“A 2005 nationwide study suggested that about 3 percent of households with children ages 8 to 18 included child caregivers,” wrote Pam Belluck of the New York Times in her article entitled “In Turnabout, Children Take Caregiver Role.” This article featured the ups and downs in the lives of children who are primary caregivers.
We usually imagine home caregivers as middle-age parents who dress their parents, and tend to their disabilities, Alzheimer’s, or some form of cancer. We never entertain the idea of 12 and 13 year olds being primary caregivers, but this situation is more common than you think.
Parents and grandparents being provided for suffer from a large array of diseases including multiple sclerosis, bladder cancer, diabetes, and colitis, and extend to caring for parents who are crippled or blind. The children must administer medication, bathe their disabled parents or grandparents, give up regular activities, and some even drop out of school. Some children even rebel against their parents and run away or “beat them with canes.”
On the up side, children have the potential to mature at a faster rate.
There are special programs dedicated to the education, recognition, and support of children who are primary caregivers and one such program is the Caregiving Youth Project.
Children who are primary caregivers obtain such titles because of their culture. Others become primary caregivers because they’re too poor to afford health care or they come from single-parent homes.
I personally believe that it is immoral to place that much responsibility on a child. Granted, that our parents raise us and I understand that life can drop unexpected situations in our life.
I feel that medical help should be provided for those in need. We shouldn’t have a system that wants to take away a child’s right to be around their parent or parents’ if the parent(s) can not provide for themselves, and that is what keeps these child caregivers in the dark. They cannot get the help they need without fear of expulsion from their family by the state.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
On February 15th Steven McElroy wrote an article about the remake of the classic horror film FRIDAY THE 13th. “It slashed its way to No. 1, earning $42.5 million in its first weekend in theaters, more than double the total of the No. 2 movie HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU,” wrote McElroy.
I beg to differ.
I watched Friday the 13th on Saturday, and at the end of the film I was quite disappointed.
The film started off with a bang; within the first few minutes four people are violently killed by Jason Voorhees (the villain), and one person is captured. Then the title card pops up revealing the words FRIDAY THE 13th and the audience I was with as well as myself sighed in relief that the movie wasn’t over.
Unfortunately, I had not realized at the time that the movie would go on to be about drugs, sex, and bloody deaths with a splash of cheap thrills and bangs to make the audience jump.
In the end I left the theatre feeling a sense of loss, but I was thankful that my boyfriend paid for my ticket, or I would have felt cheated out of a precious ten dollars.
The Internet Movie Data-Base gave FRIDAY THE 13th 6.9 out of ten stars, which I feel was more than generous.
Rotten-tomatoes (another website dedicated to rating movies) gave the film a 29% fresh rating on a scale that goes to 100% fresh.
"This is certainly not the movie to propel the slasher genre forward," wrote USA TODAY’S Claudia Puig.
Hollywood needs to revamp its horror section and they should do so without remaking old horror films; regardless of whether or not they’re American horror films (like AMITYVILLE HORROR), or foreign horror films (THE RING and ONE MISSED CALL).
The last good horror film I watched was entitled EDEN LAKE, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a horror defined in a different way.
I beg to differ.
I watched Friday the 13th on Saturday, and at the end of the film I was quite disappointed.
The film started off with a bang; within the first few minutes four people are violently killed by Jason Voorhees (the villain), and one person is captured. Then the title card pops up revealing the words FRIDAY THE 13th and the audience I was with as well as myself sighed in relief that the movie wasn’t over.
Unfortunately, I had not realized at the time that the movie would go on to be about drugs, sex, and bloody deaths with a splash of cheap thrills and bangs to make the audience jump.
In the end I left the theatre feeling a sense of loss, but I was thankful that my boyfriend paid for my ticket, or I would have felt cheated out of a precious ten dollars.
The Internet Movie Data-Base gave FRIDAY THE 13th 6.9 out of ten stars, which I feel was more than generous.
Rotten-tomatoes (another website dedicated to rating movies) gave the film a 29% fresh rating on a scale that goes to 100% fresh.
"This is certainly not the movie to propel the slasher genre forward," wrote USA TODAY’S Claudia Puig.
Hollywood needs to revamp its horror section and they should do so without remaking old horror films; regardless of whether or not they’re American horror films (like AMITYVILLE HORROR), or foreign horror films (THE RING and ONE MISSED CALL).
The last good horror film I watched was entitled EDEN LAKE, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a horror defined in a different way.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Crap! What Am I Going to Do for Valentines Day?? O.o
My friend came to me for advice recently and said something to the effect of, “Oh crap, what am I going to get my girlfriend for Valentine's Day? Do you have any good ideas? I don’t want to be outdone and feel like a loser.”
Every February we put ourselves under mass amounts of stress while we go and get cards, flowers, candies, and gifts for loved ones, but few people know why they even go through such lengths to declare love for their family members, friends, and sweethearts.
In honor of that oh so festive holiday that I feel is a total trap to sucker people out of money, let’s take a look at Valentine’s Day.
Roughly three legends came to define Valentine’s Day.
One contends that “Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.” Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers (The History of Valentine's Day).
