A Child's Advocate: Research that Benefits Children and Families

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Strange but true, the assignment this week about providing an example of how research conducted proved to be positive on children and/or families, directly made me think of the show “Wife Swap”.

I have only seen a couple episodes, but I can say that families experience a huge wave of change and it is the children as well as the husband who express frustration. The families are able to see that getting along outside of their bubble is sometimes harder to do than they believe. The wives are thrown into other ways of doing things, sometimes experiencing great heartache, grief, and embarrassment along the way.

And if that wasn’t enough, at the end of the show or experiment, the two families can get together and talk about what they liked and disliked about the change. I believe this experiment creates positivity because it alleviates the sometimes felt; the grass is greener on the other side theory. It reminds families of what they have together and often that their so-called routine needs working on so all members are happy.

2 comments:

Miss RainaNovember 19, 2011 at 7:02 PM
Tina,

I thought this was such an interesting approach to our topic for the blog this week. I, personally, consider WifeSwap to be a guilty pleasure of mine. The show can get pretty extreme, but I agree that it is a great way to see how other families operate. It can put things into perspective; even for the viewer.

-Raina
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AnonymousNovember 20, 2011 at 4:45 PM
Tina,
What a great perspective on this show. I love how you focused on the "grass isn't always greener" way of looking at the show. I think so many children and husbands think that many other people have it better than them but I truly believe that it takes only a reality check for them all to see how great they really have it and how awesome their Mom or parents really are. It's always great to see the returned appreciation in the families for how hard the moms work!
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Personal Childhood Web

Terry- A neighbour of mine when I was a teenager. She was like a big sister in a way and treated me like my age instead of like a small child. I could confide in her and she helped me through a sticky situation when I was in high school. She taught me that although things seemed bad at the time and like there was no possible way out, that all things end eventually. That thought has helped me through some tough times in my life.
Chris- My brother. Chris joined the service when I was young, but when I'd visit him he never ceased to congratulate a grade or a new step in my life. He is someone who gives appreciation and shows admiration to everyone. He is intense to learn more about you and to help you feel better about yourself along the way. He carries my favorite trait which is sometimes hard to find- common sense. I hope I have gathered at least a handful of his knowledge and kindness along the way. His open heart and courage to do good is a constant reminder to me that there is more to people than meets the eye.
Kathy- A friend of my mother's, she was and still is someone who tells it like it is. She would never hide anything about the truth to me and she was comical in telling it. If I had a question, Kathy had a straightforward answer. Still to this day Kathy will not hesitate to give meaningful opinions and life lessons to me. I don't call her enough, but I do think of her constantly especially when life throws me a curve ball and I make some kind of joke out of it!
Louise- A friend of my mother's, she was someone I could tell things to that I was afraid to tell my mom. She would comfort me and let me know I was normal and tried to figure out ways to help me in any situation. She stayed calm and optimistic and I always admired those traits about her that I wish I could have found at home. Louise has definitely taught me to stay true to myself and not try to change to meet another's needs. She's also taught me positivity lasts longer and doesn't create as many wrinkles.
Melanie- She was a childhood friend who had a stable family life and was very intelligent. She helped me study and she helped me see past what other's thought to find out what I thought. Melanie is someone who I assume went on to become some kind of life changing scientist. She showed me dedication, and for a young child to see a peer unafraid of committment to something left a lasting impression.