Patrick Ward, PhD » mothers

Mother’s Day

Patrick Ward — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:00:46 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! Nobody loves us like our mothers, right? The quote “A face only a mother could love” is a testament to the staying power of motherly love. A mother’s love and nurturing are often taken for granted. Remembering the significance of mothers in our society is a big reason that mother’s day was first established by Anna Marie Jarvis. She was a West Virginian by the way. Continue

Becoming Parents: Challenging Changes

Patrick Ward — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:03:00 +0000

Parenthood is great in many ways. Becoming a parent, however, is a growth process and it takes a lot of learning through trial and error. Bill Cosby says “Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.” Those of us who are parents can agree it’s much harder than we thought, but there is also the potential for great joy and happiness as a parent. When I found out that my wife was pregnant the first time, I had only the slightest idea how my life was about to change. Before I had kids of my own, I had some friends who were parents. When I told them we were expecting, these friends – with spit up on their shoulders and crying babies in the background – would grin and say how much they were looking forward to us having a child to take care of. Looking back, I think the grin was more sadistic than celebratory. It’s like they couldn’t wait to see us suffer and stagger through the transition to parenthood. Continue

Women’s Health: What Social Science Research Tells Us

Patrick Ward — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:15:11 +0000

This month’s focus on women’s health provides an opportunity to share some valuable information regarding family dynamics. Recent research has taken a serious look at the effects of marriage and family life on women’s well-being. Much of the research in the social sciences suggests that marriage is beneficial to women’s health. For the women who are reading this article: Before you start laughing at that last statement please understand that these studies are based on huge amounts of data from surveys of thousands of people. The findings are based on averages, and comparisons of married women to those who are divorced, cohabiting, or single. Marriage and family life has its trials for sure, but compared to women who are divorced, cohabiting, or single, married life appears to be beneficial for most women. Continue