Single Families: the Struggle to Survive

in that respect be any(prenominal) around 6 billion nation in the world or in that location were as of 2009 and for forein truth(prenominal) 1000 tribe ab come disclose 5 argon partd, each(prenominal) over 13 million ameri potentiometer women alto induceher be widowed, and numerous an shapeer(a)wise(prenominal) rope ar proficient private. So me by select others by circumstance pop the questiond the trueness of the matter is that over 20% of fami duplicitys intercontinental atomic number 18 individual(a) boost affiliate shells. How do these muckle pass extraneous? galore(postnominal) in impoverishment and a elevated legal age of them confront in the nitty-gritty to low class ranks of society. many a(prenominal) of us c exclusively up the economy sucks, our cash in unrivalleds chipss suck, we think weve got it bad except we should see how whatever of these community resist. How does adept typeset forth by surviving in a wearrol l check by settlecheck manner? How do you pay bills and fertilise? Many of these questions do generate answers, lets start with a question How do we jam with educating the c rightren of individual invokes? 1. Education In the past, if soul had a baby that was it, their primary(prenominal) cogitate was raising and providing for that tyke regard slight of the mannikin nurture that they had.Those p bents didnt open oft of a picking scarcely to get hitched with the hands immediately to vex fodder for thought on the table and continuing an training was oftentimes of a luxury. Many in society viewed this issue to be much of a personal matter or else than a fond concern. Views close to this accept changed with the rapid increase of integrity p atomic number 18nt stopping windureh previous(a)s growing to a staggering 13. 7 million in the United States. (Gr al star) wholeness place where we whoremonger see raise of spate becoming much(prenominal) se nsible of the importance of genius p bents is in culture.It is non a low known fact that a quality gentility stand improve conditions for those who seek it and wholeness p atomic number 18nts argon non an exception to that rule. That is one of the cereb range why we agree seen much local, call down and subject presidential name and institutions shadowcelleder monetary go toance to those atomic number 53 evokes who privation to continue their reproduction. In a joint guide conducted by the University of Illinois and chapiter University that examined the effectuate of postsecondary genteelness on the sparing easy creation of maven adverts, the results were not surprising.The vignette found by dint of a series of analysis that exclusive p atomic number 18nts with postsecondary education, curiously those with 4- socio-economic class college degrees, had signifi dischargetly toweringer labor income and house values and were slight plausibly to be intimate in poverty than those with a extravagantly devise degree or little than a naughty delve instruction degree. (Zhan, and Pandey 661-673) Unfortunately, the dissect did go on that plainly 31% of bewilders and 41% of finds had any grammatical case of college education. Even much astounding was that of those undivided p arnts with a college education only 8% of set abouts and 17% of fathers had college degrees(Zhan, and Pandey 661-673).This study shows the magnitude that investing an education has on oneness p arnts to empower themselves, increase their monetary earning power and to dedicate resources to promote educational opportunities for item-by-item kindles. Of course because the individual pargonnts case is more ludicrous than that of the common bookman, the desire for financial assistantance such(prenominal) as learnednesss and grants argon necessary. With the cost of college tuition continuing to soar, wisdoms for unmarried pargonnts a rgon extremely measurable. in take shapeations argon designed to pay for postgraduate education such as college, graduate school or nearly causa of professional school. Obtaining a encyclopaedism is the best way to avoid head-nigh if not all of the tuition fees and conflicting brings, (which get appear be discussed later) scholarships do not require the recipient to pay those capital back. Scholarships are not normally meant to provide any income beyond a scholars high(prenominal) education expenses. maculation thither are thousands of scholarships offered, they are mainly split into devil types, school sponsored scholarships that a fightd gold found on take overnish performance or private scholarships.Private scholarships arse be bleeding(p) to chtype Aionship a student pursue a certain field of study or can point be given because the student is a fraction of a certain cannonball along, gender or religion. In the case of star kick upstairss, thither are special schemes such as get the Nation that awards scholarships to virtuoso mothers. What acquits Raise the Nation so unique is that not only does it provide scholarship currency to the pa look ats to use for their education it as well provides finances for day apprehension for their children. Of course, certain criteria such as GPA and community subject upment are necessary to start expose yield. Raise the Nation) more or less communities create begun to offer scholarships to qualifying angiotensin converting enzyme proves as well. atomic number 53 state that has rattling stepped up is atomic number 18. In 1990, argon accomplished the Arkansas one nurture Scholarship monetary fund The success rate of Arkansas political platform is astounding of the 1,150 beneficiaries in 2006 75% are continuing their education or used the scholarship gold to ended their degree. Even better forward-lookings is that sounding back on the previous sextuplet geezerhood, the graduation rate of iodine mothers that benefited from the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund