Extra Credit Assignment

1. Are there any issues you had with your parents, school work, friends, or romantic involvements in the last two years of high school that continued to be issues for you in college?
I had many issues with friends, parents, and romantic involvements as normal high schoolers do. None of them however lasted into college. Once I left for school the relationship between my friends and my parents became a lot closer, better, and stronger. Even my relationship with my sibilings got better because we stopped seeing each other on a daily basis.

2. I was very outgoing and I knew exactly what I wanted out of life. My personality is still the same even though my major changed I still know what I want and I am working very hard to get there. I was interested in my friends, family, and sports in high school. During my junior year of high school I was injured so now I am no longer able to play sports but I still maintain an interest in them. I don't go to all the school's sporting events like I did in high school though. I think my cognitive abilities have approved since being in college because I have expanded some of my skills from high school. For example my essay writing is better, my math skills are better, and my time management skills are better as well.

Final Reflections

1. Ryann has been having difficulties with her friends at school which is causing some emotional problems. Instead of going out on weekends like she usually does she hangs out at home and goes to bed early. Hopefully this fight will pass like all the others and she will be fine and get over her "depression". When she was younger she only hung out with a few kids and was pretty quiet with all the others. I guess you could say because of this I always thought she wouldn't be a partier like she used to before the fighting started. Morally, Ryann is experimenting with her own ideas. She does have opinions of her own but when she was a little younger she tended to agree with some of my morals. I have strong morals and I have done my best to express them to her and teach her so after her experimenting is done, like with alcohol and marijuana, she will have strong morals. She is planning on going to a state school and work part-time so cognitively she is heading in the right direction. Her grades were never the best growing up so I didn't exactly have the highest expectations with her getting into a private school or a UC, but I am happy she is atleast going to a state school.

2. I think that when Ryann was an infant my parenting mattered because that's when her cognitive and speach development was beginning. I made sure to read to her and always tried to help stimulate her mind as young as possible. Another aspect is with her physical health. I encouraged her from a young age that exercise is important. I took her hiking and to the park, went on walks with her during middle school and high school, and got her involved in sports. Also, behaviorally, I always tried to maintain an authoritative parenting style with her; I was loving and had the right amount of discipline. She has gone throuh the normal teenage experiences but she is very well behaved and we have a great relationship. I know that Ryann has a good head on her shoulders and will make the right decisions for her future.

3. Because our family falls into the middle-class, I had to work when Ryann was a baby and I was not able to be home with her. This did however help her to be more outgoing and accepting of strangers when she was younger. She has always had a good temperament and was always very friendly with everyone. One random event that did affect her cognitive skills was when she got in an accident and had some brain damage. She was able to recover almost fully and didn't have too many problems with school but I do believe that her grades could have been stronger if that did not happen. Also, Ryann had to give up some her after-school events that were too expensive because the economy dropped and I couldn't afford everything her and her sister were doing.

16 years 11 months

1. Honestly, Ryann's grades are average, not the best by any means, but they could be worse. She seems to enjoy physics and math so a career based on those subjects would be good for her. She also enjoys music and learning about it but she's not very interested in actually playing an instrument, so that won't work for her. She has a B average and has yet to receive an A in any of her high school classes. As a straight-A high school student I'm a little bummed but hey, she's not me. Her weakness is still English, and I also think maybe Spanish and American History according to her report card.

2. She's been going out to parties lately and coming home smelling of illegal substances like alcohol and marijuana, while she swears she is not smoking marijuana she is going through the partying phase with alcohol use. Not too excited about that one...She has had a boyfriend for the past few months and he is a bad influence on her in my opinion. She went off to get matching tattoo's and thinks she might be in love. All of her friends are very influential to her social development but not for her emotional well-being. I have a feeling that when they break up, things in her world will not be too pleasant. Her peers aren't really influencing her school achievement though.

3. Ryann is experiencing the normal adolescent issues. She has been going out with friends on the weekends and she did come home one night smelling like marijuana but she sware she didn't do it and it was just because one of her friends was smoking outside. I told her that I trusted her enough to tell me the truth but I still told her about all of the negative effects of drugs. Another night out with friends she called me to come and pick her from a party. I acknowledged the fact that she called me to come get her instead of driving drunk or getting in the car with a drunk driver. Ryann has expressed that she is "in love" with her current boyfriend so I'm afraid she might engage in sexual activities with im. I talk to her about how she should make sure she is ready and maybe wait until they both mature a little bit, that way she will know if it is worth it or not. I also gave her "the talk" about safe sex. I think the risk taking behavior could be the fact that she has gotten into two accidents already since getting her license. She thinks that nothing can go wrong, and she thinks that there will be no consequences. I am making her pay for the insurance deductables and I did restrict her driving priveledges.

