Tag Archives: Fall 2018

Chapter 3 Impression: Drugs

--Original published at Carly's College Blog

Marijuana, whether medicinal or recreational, has been gaining more popularity and controversy after recently being legalized in many states.

I feel that medicinal marijuana should be legalized in every state. It does come with pros and cons, but a person would be working with their doctor to decide if it is best for their situation. For example, my cousin who has severe endometriosis had to receive a crucial operation over the summer. She had to have a large mass of grown tissue along with one of her ovaries removed. She was in an incredible amount of pain and her doctor decided that medicinal marijuana would be the best form of pain reliever to give to her. She did not become addicted to it, but it helped her pain and that was the end of it. People seem to think that having such an easy access to marijuana will increase the amount of people addicted to it or abusing it. What I am seeing is that it already happens with the other painkillers doctors prescribe. They are abused and people become addicted almost daily. Marijuana is more natural and the bodily harm is not as severe as that of narcotics or opiates.

I also agree that recreational marijuana should be legalized in every state under some conditions. Just as alcohol, I agree that people should be 21 to legally use the drug, and obviously, illegal to drive under the influence. I want marijuana to be legalized, not because I want to get high all the time, but because I think obtaining it legally is much safer than how it is obtained now. If states choose not to legalize recreational marijuana, people will still find ways to get it, which could be dangerous. Somebody could unconsciously buy weed that is laced with another more extreme drug, where if it is legally regulated, those risks would not exist. The same risks that are present with alcohol would be present with the use of marijuana, and I feel that if someone were to do something under the influence, they should be held to the same accountability.

 

Chapter 8 First Impression

--Original published at jennacampanellipsych

Legalization of recreational marijuana is a controversial topic, it always has been. There are good and bad things about the legalization for both recreational and medical. Let’s start with medical. Medical marijuana has been proven to help people with lots of conditions that other medicines cannot help. For example, Crohn’s disease, cancer, migraines, high blood sugar, and chronic pain are just a few of the illnesses marijuana can help. Marijuana can reduce pain and help someone build an appetite when they cannot on their own. Studies also show that marijuana cannot increase the risk of lung diseases, unlike tobacco. Yet, there are downsides as well. Using marijuana frequently can affect your short term memory drastically. Marijuana also contains cancer-causing elements and is addictive. For recreational, marijuana can heighten senses and allow users to speak their mind more freely. The dopamine release you get from smoking gives you feel good feelings and can make your life more stress free and energized. Legalization also helps the economy, for every 1 dollar spent for marijuana the economy gets between 2.13 and 2.40 dollars back. Also, police could focus on other crime activities other than marijuana laws. But there are cons as well. Just like the con for medical use, marijuana is addictive. Car accidents and deaths would increase with the legalization. Marijuana harms our bodies, like our brain causing mental health issues. Growing marijuana can also harm the environment through deforestation, habitat destruction, and more. After reviewing the pros and cons for both medical and recreational marijuana, I believe it should be legalized. People are getting it even when it is against the law, so it is not very effective. While it may not be the best thing to do, cigarettes are not either and they are legal. It should be everyone’s own choice to do it not, while knowing both the pros and cons.

Chapter 3 First Impression- Sleep

--Original published at Isabella's Psychology Blog

Over the summer I recently got a Fitbit which logs my sleeping habits. During the summer months, I slept around 8 hours a day. Since I came back to college the average amount of sleep I get on weekdays is 5 hours. During the weekend I get an average of 8 hours of sleep. Though when I have a heavy course load I get 4 or fewer hours of sleep, which is half of the recommended hours of daily sleep.

I do not like the decrease in sleep I experience at college. When I sleep overall feel more sluggish and scattered brain. So I do not feel that my current sleep habits are healthy. I feel constantly exhausted and fall asleep during the day more. Just last week I fell asleep at dinner and in some of the classes I had to come up with staying awake strategies. My main strategy was chewing gum but that is starting to no longer work. I suspect falling asleep so easily during the day is not healthy and indicates that I need to sleep more.

