Interview+-+Pregnancy

=__**Interview**__=
 * Research Question:** What motivates people to have a second family in their next marriage, and how does this change make children from previous marriages feel
 * Hypothesis:** I believe that people want to have a family to call their own, something that relates them together other than their marriage, and that they want someone to pass down their family name. I think this change would make children from existing marriages feel less important or unwanted.
 * Research Method:** Interview
 * Process:** Create questions based around the main hypothesis, then ask these questions to the participants, record their answers and any other information they can think of.
 * Materials:** Question sheet, place to record answers and additional information (pen and paper, or access to a computer)
 * Participants:** Mother and father - Kirk and Cori Samida. Sisters - Chantal Pinard (eldest) and Stephanie (Pinard) Derr (born between Chantal and Kirsten).
 * Validity and Reliability:** Since I only interviewed one family the reliability is not as high as possible - if I were able to ask more families and more than two siblings about how they feel, it would increase the reliability. If I was able to ask more questions and have longer responses, as well as have more extra information, it would have increased the vailidy. Along with that, writing down exactly what they said instead of just jot notes would have also been helpful.

//1. Who did you tell first when you found out you were pregnant with me?// My husband (Kirk)
 * Data - Questions and Answers:**
 * __Cori__**

//2. What was your biggest worry about having me?// Being too old

//3. What were you hopeful for/what were some positives about your pregnancy with me?// That you (Kirsten) would be healthy

//4. What do you remember the most about being pregnant with me?// Being sick often.

//5. What made you want more kids?// Love kids, wanted to have a family that belonged to just Kirk and I.

//6. What traits did you want Kaeden and I to have?// Respectful and good people. I don't care what heredity traits like looks.

//7. What discipline did you feel was important while Kaeden and I were toddlers/children?// To be nice to eachother, don't make older sisters cry

//8. What risks did you go through during pregnancy/labor/after birth with me?// Premature birth - about two months pregnant

//9. How long into your first marriage did you have Chantal? How far into your second marriage did you have me?// Three years to have Chantal, two weeks into second marriage (living together for three years before marriage)

//10. What would you change about being pregnant with me? Ie town, job, house, health choices, etc.// Change community - didn't have good servies (ie hospital, health services)

__**Kirk**__ //1. What made you want to settle down and have a family?// Found somebody I loved and wanted to be with

//2. Who did you tell first when you found out mom was pregnant with me?// Mother and father

//3. Why did you want kids?// Like kids, good to tease

//4. What were you doing during labor?// Trying to breathe - your mother had her arm around my neck and it was quite painful.

//5. What was your job like while mom was pregnant with me? Both at home and out of home.// Normal around the house - partsman for career

//6. How did you feel towards Chantal and Stephanie?// Kids are kids, I saw them as my own.

//7. What was different between them and me?// Never considered them step-children, so no real differences.

//8. What traits did you want Kaeden and I to have?// Intelligent and respectful

//9. What discipline did you feel was important while Kaeden and I were toddlers/children?// To think on your own - time-out while acting up

//10. What were the differences between discplining Kaeden and I vs. Chantal and Stephanie?// No differences

//1. How did you feel when mom told you she was pregnant with me?// //2. What were you doing while she was in labor/giving birth?// //3. How did you feel after I was born?// //4. What was the differences between how you felt when Steph was born vs. how you felt when I was born?// //5. How did you feel when mom and Kirk got married?// //6. What were the differences between how Kaeden and I were discplined vs. how you and Stephanie were?// //7. What were some differences in how you treated me when I was born vs how you treated Stephanie?// //8. Were you ever upset or felt less important after Stephanie was born? What about when I was born?// //9. How did you feel when mom and Gerry got divorced?// //10. Did you want more siblings before you found out mom was pregnant with me?//
 * __Chantal__**

__Her response:__ I'm really sorry but I don't remember anything about when Steph was born or when you were born or when there was divorce and marriage but I bet that mom knew what we went through. Or ask your dad if we wanted him around or not. I can maybe answer #6 a bit. I'm not sure about when we were little but now and even before you moved to Saskatchewan mom and your dad were and are more lenient on you guys than on me and Steph.

