Organic labels bias consumers perceptions through the 'health halo effect'

Apr. 1, 2013 ? The word "organic" can mean many things to consumers. Even so, the power of an organic label can be very strong: studies have shown that this simple label can lead us to think that a food is healthier, through what is known as the 'health halo effect'. But can this bias go further?

A study by Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab researchers Wan-chen Jenny Lee, Mitsuru Shimizu, Kevin M. Kniffin and Brian Wansink set out to answer this question. Their study shows that an organic label can influence much more than health views: perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food is labeled "organic." Certain people also appear to be more susceptible to this 'health halo' effect than others?are you?

115 people were recruited from a local shopping mall in Ithaca, New York to participate in this study. Participants were asked to evaluate 3 pairs of products -- 2 yogurts, 2 cookies and 2 potato chip portions. One item from each food pair was labeled "organic," while the other was labeled "regular." The trick to this study was: all of the product pairs were organic and identical! Participants were asked to rate the taste and caloric content of each item, and how much they would be willing to pay for the items. A questionnaire also inquired about their environmental and shopping habits.

Even though these foods were all the same, the "organic" label greatly influenced people's perceptions. The cookies and yogurt were estimated to have significantly fewer calories when labeled "organic" and people were willing to pay up to 23.4% more for them. The nutritional aspects of these foods were also greatly biased by the health halo effect. The "organic" cookies and yogurt were said to taste 'lower in fat' than the "regular" variety, and the "organic" cookies and chips were thought to be more nutritious! The label even tricked people's taste buds: when perceived as "organic," chips seemed more appetizing and yogurt was judged to be more flavorful. "Regular" cookies were reported to taste better--possibly because people often believe healthy foods are not tasty. All of these foods were exactly the same, but a simple organic label made all the difference!

Who is less susceptible? This study found that people who regularly read nutrition labels, those who regularly buy organic food, and those who exhibit pro-environmental behaviors (such as recycling or hiking) are less susceptible to the organic 'health halo' effect. So, if you do not consider yourself in one these groups, take a closer look when shopping for organic foods -- they are, after all, still cookies and chips!

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cornell Food & Brand Lab. The original article was written by Rachel Eklund and Wan-chen Jenny Lee.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Wan-chen Jenny Lee, Mitsuru Shimizu, Kevin M. Kniffin, Brian Wansink. You taste what you see: Do organic labels bias taste perceptions? Food Quality and Preference, 2013; 29 (1): 33 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2013.01.010

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/9BFLgahB5b8/130401121506.htm

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You're Next Trailer: They've Been Watching

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/youre-next-trailer-theyve-been-watching/

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American beaten, raped on Rio public van

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? An American woman was gang raped and beaten aboard a public transport van while her French boyfriend was shackled, hit with a crowbar and forced to watch the attacks after the pair boarded the vehicle in Rio de Janeiro's showcase Copacabana beach neighborhood, police said.

A third man, aged 21, was arrested for the attacks, which took place over six hours starting shortly after midnight on Saturday, police said in a Tuesday statement. Two men aged 20 and 22 had already been taken into custody for the attacks, police said. and a young Brazilian woman has come forward to say that she, too, was raped by the same men in the van on March 23.

"The victims described everything in great detail, mostly the sexual violence," police officer Rodrigo Brant told the Globo TV network. "Just how they described the facts was shocking ? the violence and brutality. It surprised even us, who work in security and are used to hearing such things. Their report shocked us."

The incidents raise new questions about security in Rio, which has cracked down on once-endemic drug violence in preparation for hosting next year's football World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic games. The city will also be playing host to World Youth Day, a Roman Catholic pilgrimage that will be attended by Pope Francis and is expected to draw some 2 million people in late July.

Officials from the local Olympic and World Cup organizing committees didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The attack also drew comparisons with the fatal December beating and gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus. Six men beset a 23-year-old university student and male friend after they boarded a private bus, touching off a wave of protests across India demanding stronger protection for women. Officials there say tourism has dropped in the country following the attacks.

In the Brazil case, a police statement said the suspects forced other passengers to get out of the van and then raped the female tourist inside the vehicle, which was one of a fleet of vans that serve bus routes and seat about a dozen people.