The main problem to my sleeping problem is my course workload since I am always kept up late doing work. So I feel that eight hours of sleep is not a reasonable sleep goal for me. Since my time management skills are good and the studying I do is important to my learning. Also, I wake up every weekday at 7 am to work on my predetermined goals assigned to the day and when I finish my goals it’s usually past 11 pm. Then on weekends, I start studying at 11 am and continue working until past 11 pm. So an average of eight hours of sleep is just unfeasible for me while in college.

Though one new strategy I am using to improve my studying efficiency is taking a nap when I am tired. Since I work slower when I am tired. I also started going to sleep when I am too tired to comprehend what I am working on and I finish the work in the morning. These strategies seem to work but sometimes results in me falling behind, so they are rarely used. Though when using these techniques I could improve to having six to seven hours of sleep during the weekdays.

Spotlight 1: Learning

--Original published at AlyssaM

The first source I found argues the importance of learning styles within the school system and the difference between each style. As the article puts it, “Knowing and understanding the use of specific learning styles such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modes of learning can help the teacher give the best to their students” (Ellington & Benders). Students cannot learn fully if they are not learning in the way that best suits them. No body is the same and that includes the way they learn material. As a result, the teachers must do all they can to try to get through to each individual in the most effective way. “Although assessing students learning preferences can be time consuming and at times difficult, determining a child’s learning style can help them grow and succeed now and in the future” (Ellington & Benders). Given the fact, the article admits there are disadvantages to acknowledging the various styles within each student, helps show their credibility in that they are not trying to impress straight out – without considering the other argument. It is also credible because at the end it has many scholarly references that were used in constructing the article. Also it was a collaboration and not one author’s opinion. Many of those they cite within are from high-end Universities who are well educated on the topic.

The second source I found promoting the importance of recognizing the learning styles is credible. One way to tell is, it uses terms such as “naturalistic observation” and other related psychology terms.THerticle argues that environment also has an impact on learning styles and goes on to present data collected in different situations. It covers the benefits that come from tending to each individual and states it also does good for the teacher or instructor. It goes on to say how teachers can apply techniques to the classrooms based off of the data they collected in their research that can reach more than one specific type of learner.

On the other hand, source 3 argues:

While all learners can develop subjective preferences for studying or digesting material, studies deny that students learn better through a self-reported learning style. Instead, scholars increasingly call for educators to replace ‘neuromyths’ with resources and strategies rooted in evidence from cognitive and adult learning theory (“Learning Styles as a Myth)

It provides a lot of data stating there are so many branches of learning that are not even considered. Their data from research is presented in a list with shorter paragraphs than the other two sources. One reason it it credible, is because it is published on the website of Yale. It is clear the researchers really looked deep into the topic to make their decision.

Source 4 claims, “While there is a wealth of information, very few experiments provide the capability of studying the validity of learning styles” (“Learning Myths vs Learning Facts”). In simple terms it goes on to explain how they studied the experiment and measured the different perspectives of learning and why they say it is a myth. It is credible in that is came from a psychology web page, but it does not provide a lot of incite on the topic as the other sources have.

I believe that learning styles are real and are vital to getting the best out of learning. Reading the sources only strengthened that belief.

CITATIONS in order of mention in post:

Ellington, Shannon & Benders, David. 2012. Learning Style and it’s importance in Education.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256022625_Learning_Style_and_it’s_importance_in_Education

Romanelli, Frank, et al. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Feb. 2009, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690881/.

“Learning Styles as a Myth | Center for Teaching and Learning.” Why Are There Different Citation Styles? | Center for Teaching and Learning, ctl.yale.edu/LearningStylesMyth.

“Learning Myths vs. Learning Facts.” Psych Learning Curve, 17 July 2017, psychlearningcurve.org/learning-myths-vs-learning-facts/.

Chapter 3 (Drugs Section) First Impression Post

--Original published at Psychology 105

Although controversial, I believe the pros of legalizing marijuana both for medical and recreational purposes outweigh the cons. Currently, there are 23 states that have legalized marijuana for medical use, compared to only six states that have legalized the substance for recreational use. Research on the medical applications of marijuana is expansive, but there has been evidence concluding that it does help with appetite, nausea, chronic pain, inflammation, and muscle control issues. More clinical trials are being conducted to see the effects of marijuana on cancer, immune disorders, mental disorders and seizures. Some research has even concluded that it can slow the growth of certain types of cancer cells. One of the most significant issues faced in health care today is the opioid crisis, and a recent study found a link between medical marijuana legalization and lower rates of opioid use.

