Motor Development and Physical Activity with Adolescents - Jacob Hughes

During the adolescence period or the teenage years, many teens face everyday situations where their self-image is looked at in either a positive or negative way. While teens may not let parents know how they feel about themselves physically, it is important for parents to notice any changes and let them be known. Boys and girls both can face issues with their physical self by taking drastic measures to increase or decrease their weight or mass. More commonly seen with boys; legal vitamin supplements such as protein, creatine, caffeine, and many other drugs are being abused with or without parents' observation and it is affecting teens in a physically harmful way. The supplements if taken correctly and advised by a doctor can help with health issues. Supplements can also be very detrimental to teens including muscle tissue diseases, brain seizures, and heart irregularities, acne, high blood pressure, damage to liver, and many other harmful side affects. Although girls are not commonly seen or heard of taking these supplements; the truth is that girls are taking some forms of supplements to aid with their desired physical appearance and it is affecting girls in a negative way as well. Parents should be involved in teens' lives enough so that teens can feel comfortable with sharing about their physical appearances. With doing so, parents can be one step closer to finding out about posiible risks the teen may be taking.

Adjustments made easier...

 The United States is in an age when media dictates societal norms.  Teens need a filter to identify healthy boundaries, choose reactions to their changing world, and find a sense of identity and connectedness.   Childhood experiences have laid a foundation in the development of self-esteem and interactions with the world, yet these are not permanent.  While peers remain a very strong influence, adjustments to puberty are made easier with support of parents, family, and adult mentor relations. 

A strong predictor of the developing adolescent’s self-esteem is that of body image.  Timing of puberty in relation to their age group strongly influences their responses to this transition.   Reactions to this change and its timing is nearly opposite between males and females.   While there is no set time frame for changes, peer identification steers their social encounters.  Adolescents often hang out with peers that look similar to them. 

 If changes occur early, females are often anxious, depressed, and may begin to act out or “hang-out” with older people engaging in risky behaviors.  Or perhaps they may turn to destructive eating disorders in an attempt to reduce size and embrace their idea of the perfect girl—usually this is a very thin image in American media.   Males tend to embrace the changes in body shapes occurring in puberty.  Masculine image of muscles and athletics are emphasized in US society, so the changes are more welcome.   Those individuals struggling with gender identity may be further at risk during body changes.   Response to this conflict may produce dangerous eating behaviors or risky acts.

Because changes in body shapes affect males and females differently, parents need to be aware of the individual’s needs.  A sense of belonging and acceptance will enable healthy self-esteem and body image.  By encouraging communication, knowing what their interests are and being involved with their daily lives, parents can be a safe vessel in a stormy time of change.   Emotions are heightened and adolescent-parent interactions may be tense at times.   The phrase “pick your battles” is useful when addressing resistance from teens.   While their responses may seem disrespectful or irrational, it is quite natural for teens to seek some autonomy.   Their world is changing.  A balance of give and take, while keeping firm expectations and a presence in their daily activities will give a strong message of love. 

“Outside stressors” such as family and peer relations, and school, work expectations also play a vital role in how they see themselves.  Adolescents with higher stress factors (lower educational and employment options, dangerous examples of risky behaviors or alcohol/drug abuse, and less family structure) can suffer the most and are strongly influenced by the messages in media and peer groups.   To reduce the effects of stress and hardships, adolescents need a strong support base from parent, family, or mentors.   Such relationships will allow them to explore their changes in a way that encourages acceptance and a healthy body-image.  In this way, they will be less vulnerable to internal insecurities or self-doubt. 

  

Glenda Roach

So your teenager is now a parent...