Such van services are often linked to organized crime in Rio, particularly the militias largely comprised of former police and firemen that control large swaths of the city's slums and run clandestine services such as transportation and sell cooking fuel and illegal cable TV hookups. In general, tourists avoid the vans and opt for regular buses or taxis.

Sexual assaults on tourists are not common in Rio, with muggings and petty crime reported more frequently.

During the assault, the two foreigners were driven to the poor neighborhood of Sao Goncalo, where the two suspects were apprehended, a police statement said.

Reports said the two foreigners had been studying Portuguese in Rio for about a month and both left Brazil following the attack.

The police statement said that one victim's cellphone was found in the suspects' possession. The suspects had also used a debit card belonging to one of the victims at two gas stations, it said.

The Globo television network broadcast surveillance camera images of two men filling up the white van and showed police images of a crowbar the suspects used to beat and intimidate the victims. The victims positively identified the two suspects.

In an interview with Globo television, commanding officer Alexandre Braga, who heads the Rio police unit specializing in crimes against tourists, said the suspects had gone on a sex crime spree.

"The characteristics of both crimes, both the Brazilian case and the one with the foreigners, lead us to believe that they (the suspects) wanted to have a 'party of evil,' in quotes," Braga said. "The principal motive appears to have been the satisfaction of their lust."

He added that the robbery and other crimes appear to have been "secondary."

Multiple calls to police seeking further details on Tuesday were not immediately returned.

In Brazil, more than 5,300 cases of sexual assault were reported between January and June 2012, according to the country's Health Ministry.

___

AP Television producer Ana Pereira contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-french-tourists-kidnapped-1-raped-rio-153518185.html

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PFT: Geno Smith will attend NFL Draft

Reuters

It has been several weeks since it became clear that the most serious (and possibly only) suitor for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who apparently remain willing to pay Revis what he wants on a long-term deal even as the cornerback market has disintegrated.

But a trade bogged down with the Jets wanting a package headlined by the 13th overall pick in the 2013 draft and the Bucs hoping instead to send a 2014 first-rounder that, if the team from Tampa has its way, will be much lower than No. 13.

Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune believes that, as the draft approaches, talk of the trade going down ?will heat up again.?? Cummings writes that the Bucs continue to refuse to part ways with their 2013 first-round pick ?in part because it?s too soon to know how this year?s draft will play out.?

That?s a great point.? A player the Bucs would have drafted with a much higher pick could squirt through the first 12 selections, making them more inclined to use it.? Conversely, there may be no one Tampa really wants at No. 13, making a trade to the Jets more likely.

That would actually help the Jets, since getting the 13th pick after 12 have been made would ensure that no one would try to leap past New York and take the player the Jets would possibly be targeting at No. 13.

There?s a third path that could get the deal done, giving the Jets the 2013 first-round pick G.M. John Idzik feels compelled to obtain.? The Bucs could slide back from No. 13 if they aren?t thrilled with any of the players available at that point, and then offer the lower pick to the Jets.

The fact that the Bucs have yet to sign another cornerback, coupled with the belief in league circles that ownership in Tampa wants Revis, means that this deal isn?t dead, yet.? In the end, it could make for some unexpected twists on the night of Thursday, April 25.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/geno-smith-will-attend-the-draft/related

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Not A Done Deal (The Note)

Not A Done Deal (The Note)

By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

HURDLE JUMPING: Sen. Chuck Schumer said yesterday that while there is not a final deal on immigration legislation just yet, the bi-partisan "Gang of Eight" senators working on immigration reform has reached a "substantive agreement" on the major components of an immigration plan, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ AND CARLOS BOETTCHER report. "It is not a done deal. We have to draft the legislation. We have to have the group of eight sign off on the specific language, but we have substantive agreement on all the major pieces now between the eight of us," the Democrat from New York said in an interview with ABC News Sunday. On Friday, business and labor leaders came to an agreement on a visa program for low-skilled immigrant workers, a major turning point in the debate on immigration reform. "The fact that business and labor have come to an agreement overcomes the last major substantive hurdle we've had in our negotiations," Schumer told ABC News. http://abcn.ws/Z2ohSa

THE DEAL: In what the AFL-CIO described as the "W-Visa" program, 20,000 visas would be available for low-skilled workers beginning in April of 2015. The number of available visas would increase gradually in the following years but would never go above 200,000 or dip below 20,000 in any given year. Only 15,000 visas would be allocated to construction jobs each year.

