of us take for granted, but there are lots of children who get lost in life simply because of lack of love.
I grew up with both my parents, two brothers and a sister in a typical Swedish neighborhood with houses built in the 1970's, we also had an old Volvo, a dog and a cat. It was as average as it can possibly be. When I was younger I hated the thought of a future version of myself living that kind of life with my own family, but look at me now. I live just one street away from my parents in a similar house and my children goes to the same school as I once went to. Despite promising myself to never ever do so, I now probably sound just like my own parents when raising my own children.
Why did I become like this? I would say probably because I now understand my parents. I know why they didn't allow us being outside late in the nights or wanted us to always tell where we went. I see the connection between love and boundaries. I will never know what kind of person I had become if my parents would have raised me differently, but I do know that I have much to be thankful for.
This is where we can reflect over the love we feel for our children. To love is not to give them everything they want and desire. There is another aspect we must never forget. Love is also to make sure that the children know what we expected from them and to set clear rules for how to behave both at home and outside. Many parents complain about their outrageous children and there are "Nanny-shows" at almost every TV-channel. I think this is quite alarming. Who is the problem? Is it the children or their parents?
I believe the greatest difference between children today and children 50 years ago is the way of respecting the adults. Today's children lack respect for their parents, teachers and other grown-ups. I am totally aware of the fact that 50 years ago it was allowed to beat your children in Sweden, and that much of what we now refer to as respect actually was fear of being hit. I am certainly not a fan of child abuse, I just believe there must be a way for parents and children to both love and respect each other.
Working in school I meet many "troublesome" children whose parents has lent over the raising responsibilities on the teachers. This is totally wrong, because having children is a commitment for life. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and patience, but by giving lots of love, encouragement and by setting clear boundaries you can make your child's future as bright as possible.
I grew up with both my parents, two brothers and a sister in a typical Swedish neighborhood with houses built in the 1970's, we also had an old Volvo, a dog and a cat. It was as average as it can possibly be. When I was younger I hated the thought of a future version of myself living that kind of life with my own family, but look at me now. I live just one street away from my parents in a similar house and my children goes to the same school as I once went to. Despite promising myself to never ever do so, I now probably sound just like my own parents when raising my own children.
Why did I become like this? I would say probably because I now understand my parents. I know why they didn't allow us being outside late in the nights or wanted us to always tell where we went. I see the connection between love and boundaries. I will never know what kind of person I had become if my parents would have raised me differently, but I do know that I have much to be thankful for.
This is where we can reflect over the love we feel for our children. To love is not to give them everything they want and desire. There is another aspect we must never forget. Love is also to make sure that the children know what we expected from them and to set clear rules for how to behave both at home and outside. Many parents complain about their outrageous children and there are "Nanny-shows" at almost every TV-channel. I think this is quite alarming. Who is the problem? Is it the children or their parents?
I believe the greatest difference between children today and children 50 years ago is the way of respecting the adults. Today's children lack respect for their parents, teachers and other grown-ups. I am totally aware of the fact that 50 years ago it was allowed to beat your children in Sweden, and that much of what we now refer to as respect actually was fear of being hit. I am certainly not a fan of child abuse, I just believe there must be a way for parents and children to both love and respect each other.
Working in school I meet many "troublesome" children whose parents has lent over the raising responsibilities on the teachers. This is totally wrong, because having children is a commitment for life. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and patience, but by giving lots of love, encouragement and by setting clear boundaries you can make your child's future as bright as possible.
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