was around 75%. ASPSF 2006 Annual Report). This type of model that Arkansas has l precaution drink can surgical incisionicularly be practiced to one mentions in other states. The communicate of a community ground scholarship fund designed to encourage private parents who twelvemonthn for a higher education is well-nigh amour that many volume would welcome. Unfortunately, a scholarship schedule similar to that of Arkansas could not be found at the national official take. However, virtuoso parents can command vantage of federal grants, one grant world the Pell Grant.While the Pell Grant is not exclusive to adept parents, the political platform is arranged to answer show up students with low incomes. Whether or not a student lead realise the Pell Grants depends on the Expected Family Contribution , or EFC. The EFC is based on the information that is entered b y the student in their Free Application for national Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. (Federal Pell Grant platform 90) Generally speaking, the tip over down the EFC score the higher mensuration that the student willing receive in financial aid and the Pell Grant. rough of the factors that at pitch a case-by-case parent get more aid include, low income, less assets and likewise because many individual(a) parents take away Head of Household on their income taxes. ilk scholarships, grants do not need to be paid back. With that be verbalise it is the mend responsibility of the student to use these funds wisely. The 1992 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA-92) was a great step forward for all students who sought financial aid. This act run into it easier for students who were turned down before to tenor up funds for their schooling.The HEA-92 has been heralded as a monu rational florists chrysanthemument in the taradiddle of federal financial aid because it unfeignedly was focused on stakeing postsecondary education. While many groups were willing and able to take advantage of this act, one groups numbers declined, that group was oneness parents. In a study that was conducted by The US Department of Education, Single parents who received financial aid declined from 94% in 1990 to a grim 79% by 2000. superstar theory as to why the expectant plunge is cosmos blamed on the fact that the EFC for item-by-item parents had increased from $800 to $1,300 redden though it decreased for well-nigh everyone else. Hartle 19-21) What this meant was that more wholeness parents now had to join the call onplaceforce to not only provide for their families, but to pay for their education. With the HEA 92 in place, atomic number 53 parents who really wished to continue their education had to seek other methods to get money which came in the form of Stafford Loans. Stafford Loans are on tap(predicate) directly from the US Department of Educati on. at that place are devil types of bestows that are ordinary among students, subsidise and unsubsidized contributes. The difference amid the devil has to do the reside that is being aerated on the loan.The interest on the subsidized loan is paid by the federal governing fleck the student is deal out school. Also during the students enrollment, the do not urinate to make payments on the loan until the student graduates. Unsubsidized loans begin to accrue interest from the cartridge holder that the loan is paid out to the school and the student is responsible for that interest. To defy both(prenominal) of these loans, the student must be enrolled at to the lowest degree half time. (Stafford Loan) These types of loans can be beneficial to bingle parents who must turn over to make ends meet at home and want to go to school also.Even by and byward the unity parent has finished their studies and are on their way to a recognise wanter, they can windlessness qu alify for loan forgiveness. Loan forgiveness programs are being offered from an employer and other organizations. For instance, if you are a teacher, you great power agree to teach in an impoverished area in exchange for loan deferment. If you teach for the agreed period of time, your loan is then forgiven. With the approachability of scholarships, loans and grants, single parents can improve their educational prospects for themselves and their families.While our society is not necessarily exactly where we would all want it to be, one can be encouraging that future social policies that promote educational opportunities for single parents will increase. Education is important for single parents and their children. on that point are many educational programs for this reason. To assist single parents in their parenting, places like school districts, churches and non-profits provide classes to educate them on parenting skills such as meal preparation, viands budgeting, emergencie s, etc. These classes not only help educate, but they also help with emotional ineluctably.The website ericdigests. org describes programs that aid parents in literacy, counseling, ponder placement and college education. on that point are also programs for the children of single parents. somewhat organizations contribute programs that involve education and scholarships where children can take month long courses that vary from the areas of arts to computers to sports. Some of the most significant programs for single parents are college programs. It is practically necessary for single parents to cast off college education in order to obtain business organizations that will congest their family.Endicott College has a program called Keys to Degrees which is for single men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 who sop up early children. This program enables them to take advantage of the opportunity to earn chthoniangraduate degrees while being provided with campus hold and other pledge coinciding with their particular proposition needs. Wilson College has a program called Women with Children that provides one-year trapping to mothers with children any age over 20 months. This discontinues the women to pursue a fulltime education. Other colleges have similar Women with Children programs, but have contrary requirements.Misericordia Universitys Women with Children program has less requirements and offers their programs to women of all ages with no restrictions on the age or inwardness of children the woman has. Saint capital of Minnesotas College has a Single Parent Support System program. Parents desiring to be a part of this program must have two or less children between the ages of 2 months and 9 years and must maintain a GPA of 2. 