RUBIO PUTS ON THE BRAKES: But Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the members of the bipartisan group working on immigration, said over the weekend that reports of a final deal being reached are "premature," and he called for more hearings and discussion on the topic of immigration so that a "healthy public debate" is conducted. "Arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people's consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren't part of this initial drafting process," Rubio said in a statement Sunday morning. "In order to succeed, this process cannot be rushed or done in secret." http://abcn.ws/Z2ohSa

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's JEFF ZELENY: Is Senator Marco Rubio trying to stop or slow down the immigration bill? When he issued a statement on Sunday that it was "premature" to suggest an accord between business and labor groups signaled broader agreement on the bill, eyebrows were raised among others involved in the immigration debate. What is he up to? It is an attempt, a Rubio aide says, to ease perceptions that immigration reform is a done deal. Critics still point to the secrecy surrounding the 2007 immigration debate. This time, Rubio and others are calling for a more open and transparent process to litigate concerns. It remains an open question if that will help - or happen.

ABC's RICK KLEIN: Watch Marco. Of all the members of the Gang of Eight tackling immigration reform, the most interesting player by far has been and will continue to be Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. His written statements - carefully crafted, more-carefully timed - suggest an inside player who is extremely cognizant of outside perceptions, and who's not intent on straying far from the political center of gravity. His was the only "Gang" voice urging caution over the weekend, calling reports of a deal "premature." And while continuing his private talks, he included a warning that "this process cannot be rushed or done in secret." So far, Rubio has been able to draw the public praise of both Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. - but that can't last. Rubio's ultimate support for an immigration bill remains very much an open question; not coincidentally, the prospects for such a bill ultimately passing are unclear as well.

ABC's DEVIN DWYER: Don't be fooled by the headline-grabbing optimism about an immigration reform deal. While big progress has been made on principles, passage of a bill is far from a foregone conclusion. Six years ago, after a bipartisan group of senators forged a similar compromise, then-President George W. Bush famously declared: "I'll see you at the bill signing." He later ate his words. Conservative activists who led the 2007 anti-"amnesty" rebellion are mobilizing to do it again, and their GOP allies in the Senate appear eager to buy them some time. Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who has been skeptical of the "Gang of Eight" plan, on Sunday praised Sen. Marco Rubio's caution against a "rush to legislate." Sessions said he wants hearings on immigration to take "months - not weeks," setting up a clash with Democrats who want to proceed with speed. Reformers fear any significant delay in drafting and voting on legislation could kill momentum behind a deal.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

ISAF COMMANDER: AFGHANISTAN NOT READY TO STAND ON ITS OWN, BUT WILL BE IN 2014. As commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, Jr. has one of the toughest jobs in the military: preparing Afghanistan to stand on its own by 2014 when the last international troops are set to pull out of the country. Gen. Dunford says Afghanistan isn't yet strong enough to provide for its own security but is optimistic about the country's future. "The conditions are not yet set for a stable and secure Afghanistan in the long term from which Al Qaeda and other international extremist groups will not be able to conduct attacks on the West," the general tells "On the Radar's" MARTHA RADDATZ. To see more of the interview with Gen. Dunford, including his thoughts on how civil society will fare following the troops' withdrawal, check out this episode of "On the Radar." WATCH: http://yhoo.it/XlRgG6

BUZZ

READY, SET, ROLL. This morning, the First Family participates in the 135th annual White House Easter Egg Roll, reports ABC's MARY BRUCE. This year's event is focused on promoting health and wellness with the theme, "Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!" It will include cooking demonstrations, various sporting events, storytelling and, of course, rolling. Musical guests include Jordin Sparks, Austin Mahone, Coco Jones, Sesame Street, and The Wanted.