Now that your teenager is now a parent themselves it is going to change a lot of things for the whole family. Your adolescent parent will need support and encouragement. This is not going to be easy for anyone but you should try to be as supportive as possible. The first thing that needs to be decided when your adolescent becomes pregnant or impregnates someone is whether they are going to keep the baby, give it up for adoption, or abortion. I myself do not like the last option but it is an option for anyone who gets pregnant.
If your adolescent keeps the baby then they will need encouragement to stay in school and they will probably need help learning parenting skills. Another issue they will need support for is stress management. Their lives are going to be extremely stressful but if their parents stay involved hopefully things will work out for the better. My advice to you if your son is a father is to encourage them to stay involved. A baby needs a mother and a father in their lives both emotionally and financially. Your adolescent will need a mentor, someone they can go to for emotional support and guidance. That mentor should be someone who can also be their friend because most teenage parents do not have a lot of friends that can relate to their situation. There are schools that offer child care while the student is in class. I think this would be very benificial because schools that provide this service reduce the incidence of low-birth-weight babies, increase educational success, and prevent additional childbearing.
Which brings me to my next topic, a second pregnancy. Make sure you are talking with your teen about contraceptives and what they can do to prevent another pregnancy. Most teens with children, end up of a second pregnancy within a few years. Hopefully with my advice you can have a nice relationship with your adolescent parent.

By: Kristyn Farrice

Moodiness in Adolescents

Moodiness in Adolescents

As parents, we are constantly wondering why our teenagers are so moody, and why their moods change so fast. The rapid changing of a teen’s brain links to the changing of moods in teens.  Hormones although, are not the main reason why teenagers are so moody, but they can play a big role in your teenager’s moodiness. There is a hormone called THP or (allopregnanolone), which releases into our bodies during stressful moments.  In adults, this hormone can be calming, but in teenagers, it can cause anxiety in teens, that leads to moodiness in teenagers (Poncelet, 2012). There is some good news though about this hormone in teenagers. The THP hormone tends to go away as the teen approaches adulthood (Poncelet, 2012). Other reasons causing your teenager to be moody are, negative life events such as, parents, disciplinary actions at school, and breaking up with a boyfriend or girl friend. Parents may also make an assumption as to whether the moodiness is caused from their teenager possibly being depressed.  If this is the case parents should look for signs as to how long their teenagers moodiness lasts, weight loss or weight gain, sleep disturbances, withdrawal from friends and family or talk of suicide. Concerned parents should also contact their family physician for more information (Poncelet, 2012).  There are some exercises and strategies that parents can use with their teenagers. Parents can introduce journal keeping, this exercise will help teenagers express their emotions and thoughts. However, parents must remember that there is a chance that their teen may not react very well to this exercise. Therefore, you must be ready to counter a negative response with a positive reaction in order to continue to hold the reigns (troubledteeninfo.com, 2009). If you are concerned about your teenager’s behavior, you should call your family physician (Poncelet, 2012).

Amber Reinecke

Adolescence

 Body image can be a number one priority among adolescence, and if taken too far can lead to serious consequences. Women are more at risk for developing an eating disorder. The two most common types are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. More than 90% of cases of anorexia occur in females. It usually develops between the ages of 12 and 18 (onset of adolescence). People with anorexia usually have a fear of weight gain, have a distorted body image, or can have a denial of the seriousness of being underweight. Women can also develop amenorrhea  ( the absence of 3 or more consecutive menstrual periods). A subtype of anorexia if the restricting type; this is weight loss through dieting, tasting, and excessive exercise.  I have a friend who fits this description.  She is always talking about eating and exercising. I can tell those are the things she worries about the most.  She says things like "nothing sounded good so I just didn't eat".  She is now under 100 pounds. She has always been petite so a healthy weight for her would be around 115. I try to encourage her to eat a variety of different things and I tell her she does not need to work out every day.

The next common eating disorder is bulimia nervosa. This involves eating unusually high quantity of food during a short period of time and then followed by purging. It is an onset in the late teens. Some consequences of this include: osteoporosis, dry yellowed skin, heart irregularities, hypotension, decay of tooth enamel, abdominal pain, and absence of menstruation, etc.

I think our society places  great importance on appearance in defining who we are. Societal pressures can make adolescence have an unrealistic standard of thinness which is the number one reason why an eating disorder can develop. I think we need to send a message to teens that being healthy and active is what is important and not about how much one weighs.

