THE END!!!

Thanks for following me through my six week journey learning about Human Development!

Stages of Dying

Death affects people in different ways. Typically a person goes through five different stages before death. The five stages are Denial/isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Denial/isolation - Is where the person denies that death is going to happen to them. Sometimes they believe "It can't happen to me" or "I'm too young to die". Denial is a common reaction to the idea of death. Denial is usually just a temporary reaction.

Anger - Anger occurs when the person realizes that they can no longer deny that death is going to take place. Anger occurs when the person begins to think "Why Me?" The person becomes angry because they feel helpless and a loss of control. When anger takes place the person becomes difficult to care for and to be around. In some cases the dying person begins to take there anger out on those around them because they realize the what they are losing, and those who symbolize life become great targets.

Bargaining - Bargaining occurs when the person starts to believe that death can somehow be postponed or delayed. The person begins to try to bargain most usually with God trying to develop a compromise to delay death. They will promise to do or not to do certain things in exchange for a little bit longer. In some cases the dying persons feels that there are certain things that need to be taken care of before the die, so they bargain for more time to finish them.

Depression - Depression occurs when the person comes to accept the idea that they cannot do anything to stop death from occurring. The person may become silent, refuse visitors, and spend much of the time crying or grieving. This stage is normal and is the person attempt to disconnect themselves from those that mean the most to them.

Acceptance - Acceptance occurs after the person work through the conflicts and feelings of death. The person develops a sense of peace and acceptance that death inevitable. Most believe that this stage occurs in the final period before death when the person becomes tired and weak. The person normally becomes calm and all fear is gone.

Some people will struggle with death until the end. They are never able to experience a sense of acceptance. Some believe that people fight death the harder time they will have dying peacefully.

People finding meaning and purpose in their lives is linked to how they approach death. A study showed that those who reported finding purpose and meaning in life were experience the least amount of despair in the final weeks of their death. Also, those who had found no reason for living where the most distressed about dying.

My Opinion:

I think that these stages of death are more present in those dying at a younger age. In a lot of cases older adults know that their deaths are inevitable and are accepting to the idea of death. However those that are younger and diagnosed with terminal illnesses are those that struggle the most with the stages of death. It is important for their loved ones to be there for them and to help them through the stages. However, it is hard for loved ones to be completely there for the dying person because they themselves are struggling with the idea of loss.

What do you think?

Sources:

Gould, B. (n.d.). Five Stages of Dying. Old Fashioned Living : cooking from scratch, hand made crafts, old fashioned ideas, traditions, simple life, and more:. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://oldfashionedliving.com/dying.html

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Social Interaction with Older Adults

Social support of older adults plays a vital role in their well-being mentally and physically. Social support is helpful for people of all ages, but especially important to older adults. The over all health - psychological, behavioral, and social can be influenced by social support. When older adults receive social support it is linked to the reduction in symptoms of disease, mental illness, and mortality. In addition social support decrease the probability of the older adult being institutionalized or becoming depressed.

According an article on the Centers for Disease Control Website
"Social support includes real or perceived resources provided by others that enable a person to feel cared for, valued, and part of a network of communication and mutual obligation." It is critical to older adults who rely on family, friends, or organization to assist them with daily activities, provide companionship, and care for their well-being. Social support can be provided by different adults. Older adults that are married, are less likely to need social support. Families and friends play an important role of providing social support to older adults.

Research has shown that visits with friends or relatives, having close friends for emotional support, and the perception of help being available if sick or disabled were associated with better health related quality of life and better mental health. The implementation of effective prevention programs for older adults and the encouragement of interventions by agencies on aging can help improve health-related quality of life among older adults who have little social support. Social support can promote health by providing persons with positive experiences, socially rewarding roles, or improved ability to cope with stressful events. Support is critical for older adults who are have an increased risk for disability associate with chronic disease or social isolation after the loss of a partner.

My Opinion:

I believe that social interaction is extremely important for older adults. Growing up my grandmother worked at a nursing home, and I would occasionally go visit her. Even at a young age I was able to tell the difference in the patients that had regular visits with family and the patients that did not. Even though nursing homes provide a form of social interaction to patients, not all patients choose to participate. I also saw a difference in those patients that choose not to attend the social programs.

What do you think?

Sources:

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Social Support and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Adults --- Missouri, 2000. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5417a4.htm

Older Adults in the Labor Force

Retirement was once seen as an exit from full-time work to full-time leisure. However, in today's society the older generation is delaying retirement longer than their parents or grandparents. In 2009 adults age 55 and older made up 19% of the work force. There are a couple major reasons why they are delaying retirement. First, the older generation enjoys working and wants to stay active. Some do not want to retire and want to continue with their career jobs. Some retire from their career work to find a new and different job. Some retire from career jobs to do volunteer work. Approximately 7 million Americans that retire return to work. Second, the older generation is delaying retirement because of financial reasons. Some cases adults cannot afford retirement and must continue to work in order to meet financial needs. The growth in senior adults working added 3.2 million people to the work force in 2009. Some work to meet financial needs, some work to stay busy, and others work to give back to their community. Of the senior adults that have continued to work or returned to work two thirds indicated that they were happy with their decision.

