...The Plight of Grandparents’ Rights Being a grandparent is one of the grandest things that will ever happen to a parent. Maybe because it happens to us later in life when we are a little wiser and a little more appreciative of things. Maybe because it is a gift that we really didn’t expect to receive. Whatever the reason, the experience of being a grandparent is one that is precious and should be respected. For seven years I enjoyed watching my twin granddaughters grow up. In fact I lived with them for the first year of their lives and developed a very strong bond with them. Sure our family had it’s moments but for the most part we were close and enjoyed spending time together. Then it happened, our family fell apart. My granddaughters’ parents split up and so did our family. Being the grandparent, I was the last to know that there were issues in my son’s marriage but I was the first one to be cut out of his daughters’ lives. My granddaughters’ mother will not speak to me or allow me to have any contact with them. My son is fighting his own battle to see them. Now I only see them a few hours every month. Needless to say this turn of events has been absolutely devastating for my husband and I. We miss our granddaughters so very much and we feel so confused. Do we have legal rights to see our granddaughters and be a part of their lives? “The state of grandparents’ rights is terrible”, says Richard Kent, from Meyers Breiner & Kent. This is the opening sentence...
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...information about two people that if it were not for them I literally would not be here, but I would also not be the individual I am today. Looking back on my “short” thirty nine years of life and imagining it without the influence of these two great individuals, would be like imagining that you could ride a bicycle to Hawaii, it would just be impossible. I hope you brought your glass of sweet tea, a soft chair and an open heart to receive the information about these two people that have done everything to the best of their ability to make sure that I succeed and that I am a man of my word. I never realized how my wonderful loving grandparents were slowly and patiently molding me into the man I am today, but through the lessons and experiences I can say I owe everything I am and will be to these two wonderful individuals. My two maternal grandparents are absolutely the best two individuals that could be in my life and my true deep love for them began at a very young age. It all started building inside me at the age of five when my grandmother picked me up from the house one summer day and took me to the golf course with her to teach me the most beautiful and highly respectable sport of golf. It was not fun and games at first, because she didn't just want me to learn how to play, she wanted me to learn every small detail...
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...Personal Ethics Statement HCS/478 June 12, 2012 Personal Ethics Statement Ethics is defined as the standards of behavior developed as a result of one’s concept of right and wrong (Judson & Harrison, 2010 p.9). As I reflect on my up-bringing, I remember my parents teaching me the differences between what is right and wrong. As a result of this learning experience, I discovered my conscious, my inner self that tells me I have done something wrong or right. This feeling comes in the form of a nagging voice that tells you things are not as they should be and it does not get better until you make changes. As a child, my grandparents owned a pastry shop and wood yard. My grandmother made cakes, pies, bread, pastries and sold other items in their store. I learned at an early age not to bother things that did not belong to me after eating the profit from the store. I would be place on restriction or some form of corporal punishment, depending on the severity of my infraction of the rules. My family were firm believers in “Spare the Rod, Spoil the child” (Proverbs 13:24, KJB). I was raised by both my parents and paternal grandparents. As a child, I witnessed my grandparents taking care of family members during illness and end of life times. When my grandparents were in their golden years, my parents took care of them. This caring gift did not only extend to the family, they took in a neighbor when his family could not care for him until it became too...
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...young child at around six or seven years old. I didn’t realize at the time of course. Only through growing up and looking back can one realize such things. According to the Performance Aid, I find myself falling into two categories of philosophy: Social and Post-Colonial. The post-colonial aspect is very easy for me to explain. One of the questions posed by post-colonial Phil osiers is “Can oral history and tradition be preserved for future generations? I believe that it can. This can only happen if we as a capitalistic society stop being so self-involved with money and possessions. We have to realize that history repeats itself in one way or another. Each generation needs to stop and take the time to learn from parents, grandparents, and great grandparents about their lives. The lives of those before you help shaped the ways and methods of thinking for the next. This could be passing along family history or traditions. I have often regretted not hearing more of my father’s stories of his time in the military. He was in, what was then known as, the Army Air Corps. This was also during the time that segregation wasn’t fully integrated into the military system and society as well. My father was also in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. My grandfather also was in World War II as well. From what I was told my great grandfather was in World War I. The Second part of my philosophy is the social aspect....
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...Changing Dynamics in Society It is a fact that society is not monotonous but is constantly evolving. However the rate it changes at is usually slow. After asking the three generations that I have at home about their young days, I see a difference in my grandparent’s life, my parent’s life and my own life. I see changes at many areas like social norms, rules at home, accepted ways of thought, communication and behaviour, the role of family and their values, allowances etc. These changes that are slowly being woven into the fabric of society are gradually being absorbed as the new norms, without shaking the core. If I compare my life to that of my parents at my age, there may be some things that I do which would be totally unacceptable to my grandparents. When we have family dinner time there has been so many instances where my father has told me about his past and how it is so different to my generation. My father shared stories to my brother and me stating that when he used to come late at home, my grandfather used to not open the door for him, so he was left out in the cold until the next morning. My father does not do this to me when I am late; instead he merely asks me the reason for being late and if valid ends the topic. My mother her entire life was not allowed to wear short skirts. It had to be well below the knee. She comments on the girls as we pass by in the car saying that they weren’t allowed to wear shorts and skirts like this when she was small as society would look down...