-Chelsea Duncan

Parent Child Relationships

Jordan Milliken
Parent Child Relationships

Adolescence is defined as the transition between childhood and adulthood. This stage of life is introduced by puberty, which is a flood of biological events leading to an adult-sized body and sexual maturity. The immediate physical and psychological changes taking places cause psychological distancing from parents. This is a time in the adolescents’ life where they begin to solve problems and make decisions more effectively. Their view of parental control starts to dwindle as they now have an improved ability to reason about social relationships. Parents are now starting to become “just people”.  A warm, supportive parent-adolescent relationship is best for this time in the adolescent’s life. This allows them to explore ideas and social roles foster autonomy, which predict high self-reliance, work orientation, academic competence, favorable self-esteem, and ease of separation in the transition to college. It is important that parents keep a close eye on the young person’s daily life through a cooperative relationship to provoke positive outcomes. The quality of the parent-adolescent relationship is the single most consistent predictor of mental health.  In well-functioning families this will result in a closer relationship in later teenage years.

Establishing Lines of Communication

Adolescence is seen by most parents as a time when a child’s brain seems to shut down. Communication may seem very difficult from a parent’s perspective, mostly in part because they feel what is trying to be relayed to the child goes in one ear and out the other.

However, during this time in a child’s life most learning process, problem solving and brain development take place. So, the ability to communicate and teach life skills from parent to child, although difficult at times, is most important. It is important to talk to your child everyday. Cover everyday or common topics and venture into the land of the uncomfortable often. Bring up things that are embarrassing, not only to the child but to yourself too. By practicing this and laying the ground work early, it will make the more difficult conversations to come easier. Also the child will become familiar with the lines of communications that have been established, in turn making it easier for them to turn to a parent when support is needed. Another important factor in maintaining a supportive relationship with an adolescent and to remain involved in their life. Support their interest and offer to take part in them at any point of the venture. Even something as menial as giving them a ride, to things like attending activities as a spectator will encourage the adolescent to pursue their interest to their fullest potential. This encouragement and support with strengthen the bond between the parent and child by reassuring the child that they have the support of their parent. Also, this time spent strengthens the parent-child bond and opens the opportunity for communication to take place and all parties involved benefit from learning more about each other. Being involved can be tiresome, expensive, boring and time consuming but the reward is well worth it. By establishing the role as a supportive and interested parent, precedence will be set and will make it much easier to respect the boundary of being a parent and not being a friend. 

James M. Parker

Academic Achievement in Adolescence- Zara Foley

After reading chapter eleven, I was reassured that I'm doing SOMETHING right with my 14 year old.  According to our book, "gradually permitting autonomy with age, achieve especially well."  Even though she is grounded right now, she knows her freedoms and choices are up to her right now.  Our kids have chores, have to maintain a certain GPA, and have to do what they are told.  A lot of things have changed as our kids have gotten older.  They are allowed to walk about five blocks to the community center, have friends over, join in school activities, go to dances and ride bikes.  This hasn't always been the case.  When they were littler, and more immature they did not get to do these things.  But as they have gotten older, their reponsibilities have grown, as well as their freedom to do things on their own.  Now that she is grounded, her freedom is gone until her restriction is over, and she proves to us she is trustworthy.  She hasn't done anything a teenager her age typically doesn't do- but we don't allow our kids to cuss.  We found out her and her sister had been cussing around their friends- and we were totally shocked our "church kids" had foul mouths.  Throughout the last few years we had been giving our kids speeches about how their responsibility gives them what they want as well.  Their grades are wonderful and it makes me feel reassured that our parenting style will result in effort, high achievement, and educational aspirations.

Eating disorders - Jordan Howe

            Coming into the adolescence period of life can be very confusing. They are trying to figure out who they really are and where they fit in. With the pressures of peers and family there can be so many things going through an adolescents head. Around the beginning of this time period teens are very concerned with what people think about them and who likes them. They are also surrounded by television and magazines that tell them they should look just like all the models. Anorexia and Bulimia is very common among girls, but is found among boys also. Some people will do whatever it takes to feel good about themselves and look how they have been told they should look. Anorexia is where people starve themselves because they are afraid of getting fat. Even though it may work in making you skinny, it is very bad for you! It can cause many health problems, such as the heart muscle begins to shrink, the kidneys can fail, and irreversible brain damage and loss of bone mass can occur, it can also cause an extremely distorted body image. Bulimia is where people go on strict diets and do excessive exercise accompanied by binge eating, often followed by deliberate vomiting. This is also very dangerous to your health as it can cause damage to your throat and stomach, and can also erode the enamel on your teeth.

