1.) Chapter 17 (“Families in Later Life”) discusses:
· Our Aging Society
· The Growth of the Older Population
· The Gender Gap
· Growing Racial and Ethnic Diversity
· Health and Ageism
· When is “Old”?
· Physical Health
· Mental Health
· Ageism and Stereotypes
· Work and Retirement
· Older People are Working Longer
· Many Older Americans Can’t Find Work
· Variations in Retirement Income
· Retirement and Marital Happiness
· Grandparenting
· Grandparenting Styles
· Grandparents as Surrogate Parents
· Grandparents and Divorce
· Grandparents’ Visitation Rights
· Aging Parents, Adult Children, and Siblings
· Relationships Between Parents and Adult Children
· Sibling Relationships in Later Life
· Dying, Death, and Bereavement
· Experiencing Death and Dying
· Hospice Care for the Dying
· The Right to Die with Dignity
· Coping with Death
· Being Widowed and Single in Later Life
· Who Are the Widowed?
· Facing Widowhood
· Forging New Relationships
· Family Caregiving in Later Life
· Who Are the Caregivers and Recipients?
· Caregiving Styles of Adult Children
· The Satisfactions and Strains of Caregiving
· Other Support Systems
· Competition for Resources
· Some Financial Costs of an Aging Society
· Are There Any Solutions?
2.) It was interesting to read about the sections about the relationships between parents and adult children and sibling relationships. Some of the things discussed in the relationships between parents and adult children section, reminded me of my family. My grandpa and my uncle died within about a year or so of each other so my grandma and aunt were both widowed around the same time and my aunt had two young kids to take care of. Needless to say, my grandma stepped in and has helped raise the kids along side my aunt.
It was also interesting to read about the different types of sibling relationships. I found myself picking out sibling pairs I know and associating them with one of the five groups. I feel that my younger brother and I are congenial siblings – we are very close, and we don’t talk everyday but at least every week. The only thing I would say that doesn’t fit us with this particular group is that we would not “help only when it doesn’t conflict with [our own] obligations.” Even when we’re both married and have families, I strongly feel that if we needed help, the other would be there, whether in person, on the phone, video chat or maybe even communicating through holograms at that point, you never know.
3.) I would like to know, if you have siblings, what kind of group would you put your relationship in and why? Or what kind of relationship would you like with them in the future?
This is actually a hard question for me to answer based on how my relationship with my brother has changed over the years already. We used to be intimate siblings where we were each other's best friends. I could count on him to do anything for me, even if it was just me telling him one of my secrets. Although this was the case when I was about five, I also understand why it changed over the years especially when I went to college. I feel like now our relationship can be classified almost as loyal siblings because I sometimes feel like it is a chore or task that I am required to do by talking to him. Even though loyal siblings are said not to argue, he will find any opportunity to change that and start a fight just because he is jealous. I think that looking into the future of our relationship is challenging specifically because it will most likely depend on who is the more successful one and who moves out of the house first. If we both move out of the house within a reasonable amount of time, I see our relationship as a congenial one because we will be able to be good friends due to the fact that neither will be jealous of the other. I realize that this seems petty that we feel this animosity towards each other at times, but I truly feel that once we each are able to obtain our dream jobs that we will be able to look past all of our differences and revert back to being almost as close as we were when we were little.
ReplyDeleteI think it is hard to categorize a bidirectional relationship in definite categories. For example, I used to be very close to my brother when I was little (he's six years older). When he became a teenager he pushed me away gradually and finally became an indifferent sibling. I used to call him and his wife regularly, send them generous gift packages etc., but never received anything from him in return. I must say, I have a better relationship with his wife and kids then himself. So, I am not indifferent towards him, my attitude is between loyal and congenial. Although my mom keeps telling me how much he actually loves me, I am not sure if I should keep believing her since there is little proof that my brother cares about me at all.
ReplyDeleteEser
I have 2 brothers and a sister. I feel that to my brothers we are congenial siblings because of our age differences we are close to each and would contact each other on a regular basis, but do not consider each other to best friends. The reason being is because we are all our own individual person and we are quite different from each other. I feel like my sister and I are loyal siblings because there is seven years difference between us and we feel the bond of family but we are at two different points in our lives that we cannot really share perspectives with each other.
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