Dom Beeler's Baby Book
An Adventure
What's this all about?
Table of Contents
- Prenatal
- Childhood
- Adolescence
- Adulthood
Prenatal Development
Progress Before Birth
- Germinal Stage: First 2 Weeks- ZYGOTE
- The time period between conception and the first two weeks, characterized by rapid cell division and development of body.
- This is when all of the cells created begin to take form of a human.
- The fetus now begins to grow and develop. Sex organs, the spinal cord, brain, and other physical qualities are developed.
When my mom was pregnant with me she was vegetarian but craved Big Macs so she would by Big Macs and take out the beef patties and just eat the bread, cheese, sauce, and veggies.
Infancy and Childhood
Reflexes
- Grasping/ Palmer Reflex: By stroking the palm of the infant's hand, the hand will then grip onto whatever is in its palm.
- Rooting Reflex: If stroked by anything on it's cheek, an infant will arc it's head back and forth until it finds a breast to feed from.
- Sucking Reflex: The infant will suck anything that touches the roof of its mouth.
- Swallowing Reflex: The act of swallowing anything in an infant's mouth.
- Babinski Reflex: The big toe will stretch out while the other toes fan out when a foot is firmly stroked.
- Moro Reflex: The stun reflex. If anything abruptly happens to an infant they will stretch their legs and arms up.
The main reflex I had as an infant was the Grasping Reflex, I would hold anything I could get my hands on.
Temperament
- A persons nature that affects their behavior.
I was pretty easy going as a child, always happy and wanting to be the center of attention.
Attachment
Imprinting: Any kind of behavior that is phase sensitive and leaves an impression.
As a child I was really attached to my mom.
Jean Piaget: Stage Theory of Cognitive Development
Cognitive Development: Childs development and information processing.
I didn't really take major interests in toys but I enjoyed being read to, my family would take me to the library and let me pick books out that they would later read to me.
And for the rest of my childhood I focused on books more than I focused on toys.
Sensorimotor Stage (0- 2 Years)
- The child is able to see, touch, suck, and feel in this stage.
- Language Development
When I was first learning how to speak I made really weird sounds and my family tried to figure out what I was saying, but it took them awhile to understand me.
- Physical Development
I first sat up when I was close to 6 months.
My first tooth came in when I was 8 months old.
I was about 10 moths when I took my first step.
Preoperational Stage (2- 7 Years)
- Children can now interact with society and think egocentrically.
In this stage of my life I was interacting with a lot of people at school and I remember doing sports around this time frame. Also I really liked school and drawing.
Concrete Operational Stage (7- 11 Years)
- This is the beginning of logical and operational thought.
In this stage began to get really interested in learning, reading, and art.
Zone of Proximal Development
Adolescence
Formal Operational Stage (12 and Up)
- Children can now classify and combine terms in more complex and formal ways.
- Adolescent Egocentrism: The idea that others are highly attentive to ones behavior or appearance.
All through middle school I tried to dress as nice as I could because I thought all the kids I went to school with would judge me if I did not dress nice.
- Adolescent "personal fable": Belief that one is highly special and above everyone else.
Personally I never really felt this, I guess one time was when I got a band award and I thought I was the best thing that ever happened for about 5 minutes.
- Adolescent 'imaginary audience": Belief that one is the center of attention.
Same thing with middle school stuff, I felt like everyone cared about what I was doing, looked like, and acted.
Adulthood
Parenting Styles
- Authoritarian: A very cold style of parenting, where the parent is strict and harsh.
- Permissive (Laissez- Faire): More loving and have very few rules. Would like to be more of a friend than a parent.
- Authoritative (Democratic): Warm to their children, but are firm in discipline and parenting. Usually encourage and love the child, as well as offer fair punishments.
I think Authoritative is the best parenting style, because I think it sets up the child for success the best.
My parents have an Authoritative parenting style, and I think as a result I am more well rounded than I would have been being parented under any of the other styles.
Personality Development
- Identity v. Role Confusion (13-18): Teenagers have a hard time figuring out who they are and what their role is in society.
- Intimacy v. Isolation: This focuses on the want by adults to find love and relationships.
I think that for most people the questions of "Who am I?" and "Will anyone love me?" are definitely important, but I do not think living your life always searching for something is not what life is about. I think being secure in who you are in the moment is the best way to find yourself. The world wants you to believe that you have to be a certain way or think the same way as everyone else. I do not think these stages should be defined because life is not the same for everyone. I have not found who I truly am, but I know that I am not going to let anything that the worlds says I am be who I think I am. Good or Bad.
Adulthood to Old Age
- Generativity v. Stagnation (40-50): This is when adults strive to help and take care of things that will outlive them.
- Integrity v. Despair (60 and Up): This is when adults at the end of their lives reflect on their life.
When I am an adult, I hope to live without regrets. That I contributed to the next generation, all the while cherishing what the past generations gave for me. I do not plan to die with despair, but to end in a celebration of my life, my family, my friends, and God. I know I will look back and see that I lived a full life, whatever that may look like. Whether it looks like a waste to others, I will know I had a fantastic life.