Anorexia and Bulimia are very common disorders among adolescents and is something that we need to be more aware of. We need to make sure that these people know how much they are loved and that it doesn’t matter what they look like. There also needs to be more education on these subjects and just how dangerous they can be to people.  

Communication is Key for Adolescents

          As our book points out, in American culture it is typical for adolescents to remain in their parent’s home until they reach late teens.  This can cause disputes between the adolescents and their parents as the adolescents strive to find themselves and their place.  Parents often try to guide their children by forcing them to adhere to the parent’s ideas of social norms, etc.  With the rage of hormones within the adolescent, wanting to be accepted by peers, and finding themselves, these young adults are often mistaken for lacking good judgment and common sense.  As a parent having dealt with my children who now range in age from 25 to 37, it was not always easy to smooth their path for the transition from adolescents to adulthood.  I would recommend to anyone raising children to learn the art of listening to your children.  Learn to truly hear what they are saying and you will find the more you listen and the less you talk, (known as lecturing by kids), you will be able to guide the child in decision making more effectively.  As a parent you do not have to allow bad behavior, but often there are underlying reason the adolescent is doing what they are doing.  The parent who leans to listen and have empathy or understanding for their child will gain more ground than the parent who tries to force every issue that comes along.  There will be times you as a parent will need to possibly force an issue, however, these can be few if you just listen.  Just remember, communication is key in dealing with adolescents. - Sam Dillé  

Adolescence: Deciding the Future

     Maybe your child is good at sports?  Maybe your child is good at academics?  Maybe your child is talented at singing or playing an instrument?  Adolescence is a time for your child to explore their options and determine what they are good at.
     The best thing you can do for your child is encourage them and be supportive.  Don't discourage them from doing the things they like to do or the things they are really good at!!  I have four daughters and each of them has things that they are really good at.  I was always big into sports and so was my wife so naturally we wanted our children to be athletes.  Our oldest daughter did not have a lot of athletic ability but she did well in school and had a lot of friends.  We never held it against her and encouraged her to do the things she liked even though we would have loved for her to be an athlete.  Our second daughter was a decent athlete but she really liked cheerleading so we supported her.  Our third daughter, she was the brains of the family, academically she was always striving to do her best.  She was a decent athlete and also was a cheerleader, but her strength was her academics.  Then came our youngest and finally we got our athlete.  She tried cheerleading and didn't like it and all of our girls did above average in school.
     My point is that each of them had their strengths and we gave them the freedom to make their own choices about what they wanted to do and supported their decision.  We didn't try to force them to be what we wanted them to be.  Adolescence is hard enough without having to try to live up to expectations that are not what they want but trying to live up to parents expectations.

Chuck Harper

I am NOT gay!

I am a lesbian….That short, seemingly simple, sentence took me years to be able to say out loud. Fear, uncertainty, social stigma, religious teachings all encouraged my silence.

As an adolescent I became, as most adolescents do, increasingly aware of the people I was attracted to.  I wondered why I didn’t want a boyfriend like all the other kids and why I was so drawn to my best friend. When we kissed, I understood.   Yet, for 3 years I told myself I was not a lesbian. I did not want to be a lesbian, and no one would know that I was in a relationship with a woman.

I remember sitting next to my partner, 16 years old, listening to a lecture about homosexuality and why it was wrong. I remember my youth minister, a man a highly respected, asking the group one question: do you all understand that homosexuality is a sin? I also vividly remember my thought: No, I do not. For the first time I opened my mouth about the topic of homosexuality. I asked him how someone, who has no choice about who they are attracted to, could possibly be sinning.  How could this thing that you have no control over be wrong? His look assured me that was a question better left unasked.

After I fell silent again, among my peers, my friends, my mentors, I realized never again would I question their teachings and never would I reveal my true orientation.  I chose to live a lie. I chose to lie to my family, my friends, my teachers, essentially to everyone I had known.  I chose to live in fear.

As a society it is important to understand that we all have biases, we have groups of people that make us feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it is the welfare moms that are living off your tax dollars or even the young black kids with their pants too low that get your blood pressure elevated.  What I also know about biases is that with more information and more exposure to those groups of people we have, the more our biases begin to lessen.  We begin to put ourselves into their shoes.  