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...Do you know those moments when your grandparents tell you “life was so much better in my days“? Or, “our youth is forgetting how to write”? I am sure you do! Just a few days ago I saw the news, that apple brought out new and more developed products. And as always my grandmother was there to give her opinion; “all this new technology destroys our grammar and language”. However, you will never guess where she read this. Exactly, ON HER IPHONE! And exactly that brought me to think about her point. How far is her statement acceptable or is she totally wrong? Well, obviously languages have changed throughout history and they are still changing today. As a matter of fact, in September 2015 the Oxford English Dictionary added hundreds of new words, phrases and senses to their online dictionary. If you just imagine how many new words must be added in a year… But, this is not the main point grandparents are going on about. Their main problem is our grammar and punctuation....
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...Social Mobility Paper Steven Simmons Sr. Sociology 100 May 3, 2010 Sally Wickers Social Mobility Changes from generation to generation are the norm in the evolution of life. Things in society are not the same between child and parent or between parent and grandparent. The laws change to make life better for the citizens. Jobs, education, fashion, technology and politics all change as times goes on. The commonalities shared between my grandparents, parents and myself are few and far in between. The music I listen to today is not the same type of music my parents listened to. The type of education I receive today is nowhere near the type of music my grandparents listened to. The world changes all the time and we as people have to adjust to change or we will be left behind to become extinct. My grandmother graduated from high school then graduated from Grambling State University with two degrees, a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. My grandmother worked as a teacher for 30 plus years before retiring. My grandmother was born and raised in Arcadia, Louisiana. She moved to Sacramento, California for several years then decided to move back to Grambling Louisiana, where she currently resides. My grandmother is a church going women, who attends the Church of Christ. She had three boys and five girls. She is a loving grandmother and always has been. She did not and does not condone physical correction. She believed in talking to us and allowed our conscience to convict...
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...Psychology 1030 April 1, 2013 Journal Articles (Article 1) This study looks into the effects that divorce and marital conflict can cause on adult-child relationships. It takes into effect the separate genders of both the parents and the children affected. The conflicts and divorces were measured while the children were between the ages of 5 and 17. The quality of the relationships between each parent and his or her child was based upon support, closeness, and control. They hypothesis was that the relationships would be stronger within families that remained together. Furthermore, the relationships with the mothers would be even greater. The researchers used a correlational research method to determine how divorce and marital conflict impact the life and development of a child’s life and how he or she relates to each parent individually. The participants were in kindergarten in either 1987 or 1988. The parents were randomly asked to participate in the study during preregistration for kindergarten. There were 585 students to start with, and the gender ratio was 52%-48% in favor of boys. When the participants were at the age of 22, 440 of them completed more information about their current relationships with their parents. Marital conflict and divorce had a negative correlation on the quality of parent-child relationships. It also caused a negative correlation in the chances of risking developmental and emotional problems within the child’s life. “Parental...
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...does the narrator’s father mean when he says “The whole thing is symbolic….” Pg.21 14. What is the narrator’s father’s bleak prediction for the future? Pg22 The theft that got me here 1. Which sentence tells us that the narrator’s mother does not approve of his friends? Pg.26 2. How do we know that the narrator has been in trouble with the law? Pg.26? 3. The narrator’s grandma “doesn’t know where she is”. What is wrong with her? 4. Readers learn about life post (after) millennium. What do we learn about the new society? Pg. 27 5. The narrator steals some of his grandma’s medication? Why? 6. How does grandpa react when “Grandma opens the door and she’s fine”? 7. How do we know that the narrator loves his grandparents? Pg.28/29 8. What do you think a check...
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...Finally Free Growing up I would always spend all my free time with my grandparents, I thought of them as my parents and looked up to them. Not to say my parents were never around for me but there was a special connection there that can’t be compared or ever replaced. I received all the attention I ever wanted and never felt alone. Our small little adventures were just simply something else. It was hard for me to ever picture my life without my grandma or grandpa, the day I lost them I knew I would be lost and confused. At the age of six I would always wait for Fridays not only because we were able to take free dress to school but because I would be able to spend my weekend in my real home. My mom would pack my clothes in a bag while I scrambled to finish my homework. Not to mention the car ride which was the longest most nerve racking drive ever, even though it was only seven minutes away that was an eternity to me as every second with my grandma was precious to me. Coming around a block where the houses were around forty years old I could spot the small white gated house my grandparents lived in from around the corner. Knocking on the door repeatedly and pushing the door button countless times almost like trying to break a record until my grandparents opened the wooden door. My grandmother’s reaction to when she would see me was the same one as mine; we had had the biggest and most heartwarming smile. Upon entering I was greeted with the tightest and most warming hug, just...