With recreational legalization would also come with significant improvement to how marijuana is regulated. Potentially, it could decrease gang activity and activity within the black market. A lot of law enforcement resources go towards dealing with nonviolent drug possession charges; if marijuana was legal, more attention could be paid to dealing with violent crimes. Another huge argument made by proponents of legalization is that there would be a large increase in tax revenue collected off marijuana sales. There would also be health and safety standards applied to the substance that do not currently exist.

Most of the cons of marijuana have to do with its potential effects on health. Some argue it’s a potentially addictive substance; however, two highly addictive substances (tobacco and alcohol) are completely legal for sale and recreational use. There are issues associated with respiratory health both for marijuana smokers and the people around them via second hand smoke. I would argue, however, that again the same argument could be applied to cigarettes, which are legal. Overall, I believe the same regulatory laws (ex. age of sale, driving laws, etc.) that are applied to these two legal substances could be applied to marijuana and they would be just as effective.

Sources

Angell, Tom. “Medical Marijuana Reduces Opioid Prescriptions, Another Study Finds.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 11 July 2018, http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2018/07/11/medical-marijuana-reduces-opioid-prescriptions-another-study-finds/#7814b56e6b00.

Franciosi, Anthony. “12 Pros & Cons Of Marijuana Legalization.” Honest Marijuana, Honest Marijuana, 23 July 2018, honestmarijuana.com/legalization-of-cannabis-pros-and-cons/?age-verified=c94f718bc7.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Marijuana as Medicine.” NIDA, http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine.

Chapter 3 (Drugs Section) First Impression Post

--Original published at HuntersCollegeBlog

Medicinal and recreational marijuana are a hot topic of discussion now a days. In terms of medicinal marijuana, I believe that it should be legalized in all states, because in my opinion, if that’s the best proven thing, and the only thing that best helps conditions such as muscle pain, then I believe it should be legalized. Why would you want to keep something away from people, and forbid them from using it if it’s going to help them? As long as it’s being legally distributed from a doctor, and being taken responsibly, then I see no issue with it. I do however believe the recipient of medicinal marijuana needs to follow strict instructions, such as not distributing to other people, and be responsible. If this is not followed, this could be a downfall of medicinal marijuana. A downfall could also be that despite being prescribed, people could abuse the privilege of having it as medicine.In this case, it’s being used as perscribed medicine, so it should be treated as such.

In terms of recreational marijuana, I believe it should be illegal. When using recreational marijuana, I think that since people aren’t viewing it as medicine, it could be used irresponsibly. I also believe that recreational marijuana could be dangerous, since it isn’t in a specific amount of dosage, like medicinal marijuana. It can also be dangerous if young people get their hands on it, since they may not be aware of all the affects it has on them. It can affect different people different ways, and some of those ways could be harmful, especially if the user gets in a car to drive. Although I believe it should be illegal, some pros include it can make you feel a different way. Overall, I believe medicinal marijuana should be legal, and recreational marijuana should be illegal.

Spotlight #1 Option 1

--Original published at Zachs College Blog

Over the past few decades, divorce rates have dramatically increased to in-between 40% and 50%. Divorce has shown that the children of their families are usually impacted the hardest. Although parents splitting up might be the best for the family, a debatable argument presents on the effects it has on children as a whole. Before a divorce, many parents contemplate the results it could possibly have on their family and most important children. In this debate, it will help you grasp an understanding on how harmful divorce can be on children and how some divorces will have no consequences on children.

