1. I have only noticed a few physical signs of puberty but Ryann's behavior is dramatically changing. Ryann started complaining about her weight because she was gaining some weight in her hips. I let her know that it was no big deal and it happens to everyone. Ryann is spending more time in her room than she used to when she was younger. She is more moody, tries to point out my mistakes and inconsistancies in parenting, argues with my boyfriend, and her interest in school and social activites has declined. Another big thing is her interest in boys. She is starting to point out boys that she finds cute, whether they be a celebrity or a boy in her class. Ryann's behavior has been a whirlwind lately and I'm hoping it will calm down after puberty. Here's to hoping....
2. Ryann's behavior and academic changes make me think that she is under-controlled. When she was younger she was very positive and outgoing; now she is quiet, reserved, and mouthy. She isn't performing well at school and she is starting to be a little rebelous. She argues with people she doesn't like instead of being nice to them because they are her elders. She still asks for my permission to do things but she is starting become more independent and think that she has the freedom to do a lot of things that I wont allow. She tries to take advantage of her low grades by trying to get money just to maintain a good gpa. Some of the major changes have been moving neighborhoods/houses, her father and I got a divorce, and since preschool, she has a new sister. Some of these things, and puberty, are probably what are contributing to her behavior.
3. Ryann's academic skills have greatly decreased since entering 7th grade. She seems less motivated to do school work and even asked me if I would pay her for any good grades she recieved. She had all C's and B's on her report card at the end of the year and I have noticed that she is spending more time online than doing her homework. Ryann acts bored or gets angry when I try and help her with her homework so I arranged for her to meet with a tutor and hopefully that will help her handle all of her school work. I am still encouraging that she partake in anything she has an interest in.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Assignment 8
1. Ryann's academics haven't changed much. She still has the same issues with not scoring high in speaking and listening, but still scoring above average in reading and writing. She is still having trouble showing an interest in math and science so I am trying to get her a little more interested by taking her to museums and other fun outings. I am no longer reading aloud to her before bed as I feel she may have grown out of that stage. Now I am starting to read the same books she is and make sure that we talk about what is going on in the story periodically; I also recommend books that she may enjoy based off the stories she is reading now. I hope this helps with her speaking and listening abilities and it will certainly help to maintain her strength in reading.
2. Ryann has only a few close friends in her group but she is friendly to everyone and is making new friends through after school activities. For the most part she is adapting well socially at home and school. She is nervous about going into the sixth grade because of some rumors she's heard of what's going to happen to her now that she is a "scrub". I try and reassure her that those things won't happen and help ease her mind about going into middle school. Behaviorally we are not experiencing any major problems. She is still somewhat distractible during certain tasks but she is improving since age 8. I am allowing her to do some big chores in the summer so she can earn some extra money and my only worry is that she wont stick with it all the way through. The other behavorial issue is that she fights with her younger sister a lot. I'm just assuming this is normal behavioral for her age but I do make sure that their are consequences when things get too physical.
3. My parenting skills have changed slightly. I realize that Ryann is growing up and starting to learn what her likes and dislikes are. I also realize that she is becoming more independent. I try to encourage this behavior because she has always been a little clingy in her childhood. That is now starting to change as is she is branching out and making new friends. I allow her to ride her bike down to the school to play with her friends by herself, however I do drive by sometimes and check on her, just to be safe. I try to let her know that I am allowing her to be independant, but that I am still the one who sets the rules. We have a very good relationship so we haven't had any behavioral problems...yet.
2. Ryann has only a few close friends in her group but she is friendly to everyone and is making new friends through after school activities. For the most part she is adapting well socially at home and school. She is nervous about going into the sixth grade because of some rumors she's heard of what's going to happen to her now that she is a "scrub". I try and reassure her that those things won't happen and help ease her mind about going into middle school. Behaviorally we are not experiencing any major problems. She is still somewhat distractible during certain tasks but she is improving since age 8. I am allowing her to do some big chores in the summer so she can earn some extra money and my only worry is that she wont stick with it all the way through. The other behavorial issue is that she fights with her younger sister a lot. I'm just assuming this is normal behavioral for her age but I do make sure that their are consequences when things get too physical.
3. My parenting skills have changed slightly. I realize that Ryann is growing up and starting to learn what her likes and dislikes are. I also realize that she is becoming more independent. I try to encourage this behavior because she has always been a little clingy in her childhood. That is now starting to change as is she is branching out and making new friends. I allow her to ride her bike down to the school to play with her friends by herself, however I do drive by sometimes and check on her, just to be safe. I try to let her know that I am allowing her to be independant, but that I am still the one who sets the rules. We have a very good relationship so we haven't had any behavioral problems...yet.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Assignment 7
1. Ryann is about average in almost every intelligence area. She is above average in reading and spelling, but below average in her conversational skills. Ryann has always had problems in the area of language. She has had problems with telling stories in the right order and telling the whole story as opposed to just bits and pieces of it. We have worked hard to improve that by reading with her all the time, which would explain why she is above average in that area. She only gets stuck on a few words but is able to read most books on her own. At age 6 I introduced her to some higher level reading books in hopes to bring her to the next level. Unfortunately it has not improved her converstational skills like I hoped it would. On the Wechler verbal tests she was below average and I believe it's because of he inability to tell a story, or explain a set of events. Her math skills are average which makes sense because math is definately not her favorite subject, but we do practice her multiplacation with her. Her visual-spatial abilities were below average, again probably because she is not a fan of math, and she doesn't like art either so the shape thing might not be fun for her. Ryann absolutely loves sports. We have involved her in soccer and softball and we also take her on hikes, and trips to the park. We do a lot of outdoor activity and she is very much in shape, and also enjoys it. She is starting to want to get involved with the music department so we went and bought her a clarinet and we will see how that works out for her.