My opinion:

I think that the older generation continues to work because they have worked their entire lives. The older adults are the ones that had to start working at an early age to help support their families. They have grown up working, and have worked their entire lives. Therefore, they do not know what it is like to not work. Therefore, they feel as if they must continue to work.

Sources:

Johnson, R., & Kaminski, J. (n.d.). Older Adults’ Labor Force Participation since 1993: A Decade and a Half of Growth. Urban Institute. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412011_older_adults_labor_force.pdf

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Empty Nest Syndrome

Empty nest syndrome can be felt by some when their children enter adult life and leave home. In most cases empty nest syndrome is felt more by mothers, that miss their children needing their day-to-day care. Empty Nest can effect the lives of parents in many different ways. First, It is natural to feel some sadness when children leave the home. However, feeling should not become severe and last more than a week. Parents should consult a doctor for severe depression if they start to feel as if they are no longer useful, start crying excessively, or are so sad that they do not want to see friends or family. Second, empty nest syndrome could cause marital problems. Children leaving the house gives a couple more time to focus on their relationship. In some cases instead of focusing on the positive, they start to recognize the flaws in their relationship. In order to find marital satisfaction both parties need to have an interest in making it work. After children leave home is the perfect time for couples to rediscover each other. Third, problems can occur with the refilling of the empty nest. In today's society more middle aged adults are refilling the empty nest by allowing their children to move back home. Adult children may return to leave at home after college until the find a job, or until the save up money. Some may move back home after an unsuccessful career venture or a divorce. The middle generation has always supported the younger generation. They provide financial support, as well as emotional support, and it makes the parents feel good that they can offer support to their child in a time of need. However, problems can occur when adult children move back home. The adult children complain about a loss of privacy and restricted independence. The parents complain about noise, staying up late worrying, and taking on too more responsibility for their children. Adult children moving back in with their parents requires adaptation and cooperation between both parties. In order to survive empty nest syndrome parents need to lean on friends for support and be kind to themselves. Parents should remember that their children leaving is not the end of the world. It is a new chapter for them to focus on themselves, start a new career, or find a new hobby.

My opinion:

I think that developing empty nest syndrome depends on the type of person you are, and how happy you are in your life. I believe that my mom experienced a time of sadness when I left for college. However, I don't think she went through empty nest syndrome because she became focused on her career and going back to school.

I have recently became a "boomerang kid" and moved back home to live with my mom, which I can say has not been the easiest. Mom and I have not really had any major fights. We have had a few disagreement, but we were speaking again with 10 mins. It has been a huge adjustment to move back home. It is weird after living on your own for so long. The hardest part has been coming home at late hours. I feel like I should come home early so I don't disturb mom, but at the same time I feel like I am adult and should be able to stay out as late as I want. She hasn't complained about me moving home, but I can tell it has been a huge adjustment for her as well.

What do you think about empty nest syndrome? What do you think about refilling the empty nest?

Sources:

Empty-nest syndrome. (n.d.). NetDoctor.co.uk - The UK's leading independent health website. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/features/ens.htm

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Midlife Crisis

What is a midlife crisis? The book reports that it is a time when the middle-aged adult is suspended between the past and the future, trying to cope with the gap that threatens life's continuity. Today the midlife transition is looked on, more and more, as a normal part of life, where people often reevaluate their priorities and goals. The age at which midlife crisis takes place can vary. Usually it can occur anywhere from about age 37 to the 50's. In most cases the crisis occurs around a significant life event like: youngest child finishing college, a "zero" birthday, or the death of a parent.

Men and Women respond differently to midlife crisis. Men tend to seem more intent on wanting to prove something. In addition men may become more in touch with their feminine side. Women are more likely to evaluate their performance as a wife, mother, or both. Also, they could decided that since they have finished raising their children, they can do whatever they like work-wise. Therefore they may choose to go back to school, or reenter the workforce in a new career.

While serious depression can accompany the period of time during midlife, it is also a period of growth. Whether, a midlife transition will develop into serious depression or into an opportunity for growth depends on a number of factors, including support from partners and other loved ones. Symptoms of serious depression in midlife are: change in eating habits; change in sleeping habits or fatigue; feelings of pessimism or hopelessness; restlessness, anxiety, or irritability; feeling of guilt, helplessness, or worthlessness; loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex and hobbies, thoughts of suicide or attempts at suicide, physical aches or pains such as headaches or gastrointestinal upset that don't respond to treatment.

While it is know as a midlife crisis in most cases it is just a transitional period. In most cases the period of midlife is a time of tremendous growth. A person's vocabulary, verbal memory, and inductive reasoning peak at midlife. Also, a person reaches the height of the career success during midlife.