Homosexuality is not simply a lifestyle choice, it is an orientation that 2-3% of the population experience.  As a parent you can make or break your child’s acceptance of their orientation.   Suicide attempts are unusually high among gay and lesbian young people and with a few simple words: “I love you for exactly who you are” you have the power to comfort your child in one of the most difficult periods of their life.

By Tina Parker

There Is A Real Reason Why Your Teen Thinks The World Revolves Around Them!

There Is A Real Reason Why Your Teen Thinks The World Revolves Around Them!

                                                By Samie McCullough

How many times have you caught yourself saying to your teenager, “The world does not revolve around you!”?  Then after making that comment do you wonder why your teen really thinks the whole world is focused on them?  Surprisingly, the answer to that question is simple.  By the age of 13 egocentrism, which is being self-centered, is coming into full force in your teen’s life.  Also, during the adolescent years, teenagers begin to develop a cognitive concept called imaginary audience.  Imaginary audience is when teens literally believe that they are the focus of everyone else’s attention and concern.  This concept explains a) why they cannot leave the house without looking absolutely perfect and to achieve perfectiveness it may them take several hours, b) why they say they must have a certain item because everyone has this item and if they don’t have it they will be totally uncool, c) why you and your spouse are totally uncool and you tend to be embarrassing to them, and d) why they almost fall completely apart when they are criticized in any way by anybody.  During this stage of life for teenagers image in any form is everything to them, because they truly believe the whole world is watching them.

So you are probably wondering what you can do to help your teen through this stage, and quite frankly, what you can do to get through it yourself.  The first and most important thing to do is to be patient and remember that this is just a phase for your teenager.  Being patient is critical, because it will allow you to relax a little on the crazy behaviors exhibited by your teenager.  However, there are two important things to remember in the phase in imaginary audience that will help you survive alive.  First, do not hug, kiss, or touch your moody teenager in public.  This will be total embarrassment for them, especially in front of their peers.  Instead, just remember that they do love you and some day you will get to hug your child again.  Second, do not tell them “when I was your age”.  This statement will only confirm to your teenager that you do not understand them or their problems.   You see, to teenagers their problems are totally different from anyone else’s in the world.  The statement “when I was your age” also shows to them that you do not comprehend the seriousness of their situation.  So in conclusion the best advice I have to give on your moody teen is this: Hold on, the ride is going to be bumpy.

Flourishing into Adolescence

Turbulent.  Disturbing.  Challenging.  Dramatic.  Conflicting.  Hormonal.  Irritable.  Welcome to adolescence! 

Adolescence: the transitional period of time from youth to adulthood.  It’s during this time that a young person transitions into an independent individual mentally and a maturing adult physically. 

The best advice I could give parents with adolescent children is very broad but very important:  stay open minded.  Teens today are not experiencing the same events and culture that their parents did.  Teens are exposed to much more adult matters than probably should, but there’s no way around it.  Parents should be aware of the toxins surrounding today’s youth.  I encourage anybody with children to be educated on eating disorders, depression, alcohol/drug abuse, law breaking, sexual orientation, sex, peer pressure or other significant adolescent issues.  By being educated and open minded on such topics will make teenagers feel more comfortable to talk to adults about these important issues.  Being educated is important because if teens come to you with questions, they want legitimate advice.  Giving inaccurate advice could result in a skewed formation of reality.  Keeping an open dialog with your children can sequence into a healthy understanding of life as they transition into adulthood.
-Jennifer Hancock

Teens and Sex- What Works?

Growing up in a small, very religious town, my high school offered abstinence only sex education. Of course, at the time, we didn't know that. Our health teacher, the girls' P.E. teacher, taught us about condoms. To this day I remember what we were taught, although I now doubt the truth of any of it. We were taught that condoms were a marketing scheme, that they didn't actually work for anything. All STDs, especially AIDS could get through the holes in them and if that was the case they would never work on Sperm.

