Saturday, November 22, 2008

18 years old and off to college

1. As the program ends, what pathways does your child appear to be on in terms of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral development? To what extent could you have predicted these pathways based on what you knew of your child's earlier development?

Isabelle has turned out well, she is able to make good mature decisions and is very smart and does well in school, she gets along well with peers and has a good relationship with myself and her father. She seeks advice when needed for questions that are beyond her experience. She does well in school and got good grades, she was accepted into a lot of universities near and far away and has a wide choice on where she can pick to go for college. I think that she has been a fairly well behaved child all the way growing up, she listens well and respects authority and is able to make responsible decisions, I had a feeling she would do well.

2. Describe some specific ways in which you think your parenting mattered for your child’s development, based on evidence from the course regarding the contributions of parents to child development.

I think that discipline was key in her development, setting boundaries and making sure I was available to her helped a lot. For instance, when she was struggling in a area, I made sure she got tutoring instead of letting her figure it out by herself. I offered myself for someone to talk to when she was having friend troubles and it gave me the opportunity to connect with her by going for walks and talking together. Also, I took her to church and showed her my values and beliefs and modeled them for her while she was growing up.

3. Describe some specific ways in which your child developed that appeared to be influenced by factors outside your control, such as genes, random environmental events or the general influence of contemporary middle-class American culture.

I think one thing that contributed to her personality that was beyond my control was her sensitivity and having a hard time calming herself down, seems to be a environmental factor than anything I did, she was like that at birth and it showed through adolescence. A physical thing outside of my control was she was very ‘flat chested’ through-out adolescence, that would be a genetic. Some cultural things outside of my control have to deal with peer pressure and making decisions on things, like when she went to a party and called me to get her when she was drunk, I taught her differently when it came to those issues but she made her own decision in the end… I think another American culture ideal would be needing to be fashionable and in the latest fashions… so she wanted new clothes every school year to keep up with friends…

Sunday, November 16, 2008

16 years old

1. Think about your teen’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses and how they are reflected in his or her school grades and activities from 14-16 years of age. What careers or courses of study might be best suited to your teen’s abilities and interests?

Isabelle has strength in the area of fine arts; she is really good with drawing. Here grades overall are good, and her teachers seem to like her. She gets in trouble a little for passing notes. She also got detention for leaving school a couple times. I think a career choice or study for Isabelle would be in arts, maybe in teaching.

2. How important have your teen’s relationships with peers been to his/her social development, emotional well-being and school achievement from 14-16 years of age?

She has a lot of friends and still has some problems with friends, just the usual high school drama and she has a boyfriend. She has been spending a lot of time with her boyfriend lately. She has a fair amount of friends and has some arguments with them but it usually gets over with soon.


3. How has your teen adjusted at 14-16 years of age to typical adolescent issues such as risk-taking, drugs, alcohol, and sexual interests, and how have you responded to your teen?

She is the typical teen… she came home from a party and smelled like pot and told me she didn’t smoke but others were and that she wouldn’t smoke because she is a athlete, I took her word for it but I didn’t allow her to hang out with those kids any longer. Then she got a boyfriend and lately they have been getting very forward with their affection. I have talked to her about safe sex and discussed our families belief about sex before marriage and I also talked about getting birth control just in case something happened and they get caught up in the moment. She also got drunk one night at a party and called me to come get her…. I didn’t say anything that night but she did get grounded for a while and I told her the next day that I was glad that she called me to come get her and didn’t try to drive. She has done a few things that are usual for teens but hasn’t done anything too bad.

Monday, November 10, 2008

she is 14!

1. What activities and experiences at age 12 and 14 years has your teen been involved in that might promote healthy behavioral practices, physical fitness and skill in sports?

Isabelle is really enjoying softball and is doing really well at it. I volunteer wherever I can and go to booster meetings. Isabelle is concerned to stay physically fit and keep in good health because she is a athlete. She makes sure not to do drugs or drink because she knows it will affect her performance.

2. Have there been any changes in your teen’s behavior toward you or your partner? Why are these occurring and how are you responding?

She can be moody but it is mostly over the usual stuff, she gets in a argument at school and comes home in a mood but that is usually solved with going for a walk with me and she will talk and get out her frustration. Or she will argue with us about chores or curfew but other than that we get along well. I try to compromise where I can in letting her go places with friends as long as it is supervised by parents and she is not drinking or alone with boys. I make sure I stick by the rules and make sure she is doing the same.

3. Do you see any examples of how cognitive and physical changes in early adolescence
(ages 12-14) relate to your teen's social or emotional behavior?

Isabelle has changed in body shape and is being teased for having a “flat chest”, She comes home upset because of it. So it does affect her emotional behavior. She also talks a lot in class and gets in trouble for passing notes. She seems to be a happy teen. But we have our times with her where she is moody and doesn’t want to listen to what I have to say.