2. I think that I am like a typical American in my attitude toward gender roles. Now-a-days the roles are switching and I think it's time to switch with them. I think it's important to teach my girls that they can do anything they want to if they just work hard at it. I think that this attribute is because of the attitude of my own parents. They have always taught me that I can do anything I want and be anything I want as long as I try my hardest to reach my goals. Ryann is definately getting to learn that boys and girls can do some of the same things. She hangs out with friends that have older brothers and she enjoys playing sports with them. She is involved in sports that are physical and fun as opposed to feminine. We are encouraging her to take part in any activity that she wants. However, her friends seem tomboyish and as her parent I am a little worried about her getting the gender rules confused instead of just understanding them. I'm going to try and introduce some feminine activities like going to the mall, and that will also allow us to spend some time together. I am proud of the fact that she is really good at these sports and enjoys playing them, but I don't want her to get lost in them.
3. I think that her development would be different if she was raised by a different family with a different background. Culture plays a role in the upbringing of a child. For example, many culture would be completely against Ryann playing sports and being so active. Others might focus more on her academic side whereas I am trying to balance every aspect. I want her to be mentally and phsyically developed. I would say that our family is in the middle class so she might have benefited a little more with a family whose mother did not have to work and could stay home with the kids. However, I made sure to make up for that missed time on the weekends and when I was home. I am still very involved in her life and we do a lot of activities together. We also rely on community events, like sports teams for examply, so I think she gets the best of both social worlds. We use community programs but maybe not as much as a lower SES family would. The difference in cultural backgrounds would be the thing that would most change her development.
2. I think that I am like a typical American in my attitude toward gender roles. Now-a-days the roles are switching and I think it's time to switch with them. I think it's important to teach my girls that they can do anything they want to if they just work hard at it. I think that this attribute is because of the attitude of my own parents. They have always taught me that I can do anything I want and be anything I want as long as I try my hardest to reach my goals. Ryann is definately getting to learn that boys and girls can do some of the same things. She hangs out with friends that have older brothers and she enjoys playing sports with them. She is involved in sports that are physical and fun as opposed to feminine. We are encouraging her to take part in any activity that she wants. However, her friends seem tomboyish and as her parent I am a little worried about her getting the gender rules confused instead of just understanding them. I'm going to try and introduce some feminine activities like going to the mall, and that will also allow us to spend some time together. I am proud of the fact that she is really good at these sports and enjoys playing them, but I don't want her to get lost in them.
3. I think that her development would be different if she was raised by a different family with a different background. Culture plays a role in the upbringing of a child. For example, many culture would be completely against Ryann playing sports and being so active. Others might focus more on her academic side whereas I am trying to balance every aspect. I want her to be mentally and phsyically developed. I would say that our family is in the middle class so she might have benefited a little more with a family whose mother did not have to work and could stay home with the kids. However, I made sure to make up for that missed time on the weekends and when I was home. I am still very involved in her life and we do a lot of activities together. We also rely on community events, like sports teams for examply, so I think she gets the best of both social worlds. We use community programs but maybe not as much as a lower SES family would. The difference in cultural backgrounds would be the thing that would most change her development.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Assignment 6
1. Ryann acts differently at home than she does at school. She is very calm, cooperative, and well behaved both at home and at school. I think the behavioral change is because of the separation and fighting between my partner and I. She has increasing anxieties and fears. Sometimes she wakes up frightened and wants to come and sleep in my room. Instead of getting her used to sleeping in my room I stay up with her and read her a story until she falls asleep. She's very helpful at home with her younger sister, she's not as independent as other children her age and she gets nervous about new situations. I provide her with emotional support but I try and get her to do more things on her own and I reward her when she does. At school however she is very friendly and plays well with both boys and girls. She's not the leader of the group but she's well liked by everyone. To encourage her to come out of her shell I have enrolled her in after school group sports. Hopefully my partner and I being separated will make her life a little less confrontational (as she often experienced most of our fights). Ryann does blame herself for the separation so hopefully she will channel her energy into sports and meeting new children at all her afterschool activities.