Now, as an adult I can see that these tactics were used to encourage abstinence until marriage, but I did not, and I assume my peers didn't, understand that concept. I believe a lot of times we give teens more credit to connect the information together than they are capable of. Teens do not develop the cognitive abilities to create those concepts in their head until they are 15 or older and sex education needs to be focused on younger ages. Research shows that in countries where sex is more widely discussed and explained to teens, especially contraceptive options and access to them, there are fewer teen pregnancies and abortions which allows the teen more opportunities to succeed. As parents, all we want if to see our children succeed in life. So put on your big kid shoes and jump into the world of educating your teen about sex and all that goes with it. If you don't know it, be honest and open and have them help you find the answer. Yes, it is going to be awkward at first, for both of you, but just keep pushing through and you will make it. 

To this day, I am still scared to use condoms. I understand the inaccurate information I was taught and have learned since then, but still choose other methods of contraceptives. Don't let your child be afraid of their options like I was. Education is knowledge.

Hannah Neely

Peer Pressure and Adolescence

Unfortunately peer pressure is a common occurrence among adolescence aged kids today. Everywhere you turn, be it a news channel, social media or the paper, it seems there is almost always a story about peer pressure affecting an individual and their family. Peer pressure can come from a variety of sources for adolescents, be it wanting to fit in, pressure to conform to a group (like “brains”, “jocks”, “cool kids”), wanting to be part of a clique, crowd norms, etc. Another major source of peer pressure for adolescents is the media and the insane amount of attention they give to celebrities. This can pressure an adolescent to conform to what is “popular” at any given time. The biggest form of peer pressure put on adolescents, especially girls, is the idea that being thin and stick-like is the new definition for pretty. This idea is slowly falling out of the mainstream however, thanks to campaigns like Dove’s Real Beauty. Peer pressure is not limited or unique to certain crowds and the media however. Pressure can also come from bullies and that pressure isn’t limited to the school environment anymore like it was in the past. Bullies are now pressuring their targets through several different avenues in addition to school hours.  Some examples are through cell phone messages and through social media sites such as Facebook. Adolescents are no longer able to escape the pressure and taunting of bullies, unlike in the past where it never left the school grounds. Currently, laws are being introduced and passed to prevent and protect children from bullies and peer pressure, but change starts on the individual and family level. If someone is a target of peer pressure, get a referral to a counselor or talk to another trusted adult about what is going on. Parents should talk with their children often and have an open line of communication on all topics. Remember, change starts with one person. Society has the power to decrease, or even eliminate, the effects of peer pressure on today’s adolescents and youth. 

-Katie Meehan

Lisa Johnson on middle childhood

Modeling:
As children develop emotionally and socially in middle childhood, they also mature physically, cognitively, and their social relationships with family and peers also mature and change as well. During this turbulent time of middle childhood, peer friendships take on a more prominent role than ever before, and can include friends at school, in the neighborhood, teammates, and siblings close in age. Communication and cognitive skills continue to improve, white middle childhood children developing increased interpersonal awareness skills, as a result, becoming improved at reading and responding to others, understanding others’ intentions and needs, and why they behave the way the do. These social skills lay the foundation for the formation of closer friendships.

During this adjustment period, is when middle childhood adolescents begin to take on some key components of adult relationships and the dynamics of friendships begin to take on new dynamics. These include mutual regard for another’s individual personality, abilities, and behavior. They grow closer together because they learn to respect on another, in the form of the other child’s kindness, humor, loyalty, fearlessness, and intellect. Mutual trust and willingness to support each other are the cornerstones of these friendships.

This is where modeling comes into play, Modeling is when the children learn from someone else, such as their parent, adult, older sibling or role model. If these “models” have positive relationships with their peers, the children will more than likely develop the same type of positive relationships as well. It is human nature for people to form relationships in some fashion, so it is imperative that adults and others set up a positive environment for children to follow. Bandura illustrates how modeling is extremely important in childrens’ lives by stating that a positive environment for a child to follow is healthy and one of the important steps in development.

A prime example would be a young male person who had many friends in early childhood age group, but as he matured, his group of peers narrowed down to two or three close friends who have much in common. They have learned to respect each other and understand the boundaries of limitations each young middle age child presents.

Lisa Johnson on Emotional and Social Development

The emotional and social development of infants and toddlers begin from birth and spans to three years of age. This is the time where this age group develops the foundation for all social interactions. They experience feelings and emotions for the very first time and it is up to the parents and other adults in their lives to model and teach them how to react and behave socially.