15 years old

1. The internet has started to be more of an influence in Ryann's life. She has already experienced multiple online messaging fights. I have to ground her from the computer in order to keep from going on and helping keep her behavior in check. She started using words I didn't know she used while engaging in these online fights. Some positive activities that she has been benefiting from has been her involvement in softball. Recently Ryann made the high school softball team and we are all very excited to see what happens. She is very active, as she has always been, and being on the softball team will help her to stay physically fit as well as help with her changing behavior.

2. Ryann's behavior has been changing a lot for the past few years. This of course is because of the fact that she is going through puberty. She has her ups and downs with my partner and I and we are slowly adapting to her new self. She often gives me the silent treatment when we have discusions about curfew and chores, simple things like that, and instead of yelling at her or letting the conversation get out of hand I just drop the subject and let her cool down. She is experiencing normal behaviors for her age such as an increase in attitude, giving me the silent treatment, and picking fights with me over trivial things. However she is getting closer to me and starting to talk with me about more things than she did when she was in middle school. We go on walks together, especially when she comes home upset from school, and she can not stop talking, which is a good thing for me. I like that she is starting to come around and not be such an angry, rebellious person like she was in middle school.

3. Ryann's body has begun to change and develop further into a young women. She is starting to pay more attention to the way she looks and I think that this is contributing to her increase infatuation with boys. She has a solid group of friends and I think that this is because she is understanding what aspects she wants in a friend and she knows that they should have similar morals and values. Because of this she doesn't get into trouble for doing things she shouldn't be doing with her friends. Mostly I have noticed the fact that she is starting to have an interest in boys and becoming more popular at school because she is aware of her physical changes. She comes home from upset sometimes because the kids at school tease her for being flat chested, so I just explain to her that people develop on their own time and her time will come soon.

Assignment 9

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Assignment 4

1. Ryann is one of the most active children at her preschool. She loves playing catch, kicking around a soccer ball, riding her tricycle around the block, and playing basketball. My partner and I are definately encouraging this kind of behavior by taking her to activities at the childrens museums and going to the gym/play centers to try and channel activity into "learn by doing" activities. Ryann is starting develop some not so great behaviors. She lies about little things so we let her know that lying is hurtful and wrong. We also started playing some more aggressive games at home because even though she has been more cooperative, at school she sometimes gets pushed around and is starting to become a follower. Ryann recieves time-outs when she misbehaves, gets whiny or aggressive, or doesn't follow directions at home.

2. Ryann is beginning to show an interest in educational TV. She sings along and repeats what the characters say, playing along with the show. We try and watch the shows together so that if she has any questions I can answer them, and that also allows us to spend more time together. Sometimes she does get scared of TV dramas even though they are G rated. Again, we watch it together and I limit her tv use. We allow her to watch educational shows and a few cartoons. Her language skills are not up to par. She likes to tell people about things that she did that day but often leaves out important details. I try asking her questions to prompt her to fill in the rest of the story. She still uses gestures and talks in two or three word sentences. I encourage her to use her words and we are working hard to help her develop her language skills. This problem is making her more aggressive. She gets very frustrated when she doesn't understand a part of the conversation and even throws a tantrum. We are reading her books and taking time in conversations with her. Hopefully the educational TV will help.

3. Ryann is very social. She has a few friends at preschool. At home we had new neighbors move in and Ryann became very close with their 4 year old. She also loves playing in groups. She has even gotten in trouble for talking at innapropriate times, like while having rug time at preschool. Ryann is cooperative and friendly, she is albe to focus well on tasks, but she is sometimes unsure and anxious of herself in social situations. She is also a bit clingy with the teacher and she has to be encouraged until she would join in. When she did play cooperatively and non-aggressively. To help better the situation we are going to start inviting friends over for play dates at our new house. We are starting to work on her manners so she will learn when the appropriate times are to speak. For example we are taking turns in converstations and she gets a warning and then a time-out whenever she interrupts. My partner and I are fighting a lot. It sometimes gets so bad that one of us has to leave the apartment. Hopefully purchasing our new home and having more space will make some of our issues go away. We try not let Ryann see them but sometimes she does and I think that's what is affecting her change in behavior.