Rachel Hibbard WRD 110 201 P1 Position Shift Essay My shift consisted of three main points.

. This three points being: The before: this being when I had the intent to have children, as I had considered it the natural course people go through, or perhaps hadn't thought of it as much of a thing of choice, the change: this being when I had gotten older and come into contact with more children in my more mature state and it struck me that I was less than compatible with them, and perhaps the biggest change in stance, it struck me as a choice and not a path we all must walk with each next step predetermined accompanied by left footprints ready for us fill, and the after: this is the point in which I had decided I did (and still do not) wish to have children. This was my shift in condensed essence, and what led me to my view on the subject today. When communicating my shift, I knew that most of my peers probably would not have the same view. My strategy was to make what I was communicating relatable even to those with the opposing view. Even to those with an extreme opposing view. It is difficult to explain preference, and to explain very personal feelings. I found it even harder to make it understandable to people who might not feel the same way or have ever thought about the concept. So, I decided the best way to handle this was to get people in my mindset. To do that, things were not to be stated directly. The ideas and preference presentation was best provided gradually. Being more laidback was also a method I had to use. If a defensive stance is put on, people automatically put on an offensive stance, even if they are not incredible strong in their view. It causes people to turn off their open-mindedness. I went with asking questions. That way people are led on your path, but, in a way, it is by their own accords and in their own freedom. It is a good way to be more objective and less imposing. It also calls for the audience to think. Then, as they are thinking, you can guide the string of thought. I also wanted to make the PowerPoint simple and clean so that the desired effect could be sought. If it was too fancy, or too cluttered, the audience may think that of me and it make them uninterested. I wanted a little color, and for the color to neither be too bright or too dark. If it was too bright, it would become an eyesore. If too dark, the tone may be misinterpreted as depressing and in turn, my shift would be viewed as such, when that is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve. My approach for different audiences is usually the same just because most audiences probably will have similar views and problems with my shift. However, with telling my family,

particularly my mom, who loves children, I decided I had to be more blunt and direct. This is because she would be sad about not having any grandchildren, and, like herself, try to convince me otherwise. With friends, I actually have several of them who also do not wish to have children, so it was more of a me, too type of presentation. The friends who do not want children understood, and the few that do have been accepting and perfectly okay with my announcing. It would usually be when they were mentioning something about future parenthood, so my chance was there to be casual and relevant. I would say I did not want children casually and informatively. It was always said politely and assuredly, so no friends ever had anything negative to say, except maybe a Really?? As an 18 year old woman, I am confident with my choice, my family has accepted it, even my mom over time, my friends know, and everything is harmonious. I think the way I told people each time has been the best way, since it turned out well each time, and lastingly so. The only regrets that I would have in how I communicated it was when it was brought up around peers other than my friends who did not take it as respectfully. I wish I would have been more prepared for that as to better communicate my point, but I did not think too much about people, who would be disapproving, besides my mom for her grandchildren. his shift is a very serious and important concern in one's life. One's life, meaning not just my own, but any person considering having children at any point. It is one of the most life changing actions people take part in. It's relevant to current events in a manner of it's ever occurring, implying it's always a current event. However, it's also an even more, legitimate in meaning, current event in that we're living in a time where it's both notably criticized and notably accepted not to have children, as opposed to a society going strongly one way or the other. I say this, speaking from my personal experience, and from the experience I've heard coming from sources elsewhere (blogs, articles, friends who made the same decision). In these experiences I have conceived (poor phrasing) the view that some people are notably accepting of the decision not to have kids, they respect is at the individuals choice, and they don't see a reason why one wouldn't . However, on the flip side of this view I've conceived, some people are notably disapproving of the choice not to have children, they think that people aren't serving their purpose, and give very scornful opinions to the idea of an intentionally childless life. The fact that people, as a mass, are both approving and disapproving, signifies a very serious opportunity as a current event to make a change to a more accepting society. The similarities between my experience and that of others are identical in form, but feasibly in strong difference in the integral matter of one's feelings or thoughts. Well, this is moderately true, the other major difference is the deterring factor of expectations. The idea of having children is something everyone must face at some point in their life, sans for a few exceptions (such as people who can't have children or some other reason that it wouldn't be

something to come up) though that's a general rule for about any statement. The major similarities between the experience of mine and that of others lies heavily in the before portion of mine. I say this, because this seems to be the general starting point people take hold. The main difference between the experience of mine and that of others is that so often people don't leave the before step. I don't mean to say this in a way to deter from the idea of having children, as clearly that's not exactly the grandest idea for survival of the race or the happiness of a large mass of child loving people. I mean to say this in the manner, that it's true many people do have children. The point at which this difference splits in two directions is the vital point of the experience for each individual. One difference is that the individual enjoys children and simply wishes to have offspring (not to say one can't enjoy children if they don't wish to have any of their own) of their own.. The other main difference is that people blindly go about believing they are meant to have children and never give thought to whether it's what they really want or not. These are the two main differences if one doesn't match my experience, and decide not to have children (not to say everyone chooses not to have children for the same reason as I did, just to say that they decided not to have children on their own act of choice). Ultimately, though very generalized in nature (however, specific in point), I've described people, excluding exceptions, in three groups regarding their choice for children. The first, being those who choose not to have children, the second, being those who choose to have children, and the third, who decide to have children without really considering it an ordeal of multiple options, or perhaps not even an ordeal at all, but rather simply a predetermined step one takes in life. My goal here isn't to convince anyone not to have children; I don't think that's the right way for the mass at all. My goal is to establish that there is no right way for the mass, to establish having children as a choice with more than one real considerable option, and to make people think about if it's right for them. These are real things that we all face, and the individual deserves the fair chance to decide for themselves what's right for them without the confounding of expectations pushing them a certain way. This is a goal, and the only way to reach this goal is for each individual to start with themselves, for them to think for themselves and make that clear as an option, to influence others to believe it's an option and let them influence others from there. They say one person can change the world, with this being said, I think it seems easily feasible that a world full of one persons looking to change it for the better could change one person who didn't, if the mass was fighting for something to change the individual and not the other way around, perhaps then would be when the real change would happen. However, I digress, it doesn't start with the world, it starts with one person to the next, and one person to a crowd, and a crowd to spread through the world, until it is the world working

for something so basic as acceptance. With this said, I refer back to saying it doesn't start with the world it starts with one person to the next, so this is my one person to the next.