CORY BOOKER JOKES JOB DROVE HIM TO DRINK - COFFEE. Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker answered viewer questions from Facebook and Twitter for an ABC News' web exclusive before joining the "This Week" roundtable on Sunday. After Booker discussed his future Senate plans, his time as Newark mayor, and his Twitter routine, he admitted to a few other personal habits. He's a self-proclaimed 'Trekkie,' loves Ben & Jerry's ice cream, late night television, and believes that his job "drove him to drink" - but coffee is the vice in question. "I did not drink coffee before this job. I always say this job drove me to drink," Booker told ABC'S KAYE FOLEY. We also asked Booker: How many hours a day do you spend on Twitter? BOOKER: "I guess it's so seamless that I don't really think about it that way. So it's like going from meeting to meeting, or waiting for people to come into the office. A lot of it happens in the early morning when I wake up or late at night, which gives a lot of my followers this idea that I don't sleep. But if I wake up? like this morning around four o'clock, I'll start checking my Twitter and responding to people." http://abcn.ws/YVudmM

REP. PETER KING COMPARES NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT TO 'ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILY.' Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. joined the "This Week" roundtable on Sunday and had this to say about the North Korean government: "As far as I see, this is not even government. It's more like an organized crime family running a territory. They are brutal, he is brutal, his father was brutal, his grandfather was brutal. I don't see any purpose at all in [direct talks with North Korea] at all. It would demoralize our allies in Asia, certainly in South Korea, and it would - to me - serve no constructive purpose whatsoever." More Sunday Sound from "This Week": http://abcn.ws/13IWe2P

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN ON GAY AND LESBIAN OUTREACH: 'WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER.' During an interview for "This Week," Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan told ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS that the Catholic Church's very nature means it will be - from time to time - out of touch with the concerns of its followers. "Sometimes by nature, the Church has got to be out of touch with concerns, because we're always supposed to be thinking of the beyond, the eternal, the changeless," Dolan said. "Our major challenge is to continue in a credible way to present the eternal concerns to people in a timeless attractive way. And sometimes there is a disconnect - between what they're going through and what Jesus and his Church is teaching. And that's a challenge for us." Dolan was responding to a question from Stephanopoulos about a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, which found that 60 percent of Catholics "describe the church as 'out of touch' with the views of Catholics in America." Stephanopoulos also asked Dolan what the Catholic Church can say to gays and lesbians, who feel unwelcomed by the Church, which does not support same-sex marriage. "Well, the first thing I'd say to them is, 'I love you, too. And God loves you. And you are made in God's image and likeness. And - and we - we want your happiness. But - and you're entitled to friendship.' But we also know that God has told us that the way to happiness, that - especially when it comes to sexual love - that is intended only for a man and woman in marriage, where children can come about naturally," Dolan said. "We got to be - we got to do better to see that our defense of marriage is not reduced to an attack on gay people. And I admit, we haven't been too good at that. We try our darndest to make sure we're not an anti-anybody." http://abcn.ws/16aJduq

WHAT WE'RE READING

SUSANA MARTINEZ WATCH: " New Mexico Makes Strong Move To Compete For Jobs," an Op-Ed in the Las Cruces Sun-News by New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez: "At the beginning of the session, I called on the Legislature to pass reforms making New Mexico more competitive with neighboring states. ? I'm pleased that by passing the New Mexico Jobs Package, we reached a bipartisan compromise that will help our economy grow by leveling the playing field with surrounding states. The New Mexico Jobs Package cuts the business tax rate from 7.6 percent to 5.9 percent. The 7.6 percent rate is the highest in the region and at 5.9 percent, New Mexico will be more in line with neighboring states. This will help attract new job-creating businesses to our state and help existing businesses grow. The new reforms will also spur manufacturing by ending the practice of penalizing New Mexico manufacturers for exporting their goods to other states or countries. New Mexico leads the nation in export growth, and this tax reform will help build upon our success by encouraging existing manufacturers to expand while attracting new employers to our state." http://bit.ly/YqpDKQ