As divorces rates have dramatically increased in the past decades, it has gradually became more and more of a normal thing. Divorce happens very frequently as the divorce rates are nearing a whopping 50% or half of marriages end up in splitting. The biggest result of divorce on children is change. “Research has found that kids struggle the most during the first year or two after the divorce.” It has been proven that kids will experience stress, anxiety, and anger following the divorce. It will take time for these changes In their kids to slowly diminish. Many children fear the fact of losing contact with one of their parents or even their relationship as a whole. Amy Morin states that “Decreased contact affects the parent-child bond and researchers have found many children feel less close to their fathers after divorce.” Even the relationship with the mother, usually the primary care giver after divorce is affected as the mother often shows less support and affection to their children after such a traumatizing event. Kids also gain stress with having to move schools, move houses, live in an empty house with a single parent and financial hardships will all contribute to the negativity the child will experience. Morin also states “In the United States, most adults remarry within four to five years after a divorce”. This provides many kids with ongoing changes to their family orientation. Introducing a step-parent and kids can be a big modification for the kid and can show negative effects on the child’s behaviors and attitudes. The failure rates of a second marriage are even higher than the rates for first time marriages so these children will have a larger chance of having to go through multiple separations. “studies have also found depression and anxiety rates are higher in children from divorced parents”. It has  been shown that children have an increased risk for mental health issues regardless of what age the child may be. Other issues may include behavioral issues and decreases in academic performance.

According to Jane Anderson, “Each child and each family are obviously unique, with different strengths and weaknesses, different personalities and temperaments, and varying degrees of social, emotional, and economic resources, as well as differing family situations prior to divorce.” Divorce has shown to lower a Childs future success in education, emotions, behaviors, and most importantly family relationships. The child may lose economic support as now only one parent is bringing in income for the whole family. In most cases, kids will live with their mothers, and see their fathers on the weekends or whatever the parents agreement states. Loss of income will increase work time, which means children will be away from their parents more often which will diminish the parent-child relationship and leave the child with very little support. Anderson states that “Children living with single mothers are much more likely to live in poverty than children living with both married parents.” stated by Anderson. Children also witness a loss of emotional security involving both of their parents. Children state that they feel a weakened relationship with their mothers and they lack emotional support. As for the relationship with the father, it usually diminishes as well. With most kids living with their mothers, children will receive less time with their fathers. Divorced children believe their fathers are less caring and trustworthy after a divorce. Anderson provides a strong argument for each different effect a divorce has on children with supported research from other articles and studies provided.

Although divorce usually has a negative effect on the kid, sometimes in certain situations the results aren’t as harmful. Three common themes preside on explaining why divorce is easier for some kids than others. The first theme is that some kids simply are more sturdy when it comes to stress whether that is from past experiences or simply being born with the abilities to handle stress. These kids manage stress by doing things that will keep their mind off of everything going on, or maybe they even have a special someone to talk to and help get everything off of their minds. Secondly, all kids come from different backgrounds, all kids have witnesses and have seen things that could make them mentally tougher than others. You can not assume that all problems stem from divorce as it could be anything else that might be affecting these kids. The last and most important theme is how divorce and how everything plays out varies from family to family. How the divorce process goes will affect the kid the most. According to a Canadian resident, divorce in her family taught her to be more adaptable as the following months and years of her life following the divorce would be filled with good/bad changes. According to Dr. Lisa Ferrari, “A natural byproduct of going through divorce is that you are required to be more adaptive.” Divorce can also help a child realize their own strengths and ability to do things by themselves. When having a single parent, who is more than likely working a lot to help provide for you and the family, you have to begin to become more independent. Divorce will also help children gain a sense of appreciation towards other, and helps divorced children grasp a better understanding of what might be going with the children around them. Dr. Ferrari says “When their peers have family problems, it’s very relatable for them.” divorced children have a better chance of relating and helping other children out when the same type of situations happen for them.

The information in all of these articles are scholarly as it has been taken from thorough research studies and has been measured by studying the actions/behaviors of children who went through a divorce In their family. I believe a divorce can effect a kid very negatively in all aspects of life but it will all depend on what this kid has been through before the divorce and his/her capability to deal with stress and anxiety of their family differences.

 

Sources:

Cherlin, A., & Furstenberg, F. F., Jr. (1989, March 19). DIVORCE DOESN’T ALWAYS
HURT THE KIDS. Retrieved from The Washington Post website:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1989/03/19/
divorce-doesnt-always-hurt-the-kids/6432e596-b8d3-45f1-a3f7-0a1029a59240/
?utm_term=.8bd6fa28e664

Anderson, J. (2014, November). The impact of family structure on the health of
children: Effects of divorce. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pmc/articles/PMC4240051/

