Marriage: The Good And The Greedy

First and foremost, he does not have a partner to share domestic duties and an income with. As a result of not having a partner’s help, “Single parents…are truly caught in a time squeeze. They need to work as much as possible to support their family, and they are less likely to be able to count on a partner’s help in meeting their children’s daily needs” (Gerson and Jacobs 2004:630). Currently, my father works as the Captain of a Constable’s Office in Harris County. Unfortunately, he cannot support three children on that salary alone. As a result, he does legal work in his free time to bring in some additional income. Balancing these two jobs leaves him with very little time to spare. Somehow, my father still sets aside ample time to spend
Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian, the authors of “Marriage: The Good, the Bad, and the Greedy,” mention that after marriage, people are not nearly as close with their families as they used to be. Married couples do not usually offer as much care and support to relatives as their single counterparts do (2006:206). For example, my stepfather does not speak to his oldest brother. He sees his other brother only several times a year, despite the fact that they live five minutes from each other. My mother and stepfather’s detachment from friends is much more apparent than their detachment from family. Gerstel and Sarkisian state, “Compared to those never or previously married, married couples disengage from neighbors and friends” (2006:208). My mother and stepfather rarely speak to their friends on the phone and seldom go out to dinner with them. They have absolutely no contact with their neighbors
2004:33). My parents still provide for me financially, even though I am twenty years old. Many college-aged people are focused on earning a degree and becoming competitive enough to enter the job market. These full-time students are usually unable to have a side job in addition to all of their homework and rely on their parents for help with the cost of college. In fact, “More than at any time in recent history, parents are being called on to provide financial assistance (either college tuition, living expenses or other assistance) to their young adult children” (Furstenberg et al. 2004:40). My tuition and rent is completely paid for by my parents because I do not have a source of income. I do not have a job because my parents want me to focus solely on school. Also, since my parents are divorced, there are two streams of financial support that I receive. For example, I have two separate debit cards. My father puts money onto one of the debit cards and my mother and stepfather put money onto the other one. My situation is different from many other people my age because not all college students can rely on their parents to pay for their tuition and living expenses. Also, not many people my age receive two separate streams of financial support. If my parents never got divorced,