IN THE NOTE'S INBOX

-DEMOCRATIC SUPER PAC ANNOUNCES NEW HIRES. An announcement from the super PAC, American Bridge: "Today, American Bridge 21st Century President Rodell Mollineau announced the hires of Jessica Mackler and Eddie Vale. Mackler has joined the Super PAC as Vice President-Campaign Director. Vale will serve as Vice President-C-4 Director of the affiliated non-profit American Bridge 21st Century Foundation as well as a Senior Advisor to the PAC. ? Mollineau also announced new, expanded roles for American Bridge alums Steven D'Amico, Kelli Farr and Chris Harris. D'Amico, who led the presidential and vice-presidential research teams last cycle, will serve as Research Director & Senior Advisor. Farr, who managed American Bridge's tracking program in the 2012 cycle, will expand her portfolio as Tracking Director & Senior Advisor. And after focusing on outreach to national press since early 2011, Harris will lead overall communications efforts as Communications Director & Senior Advisor."

-HOUSE SUPER PAC MARKS APRIL FOOL'S DAY. "House Majority PAC's top 10 GOP targets have done and said some crazy, outlandish, ridiculous and just downright nonsensical things. And on April Fools' Day, House Majority PAC created a website compiling local news coverage about them all in one place: www.GOPHouseOfFools.com," according to an announcement from the group. The PAC's targets include, Reps. Michele Bachmann, Mike Fitzgerald, Michael Grimm, Joe Heck and more.

Get more pure politics at ABCNews.com/Politics

WHO'S TWEETING?

@nycjim: Awesome piece on Sen. Harry Reid's evolution from NRA supporter to shepherd of #guncontrol legislation. http://nyti.ms/10fAwy1

@RNCResearch: Remember the Obama admin warning about "calamity" in the skies with sequestration? http://bit.ly/YYj8RS

@PressClubDC: TONIGHT, top editors from @washingtonpost discuss newspapers future in the digital age at @pressclubdc.

@aterkel: How the Agriculture Dept and the meat industry beat sequestration http://wapo.st/10hhYO4

@AlexConant : ! RT @ScottBrownMA: Arriving in NYC for show prep for O'Reilly. He is on vacation and I am hosting tonight 8 & 11PM.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/not-done-deal-131413016--abc-news-politics.html

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UK poll points to mistrust of clergy, lack of moral leadership

LONDON (Reuters) - Only around a half of Britons trust the clergy to tell the truth and a similar proportion think the Church of England does a bad job of providing moral leadership, a poll showed on Sunday.

The survey by pollster YouGov commissioned by Britain's Sunday Times newspaper further showed that 69 percent of respondents thought the Church of England, mother church of the world's 80-million-strong Anglican communion, was out of touch.

Forty percent of those polled said they did not trust priests, vicars and other clergy to tell the truth, and overall doctors, teachers and judges were rated as more trustworthy.

Fifty-four percent believe the Church of England has struggled to give moral leadership, the poll found.

The survey highlights the challenges facing the church in Britain amid falling believer numbers and controversies over whether to ordain women bishops and government plans to legalise gay marriage by 2015.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey suggested on Saturday that gay marriage plans made Christians feel "persecuted". Last month, Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Hinting at turmoil within the Anglican church, current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby urged a softer response to divisive issues such as same-sex weddings than that taken by Carey, and called for differences to be dealt with "gracefully".

"That is the challenge for the church and that is the challenge if the church is actually going to speak to our society which is increasingly divided in many different ways, here and overseas, over huge issues," Welby said in an interview with Premier Christian Radio broadcast on Easter Sunday.

The Anglican church is also at odds with the government on welfare spending cuts imposed in efforts to rein in a big budget deficit. Welby has argued that "children and families will pay the price" for welfare reforms due to take effect on Monday.

While Welby may be reflecting wider views in society on the perils of benefit spending reductions, the Anglican church has increasingly found itself opposing prevailing cultural trends, particularly on the issues of gay marriage and women bishops.

In November, the Church of England voted against ordaining women bishops, but the Sunday Times poll showed 80 percent of respondents backed the move. It also showed almost half of Britons think the church is wrong to oppose same-sex weddings.

Only 39 percent back the church in opposing gay marriage.