2. Ryann has improved in her reading and writing. Her ability to focus and not get distracted by her peers has increased. When she was 4 she would get in trouble for talking during carpet time, and now at age 6 she is appropriately quiet adn respect during periods of work in the classroom. Ryann is very good at reading, she is now reading first grade and even second grade books. She's definately gone ahead of the curve in reading. The only thing that she has a problem with is speech and listening. She is in speech therapy and hopefully she will learn to overcome her problems. She still isn't the best at telling the whole storing when explaining it to someone. I start to ask her questions in order to help her fill in the story. To help her improve her language and listening skills we are going to be reading lots of books together and I will start asking her open ended questions to prompt a discussion and help her recall and talk about what is going on in the story.
3. Ryann is definately going through the imitation stage and the make believe stage, which are both novel for her age. She loves following me around the house and sometime immitates me right down to the phrases I say. When we play games she often cheats when she thinks she can get away with it. When she gets caught she realizes that it's not a good thing to be doing and she'll get frustrated and not want to play. She is still consistant with her motor skills. We have enrolled her in sports such as soccer and softball, and I also play catch with her. This helps her with learning gender rolls and knowing that not all things are gender specific. Ryann has always been above average with her motor skills.
2. Ryann has improved in her reading and writing. Her ability to focus and not get distracted by her peers has increased. When she was 4 she would get in trouble for talking during carpet time, and now at age 6 she is appropriately quiet adn respect during periods of work in the classroom. Ryann is very good at reading, she is now reading first grade and even second grade books. She's definately gone ahead of the curve in reading. The only thing that she has a problem with is speech and listening. She is in speech therapy and hopefully she will learn to overcome her problems. She still isn't the best at telling the whole storing when explaining it to someone. I start to ask her questions in order to help her fill in the story. To help her improve her language and listening skills we are going to be reading lots of books together and I will start asking her open ended questions to prompt a discussion and help her recall and talk about what is going on in the story.
3. Ryann is definately going through the imitation stage and the make believe stage, which are both novel for her age. She loves following me around the house and sometime immitates me right down to the phrases I say. When we play games she often cheats when she thinks she can get away with it. When she gets caught she realizes that it's not a good thing to be doing and she'll get frustrated and not want to play. She is still consistant with her motor skills. We have enrolled her in sports such as soccer and softball, and I also play catch with her. This helps her with learning gender rolls and knowing that not all things are gender specific. Ryann has always been above average with her motor skills.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Assignment 5
1. My parenting style is definately authoritative. I think it is important to lay down the rules, but also not be too harsh when doing so. We don't spank our child but we do give timeouts. I expect Ryann to follow certain rules and as she is growing older she is starting to understand why I ask her to follow those rules. I am very affectionate towards her and even though I have another baby, I make sure to spend one on one time with Ryann so she knows that she is still my child and doesn't get jealous of her new sister. I encourage Ryann to do things on her own. At some points I will help her, like if we are playing together, then I will help her clean up, etc. I am trying to get to her to not be so clingy. I let her know that she is a big girl and can handle certain things on her own. I think my culture has influenced my parenting style a lot. Culture is important in everything we do. The fact that we eat dinner together as a family, that my partner and I both spend time taking our child out for fun events, and the fact that we allow our child to be so active. Sports are a huge part of American culture and my partner and I are definately encouraging Ryann to start being interested in things other than quiet time.
2. Ryann's language ability has definately approved. Before she was scoring well under below average on language tests and she had a low vocabulary overall. Now that we are reading together and watching educational TV her vocabulary has expanded. I'm starting to buy her books with pictures and words so that she will be able to be ahead of the curve in kindergarden. Ryann is also gaining more knowledge of the world. She knows all about gender appropriateness. She is able to tell what kind of activities are usually for girls and which ones are usually for boys. My partner and I are trying to help her understand that although our culture does put different roles for the male and female, it is okay for the roles to switch.We are encouraging her to play sports and we are trying to expose her to all activities regardles of gender appropriateness.
3. My child is both slow to warm up and resilient. In social situations she will make a few friends and be very playful, cooperative, and friendly with them. However when new situations arise she needs some encouragement to get involved. Ryann is always very cooperative and positive. She does not get aggressive and she loves to be very helpful with the new baby. Hopefully Ryann will get rid of her slow to warm up side soon since she will be in kindergarden shortly. I am taking her to play groups on the weekends so she can meet some children that are her age.
2. Ryann's language ability has definately approved. Before she was scoring well under below average on language tests and she had a low vocabulary overall. Now that we are reading together and watching educational TV her vocabulary has expanded. I'm starting to buy her books with pictures and words so that she will be able to be ahead of the curve in kindergarden. Ryann is also gaining more knowledge of the world. She knows all about gender appropriateness. She is able to tell what kind of activities are usually for girls and which ones are usually for boys. My partner and I are trying to help her understand that although our culture does put different roles for the male and female, it is okay for the roles to switch.We are encouraging her to play sports and we are trying to expose her to all activities regardles of gender appropriateness.
3. My child is both slow to warm up and resilient. In social situations she will make a few friends and be very playful, cooperative, and friendly with them. However when new situations arise she needs some encouragement to get involved. Ryann is always very cooperative and positive. She does not get aggressive and she loves to be very helpful with the new baby. Hopefully Ryann will get rid of her slow to warm up side soon since she will be in kindergarden shortly. I am taking her to play groups on the weekends so she can meet some children that are her age.
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