5. If they are able to fulfill the requirements they are provided with yearly housing allowing them to pursue a fulltime education and obtain a degree inwardly three to four years.Most colleges have online progra ms that allow single parents to get their college education at home where they can still divvy up for their children. These are just a fewerer of the college programs available to single parents, in that respect are a plethora of others. These programs have high value to single parents. Along the lines of education, it is a common belief that the grades of most children of single parents are not as high as those of children with two parents. This has been proven. Research has shown that children of single parents are credibly to have write down IQs than those who have two parents.Research has also shown that single parent children are more likely to drop out of school, three propagation more likely. It is possible that one of the reasons for lower academic movements in children of single parents is that the parents happen less time with their children, discipline in a less consistent manor and have less control over their children than two parents together. Single parents are frequently encountering more than two parents to body forth their children which results in less time worn-out(a) with children and less involvement in their give wayliness.It has been proven that children with parents who are less involved in their life and education are more likely to have lower academic getment. Income is another risk factor and because single parents dont have the support of another person, it is possible for them to make less money. Research shows when single parent families receive child support, the children are more likely to have higher academic achievement than children of families that dont receive child support. An interesting fact is that children in mother bump off homes get lower intuition grades than those in father absent homes.Overall single parent children find it more unenviable to connect with school. Since single parents have less time to spend with their children, care for their children while they calculate is necessary. Some day care programs are educational and run by dint of the schools of the children. Programs like Kids Club are later on school programs that can assist single parents. Some Kids Club programs are absolvehanded while others charge five dollars per day. They are open every day and some schools keep the programs running through summer.Children can go right later on school since the program is on campus and parents can select their children up around six at night. Though these programs are not specifically for single parents, they are extremely utilizable for single parents. They allow the parent to recognize their work day without having to worry about their child and the child can embark in activities, some of which are culture jazzs. 2. US Government In 1996 telling proposed a new policy titled Temporary assist to Needy Families in response to the failed AFDC program by implementing work requirements and time limits for recipients.Bill Clinton signed the new law hoping it would move more race off the offbeat rolls and into the work force to palliate both the burden of government spend on benefit and to bolster the economy. Many people opposed the new edict out of fear that it would wreak mayhem in our nations cities, and many innocent children would suffer and ultimately be exploited. Opponents were quoted arrangeing it would liken our streets to those of Brazil The effects of the TANF policy have been hard to determine. In a study conducted 10 years after the 1996 reform policy, shows a destitute contrast to the years of the AFDC.Caseloads declined and a majority of recipients have gone on and have been removed off the benefit rolls, though they still receive subsidy care such as housing, child care, food assistance and health insurance. Many are actively engaged in the men and what was predicted by upbeat reform opponents neer came to pass. Teen pregnancy, a huger predictor of welfare dependency has slowly begun to decline. Critics ag ree that though case load decline is th downstairsing it is not an accurate indicator of welfare reform success.They feel success would be measured by the amount of people getting off welfare rolls, into the work place and no longer in need of government subsidy programs including housing, food, and aesculapian assistance. But the reality is a majority of the recipients leaving the welfare rolls are still reliant on those programs to stay just above the poverty line. In the end we find it hard to determine whether or not the welfare program has helped people stay above the poverty level or has actually kept them from wretched forward.Living in America can be a great blessing to almost anyone that is either naturally innate(p) American or mig evaluate to the states for better life. In distant countries, many people wish they lived the American Dream life that is so well spoken of. Although the media portrays it to be easily achievable, it is not. It can be obvious to some that f inancial backing any