YouGov surveyed 1,918 adults between March 27-28.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-poll-points-mistrust-clergy-lack-moral-leadership-135028994.html

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Self Improvement | by Christine Maddox. | The Self Improvement Blog

By Christine Maddox -

The past can help us make our future or it can hold us back from it. It can make us fear or make us bold. For most of us, however, it is overcoming our past that will lead to a brighter future. Unfortunately we were not raised by perfect people. Our parents were and are flawed human beings with their own baggage from the past. These generation issues have a tendency to stay in families for years and years and get passed down almost unconsciously. A short temper, physical abuse, lying, and more all end up becoming a daily part of our lives growing up. The bad thing is that most children never realize that their normal family lives are not normal at all. Things like being hit for trivial reasons or yelled at or just treated with indifference throughout childhood is not a healthy way to live, and yet many of us have grown up in those atmospheres and seem to expect the same thing from the rest of the world. Even though this is abuse in many ways, we are comfortable with it and thus chose to hang around and form relationships with people that are comfortable with it, mostly to our detriment.

The thing is that we need to let go of our past and redefine what normal and healthy is. We all have ways that we could live healthier lives. Maybe we see food as a reward and thus overeat; maybe we have bad self-images and feel ugly no matter what we do; or maybe we have short tempers and fly off the handle and expect others to be okay with it. Change is not easy but it is worth doing when you gain a new peace and hope in your future.

One of the major things that hold many people back from changing is the fact that you have to admit that you were wrong. That what you grew up in or used to do yourself was not healthy or normal. This can be a hard thing to deal with as no one likes to be wrong. It also implies that you have wasted your time or your life. This is not true. No matter how old you are you still have time to change and you owe it to yourself and those you love to make your life better.

I love a verse from the Bible that says, ?I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten?? Joel 2:25a (NIV). I see those lost years spent in distress, anger or depression as years eaten by locusts. They are gone and behind us, and yet things can still be restored better than ever. Instead of focusing on what you have lost, look at what you have to gain. Living a healthy and balanced life is well worth the effort of confronting your past.

In my own life I have only begun the process of understanding what healthy living is like. My family has a long history of enabling and fostering helpless people who abuse those around them. There are two types of people, the givers and the takers. The givers are empty and hopeless because the takers take everything they have. The takers are resentful and abusive because they get everything without working for it and feel frustrated and useless.? This is a vicious cycle that has repeated itself generation after generation. Typically it is the women who are the givers and the men who are the takers.

Needless to say this does not foster healthy living conditions. As a child in this type of home I was raised to think in skewed ways. The men were helpless and had to be coddled and never expected to help out in any way beyond being employed, and sometimes not even then. The women were expected to be strong and productive and always loving no matter what the men did. They were supposed to work and take care of the children and the home with no outside help. In fact, from what I was exposed to I always wondered what the point of getting married was. It seemed much easier to just have kids and then get divorced. At least then you would get some money through child support and you wouldn?t have to deal with another big baby to take care of.

As I have gotten older I started to understand that this is not the way families or relationships that are healthy should work. Both parties should give and take equally and there should not be this cycle of sacrifice and greed. Letting go of my family?s idea of relationships actually made me want to find a partner of my own instead of staying single forever. Before I understood what a healthy relationship was I had decided to remain single and spare myself the pain. Now I understand what a blessing an equal partner can be.

Beyond just relational issues we also had issues with respect. Of course you can see where that comes in. How can you respect someone you are taking care of all the time, and how can someone be respected if they never set boundaries or limits? Learning to set proper boundaries without getting upset or frustrated is a process, but it is well worth doing. Having respect for yourself as well as others is very important in living a healthy and balanced life.

As you can see, I am still learning and growing. Overcoming your past is not a one-time thing. It takes a lot of effort and growth to move past what you have been exposed to and into a healthier future. But moving past the past is the only way to find a brighter future.

Author Bio:

This post is contributed by Christine Maddox. Currently she is pursuing her Master?s degree from the University of Texas as well as blogging for www.4nannies.com. She loves to write anything related to parenting, kids, nanny care etc. She can be reached via email at: christine.4nannies @ gmail.com.

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Source: http://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/featured/pushing-past-the-past/

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