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death (The History of Valentine's Day).
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for trying to help “Christians escape harsh Roman prisons” or that Valentine sent the first “valentine greeting” himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison.
Thus, people support Valentine’s Day in honor of Valentine’s death which occurred sometime around the middle of February.
If you were a Christian or believed in the pope, you celebrated Valentines Day based on the pagan Lupercalia festival; this festival signaled the beginning of spring and a time for purification, and was held around the middle of February.
I don’t doubt that Valentine’s Day stories will pour in all over websites just like last year.
All I am saying is that I feel Valentine’s Day should be a day where we enjoy the company of our loved ones in honor of Valentine’s death or the Lupercalia festival.
If you’re not a fan of either of the previously mentioned traditions, and all you want is chocolate, flowers, or cards, then I feel sad that you are unappreciative of the fact that a friend, family member, co-worker, boyfriend/girlfriend, or husband/wife has loved you every single day, since the day you were born.
That idea alone should mean more than perishable or worldly items.
Every February we put ourselves under mass amounts of stress while we go and get cards, flowers, candies, and gifts for loved ones, but few people know why they even go through such lengths to declare love for their family members, friends, and sweethearts.
In honor of that oh so festive holiday that I feel is a total trap to sucker people out of money, let’s take a look at Valentine’s Day.
Roughly three legends came to define Valentine’s Day.
One contends that “Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.” Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers (The History of Valentine's Day).
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death (The History of Valentine's Day).
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for trying to help “Christians escape harsh Roman prisons” or that Valentine sent the first “valentine greeting” himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison.
Thus, people support Valentine’s Day in honor of Valentine’s death which occurred sometime around the middle of February.
If you were a Christian or believed in the pope, you celebrated Valentines Day based on the pagan Lupercalia festival; this festival signaled the beginning of spring and a time for purification, and was held around the middle of February.
I don’t doubt that Valentine’s Day stories will pour in all over websites just like last year.
All I am saying is that I feel Valentine’s Day should be a day where we enjoy the company of our loved ones in honor of Valentine’s death or the Lupercalia festival.
If you’re not a fan of either of the previously mentioned traditions, and all you want is chocolate, flowers, or cards, then I feel sad that you are unappreciative of the fact that a friend, family member, co-worker, boyfriend/girlfriend, or husband/wife has loved you every single day, since the day you were born.
That idea alone should mean more than perishable or worldly items.
Monday, February 2, 2009
New Exhibit: Homeless People
My friend and her Mother were recently evicted from their home (after living in it for over 15 years) because the financial strains of the economy today in combination with the loss of her Mother’s job and medical needs had finally taken its toll.
My friend and her Mother are currently rooming with her Mother’s friend, but all this made me think about homeless people; people who once lead ordinary lives when series’ of unfortunate events made them become homeless because they had no family or friends to turn to.
We pass them on the street and maybe we give them money or a bottle of water, maybe we think they’re lazy and we turn our nose away from them as if they’re beneath us, but do we ever stop and just talk to them as if they’re human?
News reporters keep count of homeless people, exhibit and report violence done to homeless people by people who are better off financially, and even report on communities and associations that support homelessness.
A report by WJLA recently stated that “a homeless man died after being attacked Friday [he] lay unconscious for nearly 20 minutes” before anyone called for help.
Another report by The Seattle Times stated that, “2,826 homeless people were counted in King County, an increase of about 2 percent over 2008.”
Somewhere in all that commotion we forget that we’re dealing with people (not animals) who are down and out on their luck. I feel that news casters can be particularly insensitive when it comes to speaking of the homeless.
I’m not saying that we should promote homelessness, I’m just asking that people re-approach their thought processes when it comes to people who must make do without all the luxuries that other people have.
No matter whom you are or what your situation is “you will never be any better or worse than anyone else, but no one will be as good as you.” –My Great Grandmother (Lauretta Kimble).
My friend and her Mother are currently rooming with her Mother’s friend, but all this made me think about homeless people; people who once lead ordinary lives when series’ of unfortunate events made them become homeless because they had no family or friends to turn to.
We pass them on the street and maybe we give them money or a bottle of water, maybe we think they’re lazy and we turn our nose away from them as if they’re beneath us, but do we ever stop and just talk to them as if they’re human?
News reporters keep count of homeless people, exhibit and report violence done to homeless people by people who are better off financially, and even report on communities and associations that support homelessness.
A report by WJLA recently stated that “a homeless man died after being attacked Friday [he] lay unconscious for nearly 20 minutes” before anyone called for help.
Another report by The Seattle Times stated that, “2,826 homeless people were counted in King County, an increase of about 2 percent over 2008.”
Somewhere in all that commotion we forget that we’re dealing with people (not animals) who are down and out on their luck. I feel that news casters can be particularly insensitive when it comes to speaking of the homeless.
I’m not saying that we should promote homelessness, I’m just asking that people re-approach their thought processes when it comes to people who must make do without all the luxuries that other people have.
No matter whom you are or what your situation is “you will never be any better or worse than anyone else, but no one will be as good as you.” –My Great Grandmother (Lauretta Kimble).
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