From birth to one year of age, they learn to communicate by expressing their needs through crying, laughing, and eye contact. Twelve to twenty-four months of age, these young toddlers use parallel play where they will not interact directly with other children, rather they play side-by-side with others. During the second year up to twenty-six months, the older toddler should develop the ability of interacting with others among their own age group and in pretend play. By the age of three, the toddler begins to actively use their imagination and together, develop stories. They will begin to clearly state their own feelings and wants by using imaginary play.

From birth to the age of three, there are humongous social changes in both social and emotional development in children. Parents and others that interact with infants and toddler can positively impact them through appropriate social and emotional interactions. This can be achieved by providing words for talking about feelings and expressing them verbally. Other avenues would be to introduce videos and books that teach children appropriate behaviors and manners. An adult should respond by modeling proper behavior and by gently redirecting the child’s actions. By demonstrating with both verbal and physical instructions in a positive way, and by telling them the correct way to act and react, it will give them expectations and guidelines to adhere to.

Conservation

I have a younger sister who is taller than me, and an older sister who is shorter than me. A lot of people get our ages mixed up, most of these people are children. Children have a tendancy to think that whoever is the biggest is the oldest, which most of us know is not necessarily true. This ties into the idea of conservation. Conservation is the ability to understand that certain physical characteristics of objects remain the same even when their outward appearance changes. Consider this, you put the same amount of water into two different glasses. One of the glasses is really short and fat. The other glass is tall and skinny. When you ask your child which glass contains more water, what do you think they will say? The tall one of course! They answer this way because they have not developed this idea of conservation. In their little brains they think that the taller one has more, just like people think that my younger sister is older than me just because she is taller. Children develop this ability of conservation between the ages of 7 and 11. This is just one little step in their development, but it makes a big difference!

Kelsea Bedford

GENDER TYPING DURING MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

When I think of middle childhood I can't help but linger on the issue of gender typing. As parents we play a role in socializing gender, we dress boys and girls differently, select toys based on gender, and often react negatively if they behave in ways they think are gender inappropriate. So I propose this question, if we are on the front lines of shaping thier lives, what could be done to erase these gender lines that are so clearly defined? Masculinity and femininity develop early, Kohlberg's Cognitive Development Theory states that a child notices physical and behavioral cues, the child then finds it rewarding to behave in a gender-appropriate manner and imitate same-gender models. Children, including my own see the example we set before them, they will either want to be just like you or completely opposite you. When you are at home if you have that significant other, share the household responsibility. Let your child see mommy picking up a hammer and putting things together and also let them see daddy doing the dishes, is it really that hard guys? Come on! Your son will see this and in the future will do the same for his significant other. Your daughter could potentially become more self confident and learn how to better choose and wait for the right person. Isn't this what we want for them, to be better than us in every way possible? Let your child play with the things they like to do. If a boy wants to play with dolls, met him play with them. If a girl wants to play toy cars or trucks let her play. Avoid comments like "boys shouldn't play with dolls" or "girls shouldn't play with trucks". Help your child dress up in a way he or she wants to. Try not to be over protective of your girls, and please don't emphasize on her physical appearance. Yes she look uber cute in that pink frilly dress but let her know she is smart and has so many other qualities to work with. Jackie Raio

middle childhood and individuality

I am fortunate to have two boys in middle childhood right now, ages 7 and 8. I often compare and contrast my boys in their physical, cognitive, emotional and psychological development.  They are polar opposites of each other. My 8 year old is big and tall, has a hard time relating to others, is really good at math and spelling and is very emotionally sensitive. My 7 year old is short and very thin, is very popular, struggles in school and is stoic with his emotions. In our classes we are continuously revisiting the nature v nurture concept. I see my boys as the perfect example of how people are a product of both. It is very interesting for me to see what my 8 year old is doing now and how different it is from what he was doing a year ago. I see my 7 year old and know what to look forward to in the next year because of where his brother is at, but I know that even the same events will be met with different experiences.  Each of my children is unique. They have more differences than they do similarities even though they both grew up in the same environment. I have learned to appreciate these differences. When I became a mom the second time I just assumed that I would do the same thing with my second as I did with my first. It worked for the first, why not the second. But as my children grow, (and especially now that we have a daughter that is 4 years younger than my youngest boy) I am learning that being fair and being equal is not the same thing.  We hold our children to certain expectations but realize that they are individuals and so each situation should be handled individually.  For example, a few weeks ago my 8 year old went to his first sleep over. My 7 year old has been staying the night at friends’ houses for at least a year now. There was no blanket rule that says “When you turn 7, you can stay the night at a friend’s house.” That decision was made individually with each child. We look at the situation, the maturity level of the child and we consider how that child will handle that specific situation, and then make any decisions that need to be made. When the kids were younger it was easy to have a set of uniform rules. But as they grow each part of their personalities become more and more defined it becomes necessary to consider the individual qualities in each of my children.  

