Hwk 58

Part 3:
Parenting, “the most dysfunctional relationship ever” (Plaza). Many parents feel that after they have a child, their life becomes very different compared to how it was before. They now have to take care of another being which is all their own responsibility, who needs full time and attention. Their life is totally changed because before they had a child, all the time they had was given to their own necessities. Now that have welcomed a child into their life, they have to divide their time for themselves and the baby. “Your time is never your own again because you become a slave to the baby” (Marks). I agree with this because before having a child, you are allowed to do whatever you want whenever you want. You are the one that gets to control your own time; you have all the freedom you need. After you have a baby take over your life, you have to start giving it part of your own time. It’s all about commitment and how responsible the parent is. Even though the parent will not want to give all the time they have to their baby, they will be forced to do so because it will be their own child, someone who is a part of them self.

Because we grow up to be so close with each other, the parent and child relationship makes the child used to getting attention. As a baby, we need the attention from others so we can survive and then learn to be on our own. I would say that a baby’s cry is a sign that shows us that there is attention needed by the baby. Whether they need to be fed, a diaper change, or they are sleepy it all means that they need help from their parent figure. This is why later on when the child grows up, it wants to have the approval it needs from other in society as well. “The togetherness force urges us towards others, for attachment, for affiliation, and for approval” (Student in class/Andy?). Because we all grow up with the love from our parents we become used to all this attention. When I asked my mom about her experience when she had to take care of my siblings and I as babies she responded: “It is very tough, they need a constant eye of an older figure, if you take your eye off of them then you will start to worry about them” (Mujeeb). Since babies receive constant attention from others, they grow up with this thirst of approval from others.

Part 4:
Before this unit on parenting, I wasn’t really aware of what one has to go through after they become a parent. I feel like many of us take our parents for granted because we feel like they will always be there for us providing us with their love and care. Taking a part of this unit, I was able to learn about what actually goes on in the life of a parent. After becoming a parent, the adult figure learns about a whole new chapter in life. Their life takes a drastic change after the baby is born, the parents only then learn to give time to another being other than them self with full commitment. Both Ms. Plaza and Mr. Marks told us about their experiences as a parent and the duties that come with a child. They both talked about how struggling it is to raise a child after its birth, but never did they hate being a parent. I don’t think a parent can ever have hatred towards their child, unless if they are cold hearted and cruel. When someone becomes a parent they need to understand that they are the adult figure for their child. They will be the closest figures for their child, and it all depends on them when it comes to how they will be raised. Even though it might be hard at first to become used to the idea, I think all parents will learn to love their child one way or another.

I will definitely look back to these insights from others whenever the time comes for me to become a parent. I have a lot to do before I think of becoming a parent. I need to get my life stabilized and be ready before I even have such a thought. I do not want to take a part of an unplanned parenthood because I feel like I will then regret my decision of becoming a parent. It will take away all the joy a parent gets from their child. I have much more learning and research to do before I become a parent, but this parenting unit was a great start to plan out my life. Throughout this unit, I was able to realize what my parents had to go through when I was younger and how they raised me. It’s a very tough job to be a parent, even though many of us are fooled about the thought of having our own cute baby. Instead we get a slap from reality when we become aware of how hard such a job is. This unit was able to educate me about all the responsibility and love a child needs to grow up properly. I will definitely take all the insights I gained from others when the day I want to become a parent comes around.