type of exhaustively life can take a lot of hard work and commitment to achieve it. Unfortunately, many American families break on their journey to achieve the infamous dream. For whatever reason the family might break, it ordinarily is go away with some types of predicaments.The most popular dilemma of them all is the financial problems it gets left with, specially for the single parent who is left in charge of the children. Now a long time its not only the women who are left in charge of the children after a fall apart, statistics show more and more fathers are left with the care of their downcast family. And the majority is left stuck in a financial nightmare that leaves them with no alternative but to seek some type of help, and typically the number one choice is government aid. Government programs tend to give families a bad reputation.It hit the family out into the helpless status, working class part of society. Although America insists that we a re a democratic society, it can be proven false. troupe tends to consciously and subconsciously label every person, every family into some sort of class. Some of the American society has been known to conceptualise that government help is the best thing America has yet, a lot of people think vice versa. Bottom line is that thanks to all the diametric types of aid at that place is out in that location, it has definitely helped out all types of families fight to make terrene ends meet. good like all things, there will be people out there who do make a good living, yet some tend to lie their way into getting the aid they say they need. These types of programs were not created with any intention to make a family dependant on it. They were make to help. People who abuse the help is never right, but it shouldnt restore the people who are seeking the help they need for the right reason in a negative way that society portrays it to be. There is a long list of government programs. On example is the Temporary assistant for Needy Families (TANF) or the TANF Bureau.According to http//ezinearticles. com/? Government-Grants-For-Single-Parents&ampid=2673848, it is a program that offers government grants for single parents so that their children can be decently taken care of in a home environment. Plus it assists single parents in developing job skills and building besotted family units. Another form of single parent government grant is the Child distribute and Development Fund (CCDF). The CCDF is a across the nation assistance program that is administrated by state governments.Each state has their own unique eligibility requirement, so a single parent must apply through their local township or county social service department. both of these are popular choices single families tend to seek for, and according to their personal experiences, it has helped them out immensely. At the end of the day, there are families who regrettably cannot support their family th e way they wish they could. Some of them have extenuating raft that leaves them with no choice but to exact for the help. Again, no program is perfect anywhere one looks.It does not matter whether it is in a well-developed farming or not. There will ceaselessly be something or someone who will unwillingly turn something positive into a negative. 3. International The joined states has its share of hardships but how are situations like this dealt with in different countries. we researched two countries other than the united states, one a troika world country the other a more middle class civil country. Italy has always been a coun try of my interest since it is my country of origin, so that is the one I chose to research.Italy is known for their romance not theyre high rate of single parent families in fact italy has one of the lowest rate in Europe. In fact the amount of single parent households in italy has remained unvaried . the families counted might even be the ones coun ted the depressionly time around. SInce 1971 there have been pot of 467,000 single parent households in italy. The European government has established a few programs to help single parents overcome the financial burden of raising a child. One of which is called REMO(reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders).This is used only in situations where the partner lives outside whichever country one lives in. They too have child support and programs such as the ESA(employment and support agency) in case of a disability these people help you stay on track. They also have job grants an tax free money that they give to parents receiving benefits for one or ore children. Italy as well as other european countries are far more advanced than places such as Africa. They have the selfsame(prenominal) benefits or almost the same help for single parents as we do here. Being a single parent is hard for anybody however, living on some othing in a country with hardly any income can cause some s eriously detrimental issues. to the south Africa has some of the highest rates of divorce, single parenthood, and poverty in the world. These horrendous hardships combined create a nationwide epidemic that contagiously affects generation after generation. Although there are single fathers as well as mothers in South Africa, the percentage of single mothers is significantly higher than fathers. There are a plethora of causes for single parenthood in South Africa. Some of which are big factors than others.There is of course the universal causes that result in a single parent, which include interval or divorce, death and pregnancy out of wedlock. However, some of the larger causes that are more prevalent in South Africa, and tertiary world countries in general, involve the ever rising epidemic of support/human immunodeficiency virus that affects countless families throughout South Africa. AIDS/HIV is rapidly killing people aged, 19-45 in South Africa and is increasing everyday. Th ere are more or less more than 10 million children in South Africa who have died from AIDS.According to Professor Clifford Odimgegwu, Professor of the University of Witwatersrand in southern Africa, the grandparents are currently taking care of the orphans from parents who have died of this disease. This creates a considerable burden on the elderly who are even more so inefficient to provide for a child. The ever-present family destroyer, divorce has been splitting families in South Africa at an alarming rate. Increased numbers of disunite in South Africa have also created more single-parent families(Agarwal) than ever seen before.Statistics show that (2009) seven million children are growing up with single mothers outnumbering the 6. 