Amanda Tompkins

Temperament and Development

Temperament and Development: Infants and Toddlers

By Terry Begley

Temperament in infants and toddlers is are shaped and formed at early stages of life. Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess (1956) studied 141 children and discovered how parenting can modify a child's temperament. Infants are cute and we are sweet, but it all depends on their temperament which appears early (Berk, 2010). Crying, laughing, smiling, anxiety, and how active a child may be, all have to to with their temperament. Thomas and Chess found that a child's temperament can follow them through adulthood. Even psychological problems can be a cause of early childhood temperament (Berk, 2010).

By interviewing parents Thomas and Chess discovered the first model of temperament, which was nine dimensions. They found that certain characteristics clustered together. They found that it gave them three types of children:

• The easy child which adapts well, can be cheerful, and easily begins routines early.
• The difficult child is irregular in everyday routines during infancy, is slow to accept new
  experiences, and tends to reacts negatively.
• The slow- to-warm-up child is not active, reacts slowly and mild to their environment, has a negative mood, and adjusts slowly to new experiences (Berk, 2010).

Mary Rothbart has another model of temperament. She looks at individuals and how they do not just differ in their reactivity. Rothbart explains how the self regulatory dimension of temperament is what she calls effortful control. Effort control is the capacity to voluntarily suppress a dominant response in order to plan and execute a more adaptive response (Rothbart, 2003; Rothbart & Bates, 2006).

Measuring temperament is usually done through interviews or questionnaires given to parents. Researchers also observe in the child's home or in the lab. Neither of these approaches are full proof and can be inaccurate.

Psychologists focus their research on children's temperaments that fall at opposite extremes of the positive-affect and fearful-distress dimensions of temperament (Berk, 2010).This where studies o inhibited, shy, uninhibited, and sociable children are focus on by psychologists.

This is where I enjoyed reading about how biology and environment may change the temperament of infants and toddlers. The explanation of how arousal of the amygdala contributes to contrasting temperaments. The research done with MRIs shows how shy and inhibited children react to novel stimuli (Berk, 2010). It is how easily the amygdala's connection to the cerebral cortex and the sympathetic nevious system prepares the body to act in the face of threat in the shy and inhibited child and not in the uninhibited child (Berk, 2010). The heart rate, Cortisol, Pupil dilation, blood pressure, skin surface temperature, and EEG brain-wave activity are controlled through the amygdala (Berk, 2010).

Effective child rearing practices have the chance of changing the temperaments of children. Patient, loving and supportive parents are what children need, along with good nutrition.

Importance of Knowing Your Child's Intelligence
By Peggyann Swopes

I think it’s extremely important for parents to know that there are multiple types of intelligences.  Gardner tells us of 8:

·         linguistic

·         logico-mathmatical

·         musical

·         spatial

·         bodily-kinesthetic

·         Naturalist

·         Interpersonal

·         Intrapersonal

Each child develops their own personality at their own pace.  A mother may be worried that her child isn’t talking and communicating like the other 6 year olds.  Gardner lets us know that it’s ok; she may be an intrapersonal learner.  Once a learning type is determined, homework and classroom activities could be more specific to the child’s needs.  Establishing intelligence types for children is essential in early years of learning.  Once it is acknowledged, teaching, nurturing, and discipline for the child will be much easier on the child.  In conclusion, I think it is very important to watch how your children grow and interact with other peers to give them the tools that best fit for them.