Week 9 Blog Post: What about the “Founding Mothers?”  Maegan Green

            The thing that struck me the most about this podcast is that in while we are all grateful for our founding fathers; but where are the “founding mothers?” You know the saying that behind every good man is a good woman. Who were the mom’s that raised these men to be so great and have such great morals and principles? The mother’s that are behind the scenes working tirelessly day in and day out should deserve some credit too. Linda Curbert at a commencement ceremony stated that, “You fair ones; America is in your hands.” It is up to women to marry good men that are supportive and have the same morals and values that we do, and that we want to pass onto future generations.

            Motherhood took on different roles in the 1900’s and the role is constantly changing. With the absence of the father away working, moms took on both the role of mother and father and had to try to do her best at both. There were more rights for women as well during this era and some wanted to pursue their education or work, and didn’t want to be so oppressed.

            I think we all “take a piece of mother when we leave home,” because home is where mom is and where we learn what we need to know to be out on our own. Every Mother’s Day I have to admit I cry and feel so guilty. I wonder what I could have done differently with my children and for my children, especially when I was single. I always buy my mom a nice gift and celebrate her success as a mother, but don’t really want to celebrate my successes. Last year my kids chipped in to buy me a massage gift certificate and I lived it and enjoyed every second of it. I finally was able to let go of my mistakes and enjoy the day and appreciate my own mother, as well as the “founding mothers” of our country.

            

Week 8 Blog Post: Frontline: Abortion Clinic     Maegan Green

            There were a few things that struck me as I watched this documentary and truthfully I found it difficult to watch an abortion and it made me cringe to watch the girl in so much pain and heartache as she went through this ordeal. I feel she was not properly educated on the whole process and she was torn about her decision.  Physically it was hard to watch, but emotionally I felt sorry for her and wanted someone to stop her from making such a life-altering decision. It struck me that they were alone and generally didn’t have any parental support or anyone with them to support their decision.

            Another thing that struck me was the preacher that was outside trying to prevent the girl’s from getting the abortions and educating them that there were resources out there for them and they didn’t have to go through with it. One of the girl’s mentioned that she was afraid of what would happen when the state funding ran out and she was on her own without any help. I can see her point, having been a single mother myself. I don’t personally agree with abortion but I could see the predicament that some of these girls faced. The nurse’s in the video actually did take the time to explain the procedure and tried to be sensitive to the girl’s needs, although I don’t agree with their jobs in assisting with an abortion, under the circumstances they were at least sensitive towards them.

             When the preacher said, “What are you going to do with your baby? Because it is already a baby.”  That struck me hard and the I think the couple too because it made them think about the fetus as a real person and not just some object growing inside of her. He tried to explain that the abortion wasn’t the only option out there and that there was help with the other options too. It’s a tough issue that probably will not go away and will always be controversial but I feel there needs to be better sex education in the schools and parents need to address these issues with their children and try to help them through the difficult teen years and these tough decisions they need to make.

                      Mirror Mirror On The Wall...Who's The Fairest Of Them All?


     We are surrounded by mirrors; in the bathroom, in our rooms, at work, at the department store, for decoration or for a purpose they are everywhere. They rule our lives, we use them to get ready in the morning, we have to check our outfits to make sure they look good in them, we check our makeup in them, we even check our reflection in the windows as we pass by or in a water pool,we can't help but look. Why are we so obsessed, is it a part of our lives and we can't help it, or we are obsessed with ourselves and narcissistic? Everyday people use them constantly but in the documentary it represents something more, outward beauty and obsession with it, pressure to look perfect and be thin, to judge only on outward appearances, not inward beauty. It represents the pressures we feel from our parents to be better, to do better, from our teachers, from our employers, from our friends and even strangers, and from a model scout.
     Who do we blame for this pressure? The media? Magazine covers? Fashion shows? Social media like Face book and Twitter? Store Mannequins ? The makers of Barbie Dolls? Movie stars? Athletes? Or just our society in general? It's difficult just to blame it on one thing, it seems to encompass a variety of factors. In the documentary there was an enormous amount of pressure on these girls to be "perfect" and to stay thin and beautiful. They were taken advantage of and for what? They received no monetary reward or even any sense of self-satisfaction. It was for the gain of the model scouts and the photographers only. Adults taking advantage of children. It took away their childhood and their innocence and placed the value of the mirror above the value of the who the girl's really are from the inside out not the outside in.
     There was no happy ending like maybe in Snow White and other fairy tales. The tale just goes on and on and we don't know what happens next.

Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, was born on this day in 1884. She has been most remembered for her social justice efforts, having spent much of her life advancing the rights of women and minorities. Roosevelt was an ardent supporter of civil rights, calling out her husband's New Deal programs for discriminating against African Americans and opposing FDR's Executive Order 9066, which forced Japanese Americans into internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She also advocated for more women in the workplace and urged women to vote as a bloc.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56963037-78/women-mormon-church-priesthood.html.csp

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/05/20803178-painless-death-or-precipitous-cliff-transsexual-chooses-euthanasia-after-failed-operation?lite
This is sad to me and kind of crazy too that they allow people to die like this!