#2: Gender Roles; My View

          When most people thin of the roles that are played in today's society many things come to mind. One example being the role of gender. The idea of masculinity and femininity come to play and every stereotype from either side come into the big picture to determine who that person really is. For an man you are masculine. Therefore you are on the outside though, hide emotion as best as you possibly can, and are the leader of the pack in any situation that comes up. Then when it's time to start a family you are the head of the household (leader of the pack), you are the sole bread-winner, and you are also the one who makes any type of decision regarding anyone or anything under your roof.

          As for women we are feminine. We are known to society as being emotional, soft, sweet, caring, ect. Then later on after we marry we are known as motherly. We take care of our husband and children so that everyone is happy, healthy, and taken care of. We also make sure that our home is in the shape that we want it in and usually for most women that is clean, organized, and presentable.


          This isn't always true though so why does society have us believing these ideas?! Sure I grew up in a village suburb on a street with many families who had at least two children and one parent if not both had a good paying job. But that was where I lived, not what MY life was like. I grew up in a house that had one parent; my mom. By herself she raised my brother and I for fifteen years, kept a full-time job which required her to work forty hours a week (sometimes 60-80 weeks during the holiday season), kept up with the house, wrote out and paid every single bill, made every decision, and did everything she possibly could to make our lives as normal as possible because of the void feeling around us from my dad not being there.

        I see my mom as a very powerful, loving, caring, and tough woman who definitely gave the idea of gender-roles a different idea. She took on both roles of being mom and dad and handled both exceptionally well. And in life alone one thing she taught me is this; as long as the job gets done right the first time the gender of the person taking care of things doesn't matter.

Post #1: About Me

Many people have probably seen me around the campus of Silver Lake College. Whether it be walking down the halls as I'm patiently walking to my next class, playing a game of pool with my friends in the basement of Clare Hall, taking care of simple everyday tasks, or even as I leave campus with my red duffel bag over my shoulder ready to go home. I don't know very many people on campus, but I would love to meet and get to know some more.

I grew up in Saukville, Wisconsin and live with my mom, younger brother, and Mia (pronounced like Miya); our 4 year old Siberian Husky. I don't have a lot of siblings but I have plenty of cousins on my moms side alone that make up for that and with my mom being the fourth child out of eight children there are always excuses for a family get-together; which are normally held at our house. And with way more that 25 people in your house at a time there is also never a dull moment!

My brother T.J and I attended the Port Washington-Saukville School District every year of school. We used to ride our bikes to school when we were in 4th and 3rd grade together because our elementary school (Saukville Elementary) was only about 1 1/2 miles away from our house.  I know that might sound crazy for my mom to let my brother and I ride our bikes that far to school when we were 8 and 9 years old but where we live in Saukville is a very small neighborhood. Then for middle school we attended Thomas Jefferson Middle School and then onto Port Washington High school where I graduated from. Throughout middle school and high school I was a part of choir ever single year for a total of eight years. It was a lot of work, but I absolutely enjoyed every moment of it. I have also had roles in four musicals that my schools have put on. My eighth grade year it was Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Jr. Then in high school my freshman year the show was Grease, sophomore year was Thoroughly Modern Millie, and junior year the musical was Footloose. I never got tired of practices, making people laugh, or even simply having a good time. The time I spent on stage was my time to be myself and to show exactly what I was made of.

As for a career choice I have done some picking and choosing over the past ten years. In the third grade I wanted to become a doctor but I don't remember why. In middle school I had decided that I wanted to go into elementary education and teach Mathematics and Communications. But being daddy's little girl, when I started high school I decided to go into health care. My dad was a Paramedic on the Grafton Fire Department before he past away and did everything he could to help people, even when he had given all he could. Because of him, I have the will to become a Nurse Practitioner and become a Certified Nurse Midwife. And I already have my foot in the door too. At age 17 I participated in a Youth Apprenticeship at my high school and during the summer between my junior and senior year of high school I took 15 days out and went to M.A.T.C- Milwaukee and earned my C.N.A license. And let me tell you, 15 days for 30 chapters of college work is A LOT!! But, I did pass with a B+. After passing the college test I passed my state test on October 2nd, 2012 and started working at a nursing home down the road from my high school on October 24th, 2012; my grandma's birthday. I couldn't start working right away because of last minute paper work and I also had surgery to remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth on October 6th. But hey, what's done is done.

That's pretty much me. Well, for now.