Dear students,
This forum is the same as the others, but it is worth twice the amount of points (16)! Please follow the directions or I will take off points. Your original forum post should be a minimum of one paragraph that is AT LEAST 250 WORDS LONG (There is a word count function set up in Moodle), but no more than 500 words long. Your additional forum post SHOULD BE ABOUT THE TOPIC and must be AT LEAST 125 WORDS LONG and no more than 250 words long. You will receive up to 12pts for your initial post (If done correctly), and an additional four points for your follow-up. Remember that I am a professor and expect correct grammar. Also, the single letter word you use to refer to yourself is always capitalized (I not i).
Forum Topic: Describe your Ideal Family. Is your view of what is the ideal family different now from when you were 16 years old (The same age as Louisiana native Jamie Lynn Spears who was pregnant at this age).
Please do the reading first, especially “What is Family?” by Gubrium and Holstein and “A Member of the Funeral” by Naples. These two articles should get you thinking about the topic a little more in depth. The Gubrium and Holstein article will make you think about whether or not your Ideal family must look like the traditional family in America or if what is the traditional family in America has been a “construction of reality”. Who is to say what can or can’t be your family. Naples describes her “Real” family as being people she isn’t even related to. Is it possible for you to consider your mothers best friend your “Aunt so-and-so” even if you aren’t really related to her? If she tells you to do something, do you do it? What would be the consequences if you didn’t?
We all know that there are several dysfunctional families out there and many of you probably belong to one in some what shape or form. Remember that even families that seem to be ideal have their dysfunctions as well.
When teaching Introduction to Sociology or Marriage and Family I always state that we would be much better off if we were a society where nobody ever had sex until they were married, and then they only had sex with their spouse so long as they were married. For whatever reason, we have never been a society like this, and I can’t (from a Sociological point of view) imagine that we ever will be. Have fun, but being that this project is double the points, please do more than the bare minimum which should be pretty easy given the topic.
PArt 2: Please respond with 125 words to :
When I think of my Ideal family, I think of a perfectly imperfect group of people consisting of a loving husband, wife, wonderful children and maybe a dog. My definition of a family is a group of people who love and support each other thru the good and bad times; while providing a sense of security, value, communication, and respect for one another. Years ago, my ideal family was nothing like what I just described. At the age of 16 my ideal family consisted of me, me, and only me. I was selfish and I only wanted to focus on me for once. Growing up in a huge family had the reverse effect on me. I spent a lot of my teenage years raising my younger brothers and sisters. So, when I was old enough to be out on my own, I decided to worry only about me. Of course, when I met my husband that quickly changed my outlook on having a family.
In my opinion “what is family?” was not all that exciting. It left me with the question of what happen to some of these families. Falling in line with the American tradition is not for everybody, but it just saddens me to hear families say that their only family on paper. Reading “Member of the funeral” I felt the family focused too much on her not following the tradition by being gay. It may not be the norm but it’s not worth making your family members feel exiled. Is it the easiest pill to swallow? No, but the love for your family should be enough to respect each other’s decisions regardless of the situation.