Morin, A. (n.d.). The Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children. Retrieved
August 24, 2018, from very well family website:
https://www.verywellfamily.com/psychological-effects-of-divorce-on-kids-4140170
Middleton, J. (2015, November 1). 5 POSITIVE LESSONS CHILDREN LEARN FROM
DIVORCE. Retrieved from Canadian Living website:
https://www.canadianliving.com/life-and-relationships/relationships/article/
5-positive-lessons-children-learn-from-divorce

Spotlight 1: Learning

--Original published at Carly's College Blog

The concept of learning styles has been critiqued for years now on whether they are valid or just a myth. Many students across all grades claim to have a specific learning style. It could be, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or another. Teachers tend to use these learning styles to cater the way they teach materials to students, which some seem to think actually has little to no effect on the students success at all. It could actually be problematic instead of beneficial.

In an article published by The Atlantic, the author presents studies and literary articles about this theory. One scholarly article that is presented is taken from The Generalist’s Corner, by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Authors Willingham, Hughes, and Dobolyi, all psychology professors, argue that learning styles are preferences, not differences in a student’s ability. They believe learning styles are invalid. They state that the main reason people believe in learning styles is because it is “scientific,” but they do not realize the lack of scientific evidence that would back up the theory. The authors agree that teachers should focus on the similarities in the mind’s of students to improve their teaching rather than the differences. In another study published by The Atlantic in the journal of educational psychology, authors Rogowsky, Calhoun, and Tallal state that in their study, they found no correlation between the student learning styles and test performance. Instead of aiding towards a student’s preference, they should be strengthening all aspects of the student’s learning styles. I completely agree with the finding of these two studies. I agree that learning styles are problematic and the claims in these studies identify for me the lack of scientific evidence in which I had thought there was plenty of. They were mostly focused on convincing the reader that learning styles are false, but did highlight a few components of “strengths” learning styles could theoretically have.

With the overwhelming amount of scientific evidence against learning styles, some people still believe in them and their ability to improve a student’s learning. The website Educational Research under newsletter and webinar, have an article dedicated to “The Importance of Understanding Individual Learning Styles” based on an article written by psychologist Robert Sternberg.  Robert Sternberg even says that “Styles of thinking and learning are as important as intellectual ability, and ignoring students’ thinking styles puts teaching and learning in jeopardy.” He argues that students tend to be more interested in activities geared towards their learning styles, and when they are not, it “profoundly” effects them. He also argues that when a student performs poorly on an assignment, we must look at his learning style instead of concluding the student may be unmotivated or have a lack in ability. One last claim Sternberg makes is that “be aware of a natural bias toward our own personal style in order to avoid unconsciously penalizing students who do not match us in learning style.” After reading this, I thought it was very interesting how even literal psychologists disagree on the topic and both have strong research and knowledge to back up their own claims. I figured that all psychologists would either be for or against the use of learning styles in the classroom, not they themselves, would also be in disagreement.

An article on Research Gate leads to a literary review done by two professors on how technology effects learning styles now that it has become prominent in education. Its main points focus on the fact that learning styles do improve classroom success, especially with the use of technology. I think technology has its own pros and cons in terms of education and actually disagree that it could be considered a learning style even though some students do prefer it over physical books.

In my opinion, I think both sides of the articles have valid points. I am, however, against learning styles. I feel that, along with the articles from The Atlantic, learning styles deprive students from other forms of learning. I think education should use all forms of approach to strengthen a well rounded student.

References:

Khazan, O. (2018, April). The Myth of “Learning Styles”. Retrieved from The Atlantic website: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/

Willingham, D., Hughes, E., Dobolyi, D. (2015). The Scientific Status of Learning Style Theories. The Teaching of Psychology, 42(3), 266-271. DOI: 10.1177/0098628315589505. Retrieved from: https://career.ucsf.edu/sites/career.ucsf.edu/files/Article%20UCSF%20SEJC%20January%202017.pdf

Rogowsky, B., Calhoun, B., Tallal, P. (2015). Matching Learning Style to Instructional Method: Effects on Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(1), 64-78. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/edu-a0037478.pdf

Educational Research: Newsletters & Webinars. (n.d.). The Importance of Understanding Individual Learning Styles. Retrieved from : https://www.ernweb.com/educational-research-articles/the-importance-of-understanding-individual-learning-styles/

