Northwestern University’s undergraduate Human Sexuality class “offered” students a live demonstration of exhibitionism. I believe that most individuals are shaking their heads upon hearing the news. I wonder what caused Professor Bailey’s poor judgement and the school mistakinly endorsing this demonstration. I’m afraid that this incident simply highlights the rampant pathology expressed by our culture, in particular, lack of boundaries and “anything goes mentality.” To be sure this ideology is a slippery slope. I wrote earlier about social networks and in some ways this demonstration highlights the lack of boundaries so many individuals exhibit. It reminds me of a live feed of a woman who simply filmed herself all day long and put the feed up on the Internet. She filmed herself doing everything even using the bathroom. And, it is amazing to me how many people watched.
Dr. Goschi's Blog
The Social Network may be an Oxymoron
Watching the movie “The Social Network” has prompted quite a bit of discussion lately. I openly admit that the Internet and the social meetings that occur have brought people together in a way that we would never think possible. Indeed, it seems that “Facebook” can be credited with the beginning of the protests that led to the downfall of the tyranny in Tunisia. The youth shared information with each other over the Internet that would help their political cause. There are many other positive possibilities that have come from socially connecting on the Internet.
Grieving is So Very Difficult
Please forgive me for being so delinquent with my blogs. However, we lost my mother-in-law this fall and my gosh it takes so much time to recover. Grief is a strange part of living. We all know that we will experience death in our lives but never quite expect how hard it will be to have courage during the process and the courage to recover afterwards.
Helicopter Parents
My 12 year old son came home two weeks ago after having a terrifying experience. He was riding his bicycle home after camp. There was a man in a car who followed him home most of the way. Fortunatley, my son had the presence of mind to find a family ahead of him with whom he shared his dilemma. He road his bicycle with this family for a while until he felt safe. Meanwhile, I was waiting at home for him to arrive from camp becoming ever more nervous because he wasn’t answering his phone and was late.
My Three Sons
While in Disney this June my husban and the boys were watching an old rerun of “My Three Sons.” How patient and wonderful Mr. Douglas was with his three boys and a single dad to boot.
On the remainder of our vacation I had the pleasure of observing many fathers with their children. It reinforced for me just how important fathers relationships are with their children. Most dads were carrying thier younger children through the park by the end of the day. And, to be honest, I didn’t see one frowning face.
Happy Mother’s Day
Mothers are a mixed group of women. We are from all walks of life, diverse nationalities and race, different socioeconomic groups and various faiths. The one thing we do have in common is loving our children.
As a group, we are often bad about taking time for ourselves; other than on mother’s day. I would like to encourage you to make yourself a priority from today forward. As one of my girlfriends said to me, “Let’s make Mother’s Day everyday.” I agree. We should learn to celebrate ourselves daily.
Money and Marriage
Conflict around money is a common isssue discussed in my office. Chaotic financial times can worsen money problems. It is my experience that the way a couple communicates about finances says a lot about the openness, balance of power, and personality style of the couple.
Couples tend to deal with money issues in several different ways. They may be very open and discuss their finances in a candid fashion. This approach tends to revolve around problem solving and mutual respect. Other marriages view money as a means to control the partner. This style results in one spouse feeling angry. Or, I’ve seen the couples where neither one takes care of finances and their lives spin out of control. Lastly, I’ve seen the estranged couple where they don’t talk about money and everything they own is separate.
Cyber-bullying – Serious Consequences
Never mind the bullying in the classroom. The Internet has replaced that with a new, more serious form of bullying. Young children – middle school- on up are spending more time on the Internet. Most of the kids on face book or other social networks on the web would describe their experiences as enjoyable. However, it doesn’t take long for seemingly harmless interactions to become seriously damaging. Viral is the term used to describe Internet communications that spread rapidly. One negative comment can become hundreds. To the vulnerable child these condemning communications can become extremely overwhelming.