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...place . Ever since then, music has been a huge part of my life. I listen to everything from 2Pac , Nas , Lil Wayne and Jay Z (Rap) Aaliyah, RKelly, Mary J Blige and Alicia Keyz (R&B) The Police, Metallica, AC/DC, Journey and U2 ( Pop/Rock) and my favorite Oldies from The Gap Band, Chacka Khan, The O'Jays, Aretha Franklin, The Chi-Lites, The Spinners oh' sheesh' the list goes on. It's kind of hard to just focus on one event or genre of music where music has affected my life. Because not only has it affected my life it has got me and continues to get me through my day to day life and struggles. I recently witnessed the passing of my Great Grandparents in November 2015 3 days apart. They were the most amazing people in my life besides my actual parents. They were the defintion of love, joy, happiness, and what a family was supposed to be . They taught me everything I know. We would go out of town on these longs trips to their second...
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...has a hard life, probably harder than Roger’s life. She works in a hotel beauty shop until late at night and lives in a rooming house. She has little food and little money. And she understands that Roger wants something he really can’t afford, because she has felt that way too. Roger is only just learning what life is like and how hard it can be for people. Mrs. Jones has a hard life, but she still has wisdom and pride. She tells Roger that she’s sure he grabbed her purse only because he’s hungry, so she takes him home to feed him. She makes him wash his face, saying she wouldn’t even take him to jail the way he looks! She has the wisdom to leave the door open and her purse on the bed to show him that she will trust him to do the right thing. Roger feels he must honor her trust. She has pride, honesty and integrity, but not haughty pride that might keep her from sharing her humble meal with him. She shows him that wanting what you don’t have shouldn’t lead you to do the wrong thing, like stealing purses. She treats him with dignity and respect and expects the same from him. Finally, Mrs. Jones is generous. She is generous with her meager meal of beans and canned milk, and with ten dollars for Roger to buy the shoes he wants. Mostly she is generous...
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...It Might Have Gone Something Like This In “Queen of Knives”, Neil Gaiman exemplifies how unreliable our narrator is in dealing with death and derangement. Through this naïve narration, we are presented with a story in which the narrator; a young boy at that time, recalls how a magician vanishes his grandmother during a magic show. Upon closer analysis we will see that Gaiman actually implies that the grandmother has died causing the grandfather to go crazy from the death of his wife. In order for our narrator to cope with traumatic experience of losing a loved one and witnessing his grandfather lose his mind he blends the story with memories. The poem is set up as a flashback which further gives credibility to our narrator’s erroneous memory. My analysis will scrutinize the diction used throughout the poem as well as the crucial symbolism in order to uncover the hidden meaning behind the text. When someone reads “Queen of Knives” for the first time it is likely that they will ponder the outcome with confusion. They may also conclude that the grandfather murdered the grandmother or that she ran off with the magician. It is understandable to arrive at this conclusion when the literal meaning of the passage points to such answers, but once we examine how dynamic this piece of literature is we can conclude much deeper meanings. Gaiman himself stated that this poem was like his other work “Mr. Punch;” a story in which a young boy’s grandfather went mad. The songs Daisy Bell and...
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...In the Edeka commercial, the protagonist is a grandfather who seems to be in his 70’s or 80’s. Every Christmas the grandfather invites all his family to spend time with him, but they never show up. He ends up spending Christmas alone after setting up the dinner table and preparing the food. He seems unhappy and depressed because his family never shows up. The family never visits their grandfather because they’re always coming up with excuses or they’re “too busy” with work. Every year there is a new excuse or the same excuses as to why they do not show up. The grandfather never gets to see his family on Christmas and that leads to something happening to him. The family gets informed that the grandfather has passed away and they go home to...
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..."We are What We Choose" Remarks by Jeff Bezos, as delivered to the Class of 2010 Baccalaureate May 30, 2010 As a kid, I spent my summers with my grandparents on their ranch in Texas. I helped fix windmills, vaccinate cattle, and do other chores. We also watched soap operas every afternoon, especially "Days of our Lives." My grandparents belonged to a Caravan Club, a group of Airstream trailer owners who travel together around the U.S. and Canada. And every few summers, we'd join the caravan. We'd hitch up the Airstream trailer to my grandfather's car, and off we'd go, in a line with 300 other Airstream adventurers. I loved and worshipped my grandparents and I really looked forward to these trips. On one particular trip, I was about 10 years old. I was rolling around in the big bench seat in the back of the car. My grandfather was driving. And my grandmother had the passenger seat. She smoked throughout these trips, and I hated the smell. At that age, I'd take any excuse to make estimates and do minor arithmetic. I'd calculate our gas mileage -- figure out useless statistics on things like grocery spending. I'd been hearing an ad campaign about smoking. I can't remember the details, but basically the ad said, every puff of a cigarette takes some number of minutes off of your life: I think it might have been two minutes per puff. At any rate, I decided to do the math for my grandmother. I estimated the number of cigarettes per days, estimated the number of puffs per cigarette...
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