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Karen turns 3 months old!
3 months ago I gave birth to baby Karen naturally. We chose to breasfeed and will continue to do so throughout her nursing life. There are numerous benefits to breastfeeding for both mother and child. For example, breastfeeding promots disease protection by strengthening the babies immunity system. In addition breast fed infants tend to score higher on cognitive development tests than bottle fed. Also, it is proven that breastfeeding reduces obesity. (pp. 112-113) -
Karens 8 months old
Karen enjoys playing find the toy under the blanket. She is experiencing object permanence. Object permanence is the awareness that people or objects continue to exist even when you can't see them. (pp. 149). While she enjoys this game, she has a strong tendency to look in old hiding places rather than new. -
Karen turns 18
Now that Karen is 18 mo. old, she has began to say 'no' a lot. For instance, when its bath time or bed time, she blatantly refuses. Erik Erikson's theory is that in this stage of life, toddlers are learning a sense of self, or autonomy vs. shame and doubt. In this stage of life, 'no' is a very popular word. Allowing autonomy is healthy for a childs confidence. (pp. 203) -
Karen is 2!
Lately we've noticed Karen is showing new emotions the past few months. She had a potty accident and seems embarrassed about it. Karen is exhibiting 'self-reflection', or the capacity to think of themselves as they do others. This enables toddlers to develope semimoral emotions, such as embarrassment. (pp. 203) -
3 years old!
Karen is one of the most active kids in her class, and enjoys riding her bike. Lately she has become better at playing soccer and learning how to catch. While fine motor development is a similar extentions of toddler hood, children in early childhood can now do the same activites with more speed and more precision. (pp. 237) -
8 years old
Karen has grown up so much. Lately she has been enjoying playing board games and computer games, as they are more challenging. Many of the games children play in middle childhood are more cognitively challenging, such as card or board games. Middle childhood play becomes more complex and rule-based, as children find these challenges exciting and pleasurable.(pp. 320) -
Karen is 14
While being in 9th grade isn't easy, Karen seems to be doing well. However, I have noticed that she can become very angry, and at times curses and fights over the internet with her friends. Adolescence in the U.S. is a time of emotional votality. "Although adolescent emotionality is often attributed to "raging hormones", most scholars view emotional changes as due to cognitive and environmental factors more than biological." (pp. 363) -
Teenage years
While out with her friends last night, 16 year old Karen did the right thing and called us for a ride home, however I noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath, and the next day she seemed hungover. While a child using substances can be alarming, many adolescents and emerging adults use substances as a form of social activity. Social substance use involves the use of substances during social acitivy with one or more friends. (pp. 353)