__Mother's point of view:__ The divorce would be a touchy topic for Chantal, seeing as their (Chantal's and Stephanie's) father was really mean to Chantal growing up. She always told me about how he wouldn't spend much time with her. She was about 6 when he and I got divorced. She was also with the babysitter and her sister while I was in labor with you.

__**Stephanie**__ //1. How did you feel when mom told you she was pregnant?// I don't remember, I was only 5

//2. What were you doing while she was in labor/giving birth?// I'm not sure (Mother said she was with babysitter and other sister)

//3. How did you feel after I was born?// It was exciting (Mother says that her, my other sister and babysitter all fought over who got to hold me)

//4. How did you feel when mom and Kirk got married?// I want to say that I was a little hesitant at first, but then the idea grew on me

//5. What were the differences between how Kaeden and I were discplined vs. how you and Chantal were?// I felt that our punishments were harsher compared to the 2 of you

//6. What were some differences in how you acted towards me when I was born vs how you acted towards Chantal?// I've always found that because we've had more in common, it was easier to talk to you and hang out with you rather than Chantal, but that doesn't have anything to do with divorce, it's just because like I said, we have more in common.

//7. How did you see me - was it different than how you saw Chantal? Ie a true sibiling or something unwanted?// When I was younger, I would always refer to you as a step sister, I think because not only was it true, but it was different and unique to have step siblings back then compared to my friends who just had full blood siblings. But I always considered you a true sibling.

//8. Were you ever upset or felt less important after I was born?// No, not that I can think of at this moment

//9. How did you feel when mom and Gerry got divorced?// At the time I felt numb, didn't know what to think of it or understand of it. Now a days I fear divorce will some day happen to me because it happened to my parents.

//10. Did you want more siblings before you found out mom was pregnant with me?// I wasn't objective either way

The addition of a second family to an already existing one is a positive one for the parents, while it's more of a negative one for the children from the first marriage. This proves part of my hypothesis correct, while the other part has no information to conclude that the children from pre-existing marriages feel unwanted. Overall, both parents and siblings see eachothers as equals. This may be because there are still some blood relation between the first marriage and the second, while married-in children may be where these problems really exist, but I have no information to predict any feelings of those children. Children in second marriages seem to be the result of wanting a true family with a second love - to have something that is there own with someone whom they love. The newly married-in parent sees the already existing children as one of their own, and they feel they treat all the children equal. Contrary to the parents' beliefs, the children from the first marriage feel as though they got harsher punishment than those of the second marriage. This may also have to do with age - younger children tend to get off the hook more easily than the first child, since parents are more protective with their first child, and by their last, they feel they know all the tricks of the trade and can loosen up some. Although the two from the first marriage could not answer all of the questions, the parents knew quite well how they felt during the time. I found this point quite interesting - being young, most kids would remember exciting or distressful times, while the parents may not recall how their children felt. In this case, that's not true - the mother remembered everything from her first marriage, and the stressful transistion into a new one. I also found out that my parents had been living together for three years before marriage. Overall, all the children in my family have always felt wanted, whether they were a result from a divorced marriage, or one that was still intact. The siblings didn't see their lack of a full blood relation as something negative - they saw it as something interesting. Growing up, we used to call eachother half-siblings or step-siblings, just because it was cooler than just a sister or brother. I remember that it used to bother my parents quite a bit, and I can see now that they wanted to see us all as one big family, and not the good parts from each relationship. We never treated eachother differently than the other; we all played together the same and acted the same around eachother. A second family is wanted because the parents feel it is a good way to create something wonderful together, and have a long-lasting bind between them. The children from the first marriage do not feel as though they were unwanted or less important, but instead, were excited about a new child, whether it had the same father or not. I also see that divorce can bring up a lot of hidden fears, in the case of Stephanie believing that divorce may happen to her since it happened to her parents, even though she has a wonderfully strong relationship. Along with that, I see how people can forget about things that may have once hurt them or was a tough time in their life, such as in the case of Chantal. My parents saw marriage and another family as good, and eventually my sisters felt the same. Growing up, I can remember nothing but tons of love and affection from my parents and sisters to me and my brother, and to this day, I never refer to them as my half-sisters, because they were my sisters from the start.
 * Analysis and Conclusion:**