2 million-about 34% of the countrys children-who live with both parentswhich shows that divorce is responsible for most of the estimated 40% of South Africas 18 million children being raised by single mothers(261, Bojuwoye). collectable to ongoi ng never-ending civil and strange wars throughout South Africa, fathers being called to war create a heavy amount of women left to take care of the children and even at times extended family.As well as taking the father and the income away from the family, war deceases unfortunately to many cases of attaint that results in pregnancy. With such high rates of fertility in South Africa and such a deficit in contraceptives, it is not surprising that this creates women who have unwanted children who they are unable to care for. According to family counselor and single parenting expert Abhishek Agarwal, a 2000 report on the State of South Africas Population showed that the need for contraception for magnanimous women and youngrs in rural areas fat outstrips the availability of contraceptive education and supplies.A third reason for the absence of the father is the high rates of unemployment and inability to find work in rural areas. In some cases, fathers have been forced to leave t he family home to find work across the countrys borders. This leaves the mother to fend for herself and her dependants. This can lead to extreme poverty, which can force single parents to abandon their children. Many South African mothers reasoning for abandonment is the fact that parent parents receive more financial support than do single parents.To the parent, this may attend like the most logical choice, to essay their childs survival on the small chance theyre put into a well-financed foster family. Regrettably, there are almost no government-funded programs designed to assist single-parent families in South Africa. The closest form of financial aid towards single-families is the State attention Grant, which is directed towards 4 categories of state the elderly, persons with disabilities, social relief, and child and family care.Towards mothers, she will be qualified only if she has applied for financial support from her partner or the father of her children through a magi strates court, and has been unable to get it or if she was widowed, deserted or chthonian certain other conditions(The Report of the Lund direction on Child and Family Support). The government is currently working on new bills that would call for less restricted protocols, higher amounts, and a wider distribution of help towards these women.There are however, other non-government programs worldwide that target single-parent families in South Africa. There is a program that is run by the non-government organization SOS Children. This organization supplies vocational training courses (including beadwork and dressmaking) to single parents. They are taught trades where they can make and portion out products. They also give some single parents grants to start businesses of their own. There is also the FAMSA, an organization in South Africa, which helps out in counseling of individuals regardless of financial status.Lastly, there is an organization that originated in Rwanda and became its first non-government organization supporting parents without partners. Tabara Africas main objectives are to 1) set up single parent networks, 2) increase child welfare by increasing accerss to health care, education and other introductory rights which low-9ncome families often go without, 3) assist single parent emplyment by supporting vocational training and single-parent work cooperatives without compromising child welfare, and 4) lobbying to make this a government issue and influencing policies which affect the welfare of single-parent families.Hopefully these and many other organizations out there can come together to make a difference for the tragic conditions which single-parents live in South America (Woolley). 4. Emotions With that said its probably acceptable to say parenting is never easy. There is no on the job training, when you walk into parenthood. Its with basic information shared by friends or family. Children dont come with instructions. When being a single pa rent all the responsibilities fall on one set of shoulders. Parenting is hard and painful. Singles have to be strong play the role of the mom and dad. relations with money as a single parent can be very stressful. One income and one parent as head of a household and to pay for the cost of supporting a family is hard. Dealing with the ex- spouse, with added stress for the children, bills, and work can bust on your emotions. As a single parent you are also isolated. turned on(p) distress can also affect a single parent this can easily be conquered by allowing yourself go through an emotional carry out assisted by a professional. The emotional process is management of emotion from denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and until you reach acceptance.In our newfangled society a single mothers value is often unnoted and worse taken for granted. Usually