Ellington, S., Benders, D. (2012, June). Learning Style and It’s Importance in Education. Retrieved from the ResearchGates website: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256022625_Learning_Style_and_it%27s_importance_in_Education

 

 

 

 

 

Spotlight Post 1

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

The word “Divorce” used to be taboo many, any years ago. Now it is becoming very common in todays society, leaving marriages with children divided. Divorce is something that many children have to go through, and its not the easiest thing to understand or live through growing up. Personally, my parents got divorced when I was 3 years old. My younger sister was only reaching the age of 1, so she would never grow up to see our parents together at all.  The biggest debate on the topic seems to be whether or not divorce affects kids, either negatively or not at all.

In an article produced by psychologytoday.com, titled with the name, “The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents,” it clearly states that affects are seem throughout children with divorced parents. Though this source seems to relay the fact that age plays a major role, it also shows the general ways children react at several different age ranges. Depending on how young the child is, divorce shapes how the grow. If the child is younger, it can make them grow to be a more dependent person, while if the child is in their adolescent years, it can have them growing to be more independent. Divorce changes someone no matter what age. Having a child see the splitting of their two parents has many affects on them. Seeing love vanish, commitment disappear, a shift in the house they are growing up in, only being with one of their parents at a time, all of these things have a significant affect on a child. Research throughout this article reveals that for younger children, trust becomes a harder thing for them to comprehend. The split creates instability, as well as a feeling of insecurity in a household.

Reading through the Scientific American article , “Is Divorce Bad for Children,” offers the opinion that children grow quickly and adapt well. Divorce is seen as hard on children no matter what, but it just might not damage or hurt them as much as others may think according to this piece of literature. This article was found through a magazine with scientific studies provided along side of it, proving its credibility to the public. Relating to the article, it states that divorce will affect most children but for not as long as every would think. It is more of a short term effect with couple negative characteristics that tag along through the process. expressing anger, shock and anxiety are very common seen through children with divorcing parents. Long term, there studies showed there was little to no difference in children with separated parents.

Looking into other sources, I found an article focusing souly on the steps and ways divorce affects children. In the article from verywellfamily.com , an article written by Amy Morin was named, “The Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children.” As divorce rates continue to keep climbing, this topic gradually increases with questions. This article seems to line up very well with my first article I found. Most kids are seen to have some type of negative effect by divorce. Kids are even seen to question themselves, asking if it is their fault or why this is happening to their family. Depending on age, it is hard for a child to fully comprehend what is happening around them. Growing up with two parents and then all of a sudden you have to see one of them at a time complete shift the dynamic they grew up knowing to being a normal thing. Different kids have different reactions to divorce but the common factor is confusion. Struggling with the idea of a completely different demeanor throughout the rest of their childhood. Both short and long term negative affects are seen through research in this article. Changes in behavior, school grades, attitude, aggression, and levels of stress are all commonly seen in children with divorced parents. Divorce is negative all around, for every person involved.

Another article seeming to support the fact of divorce not being the worst thing in affecting a childs life came from LIVESCIENCE. The article titled, “Divorce Not Always Bad for Kids,” was written by Rachael Rettner. In this piece, she explains that the worlds view of< “staying together for the kids,” isn’t always the best idea and can cause more damage to them them good. Growing up with parents that have split apart is healthier then seeing your parents fight and disagree constantly. High conflict inside homes creates a sense of disconnect, not only through the connection of both parents in raising their children, but through the relationships of child to parent. Staying together with more conflict seems to cause issues then divorce with less conflict between parents. Each family case is different, but a childs happiness comes from outside factors and a major key to there life is how their parents are living.

As a person with divorced parents, I really do believe it has an extremely negative effect on you as a child. My parents divorced when I was very young, but I grew up with arguments, division, step parents(which made things twice as hard), and a complete split in my family. Having a younger sister, I couldn’t always feels effected because I was looking out for her and how she was feeling most of the time. Not only that, but having to split everything down the middle took meaning out of most family events. Things like holidays, birthdays, vacations, all of these things should be done together as a family unit. In my case, my mom had soul custody of my sister and I, leaving my dad with weekends and couple weekdays every once in awhile. I have always wondered what it would have been like to have parents that would have been together throughout the course of my childhood and how different things could have been today.