Today in class, we were learning about family boundaries and how some families have boundaries that are very rigid and make being close to others difficult and other families have very limited boundaries and boundaries that are difficult to define. Our teacher compared it to having a neighbor that has a barbed- wire fence and a neighbor that has no fence. Neither option is really ideal, because on the one hand, you have someone who is hostile or reclusive and very difficult to talk to or be around, but on the other hand, you have someone who is always in your space and never gives you any privacy or opportunity for independence and growth. The ideal home would be to have a place with a white picket fence, where there are boundaries, but people are welcome if they come in through the determined entry. It is the same type of thing with family boundaries. Like so many other things in life, if you have extremes on either end, it is often not healthy and not where you want to be, but if families establish some boundaries and rules, while still not being overly strict or controlling, then this helps to allow the family as a unit to be healthy and have good relationships with each other.

From my own and very limited experience, I have learned that relationships, especially the relationship of marriage will not be perfect or easy. There will not always be times when you experience "romantic love," but I think real love is something that is more than just the passion that you feel towards the other person.I think real love means being unselfish and putting the needs of the other person before your own.  I think real love involves caring about the person despite their weaknesses and imperfections and accepting them for who they are, while still wanting them to be their best. I also believe that real love involves hard work and sacrifice and that through everything, real love can grow stronger and better than before it began.

Today, I am grateful that I know that I am in the right major. I really have learned to think like a sociologist and to be open minded to the views and positions of others while still being able to have the ability to think for myself, which is something that I treasure. I am also grateful for my amazing teachers who took the time to help me develop these skills and inspire me to teach others and to help them in some way.