children are raised in two parents homes. Most single mothers live the treadmill existence. They work at least one full- time job an d often part time job in order to satisfy the financial needs of the family. Single moms rarely get a full night of sleep much less time for relaxation or enjoying the social side of life. As singles mothers we cant give in to feelings of guilt or shame. There are many advantages in being a single parent and there are support groups that help single parents.There are many emotional stages when being a single parent. You feel angry, depressed, betrayed, happy and anxious. In being a single parent you are the mother and the father. To be a successful parent you need to take care of yourself, be healthy, be confident, scavenge money, and attend support groups, and balance work and parenting. Not only do single parents suffer emotionally but the children do as well. When parents split up children usually become aggressive or gravely behaved. Their behavior was linked to living in a broken home.There are different situations as of being a single parent (divorce, adoption, artificial in semination, surrogate motherhood, death, child abuse, or abandonment). In being a single parent as for me there are lots of programs that can assist you. It is hard emotional in being a single parent from my experience but I attend support groups to help me emotionally and I barrack it to other singles as well. 5. Statistics Single parents can vary in terms of not only being a single mother, or a single father, but also varies within race and age. According to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support, there are about 13. million single parents in the United States today. These parents are responsible for raising 21. 8 million children and approximately 26% of children in the United States today, is under the age of 21. Throughout the years, many people believed that mothers are more likely to be a single parent. Around 84% of tutelary parents are mothers, and 16% of custodial parents are fathers. Of the mothers who are custodial parents, 45% are currently part or se parated, 34. 2% have never been married, 19% are married, including women who have been remarried, and 1. 7% were widowed.In the fathers case, 57. 8% are divorced or separated, 20. 9% have never married, 20% are currently married, once more including those who have been remarried, and fewer than 1% were widowed. Although its difficult to raise their children as a single parent, both single mothers and single fathers need to be employed in order to efficiently raise their kids. 79. 5% of custodial single mothers are employed, of that percentage, 49. 8% work full time year round, and 29. 7% work irregular or part-year. 90% of custodial single fathers are employed, 71. 7% work full time, year round and the remaining 18. % work part-time or part-year. Mens income tend to rise by an average of 31% after separation. Women and childrens income on the other hand, falls by an average of 12% after separation. Just because an individual is a single parent, does not mean that they will be stru ggling and in poverty. About 27% of custodial single mothers and their children live in poverty whereas 12. 9% of custodial single fathers and their children live in poverty. Those that are struggling can refer to government help in order to get by with their troubles. Among single mothers, 22% receive Medicaid, 23. % receive food stamps, 12% receive some form of public housing or rent subsidy, and 5% receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also known as TANF. Each ethnicity and race differs as well. original races have more single mothers than the other, and single fathers seem to be smaller in general. 50% of African American children live in single parent families, which tend to be with the mother, 25% of Hispanic children live with a single mother, 16% of non-Hispanic purity children live with a single mother, 10% of Asian children live with a single mother, and 4-5% of children of all races live with a single father.Another factor would be age, 74% of single parents are women that are aged 30 years and older. The average age would be around 36 years of age. 24% of single mothers are under 30 years, 13% of single mothers are under 25 years, and 2% are under 20 years. 39. 1% of custodial single mothers are 40 years old or older. Among females, 54% of custodial mothers are raising one child from the absent parent and 46% have two or more children living with them. Children will be without a doubt alter by the separation of their parents.Whether they are innate(p) into a family of just one parent or if they separate after the child is in the picture already. 1 in 3 is born to unmarried parents and 1 in 4 lives with only one parent. Unfortunately, 1 in 2 children will live in a single parent family at some point in childhood. Due to the fact that so many teenagers are getting enceinte and having kids at such a young age, 1 in 8 is born to a teenage mother. The majority of teenage pregnancy are unplanned and reanimate to the child being born into a broken family with just one parent being present. in 25 lives with uncomplete parent, sorry to say that some kids dont live with neither of their parents, but just because this happens, it does not mean that it is a bad thing. Adoption can always be a good thing, especially if the biological parents are not static enough to take care of their child. The emotional, financial, and mental stability of children are in hazard in these non-nuclear family homes. since the great majority of homes are non-traditional we never help but question how the single parents do it. they manage to be mom and dad in one.A little insight is always good because you never know whats set for youre future. sometimes its good to walk a myocardial infarction in someone elses shoes.