My opinion:

This is a hard subject for me to give my opinion on because I have not reached that point in my life yet. I would say that not in all case, but in a majority of cases people use the idea of midlife crisis as an excuse to go crazy. I think that some people legitimately have break downs during midlife, but I believe that could be caused from the realization that their live is not where they want it to be.

What do you think?

Sources:

Midlife Crisis: Depression or Normal Transition?. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/midlife-crisis-opportunity?page=3

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Cohabiting Adults

In today's society cohabitation is becoming more common amount young adults. What is Cohabitation? Cohabitation refers to living together in a sexual relationship without being married. Currently 60 to 70% of adults live together before they get married. In general most see cohabitation as a way to be together without the official aspect of marriage. Others use it as an alternative to marriage, but find it important to be married someday. Most adults see cohabitation as a successful step to marriage, but research shows the opposite. 1/3 of cohabiting arrangements last less than a year, and less than 1 out of 10 last for five years. Research has shown lower rates of marital satisfaction and higher rates of divorce in couples who lived together before getting married. Cohabiting before marriage can lead to what is called the "cohabitation effect". The "cohabitation effect" includes a more negative commitment in marriage, lower levels of marital satisfactio, erosion over time of the value and view of marriage and childrearing, and greater likelihood of divorce. In addition cohabitation can lead other problems. An emotional stress can be put on the couple because of disapproval by parents and family. Also, it may be hard for the couple to own property jointly, and in the case of a separation legal rights become confusing. In general cohabitation usually has a negative impact on marriage and relationships.

My opinion:
I lived with my college boyfriend my senior year and once I moved to Nashville, and living together caused us to argue constantly. However, I am glad that we lived together because it made me realize that I did not want to spend the rest of my life with him. I don't think that I want to live with someone else before I get married. On the other hand I worry about whether or not that person and I will be able to get along once we are married and living together everyday. The book discusses that move in together after engagement are more likely to have a successful marriage than those who live together before an engagement. I think I would be more likely to live with someone again if we were engaged.

Sources:

Characteristics of Cohabiting Adults Studied. (n.d.). North Carolina Family Policy Council. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www.ncfamily.org/stories/090716s1.html

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Working during College

Working can help pay for college, but can also restrict student's opportunities to learn. In today's society there are more and more students working while attending college. in the 1999-2000 academic year over 80% of U.S. undergrads were working while attending college. There are two categories of students that work. First, there are students that identify themselves as first as students, then employees. Second, there are the students that identify themselves as full-time workers that take some college classes. Part-time employment can be beneficial to students and supplement spending money. Full-time employment may be detrimental to student performance. Research has shown that as the number of hours worked increased the more likely students grades were to suffer. Also, students who work full-time are more likely to drop out of college.

Research shows that the effects of working in college varies by the type of job and its relation to the academic environment. In some cases students may be participating in cooperative program, which are paid apprenticeships in a field that they are interested in pursuing. Also working can provide opportunities, in a field of interest, like internships or part-time summer job. Participating in co-ops, internships, or summer jobs can be a key to getting job after college. Most employers report that 60% of their entry level work college hires had a co-op or internship with the company.

My opinion:

The only semester that I did not work while I was in college, was my very first semester. From that point on I worked anywhere from 15 to 25 hours a week, plus I took a full load of classes. None of the jobs I had in college where on campus jobs. However, during my junior year I started working in a specialty retail store because I was a Retail and Consumer Science Major. I am not going to say that working and going to college was easy. There were times when I was extremely stressed out, but I managed to make it through. And I graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. I think it is possible to work and go to school. I don't think that it is the right choice for everyone. Some people just need to focus on one thing at a time. But I do agree it is a good idea to participate in internships or summer job in a field of interest. I got my job with Macy's by doing an internship with them the summer before I graduated from college.

What do you think?

Sources:

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Working in College. (n.d.). Welcome! The College at Brockport. Retrieved July 12, 2010, from http://www.brockport.edu/career01/upromise.htm

Parent-Adolescent Conflicts

Parent-adolescent conflict begins during early adolescences. The conflict involves conflict about everyday events of family life like: cleaning bedroom, dressing neatly, curfews, and telephone use. The conflict between parents and adolescents last throughout high school years, and usually lessens between 17 and 20 years of age.

Conflict between parents and adolescents is caused by the child trying to establish a sense of independence between them and their parents. There are three different ways to create conflict between the parent and adolescent, separation, differentiation, and opposition. First, separation is the process of pulling away from parents and family to create one's own independent social world of friends and to establish more privacy from parents. During the separation phase conflicts arise over the child's reduced involvement with family, over increased activities with peers, and over how much personal information parents have a right to know. Second, differentiation is the process of experimenting with one's own individuality. Conflicts arise during differentiation over not fitting in well with the family, over assuming identities that parents are not familiar with, and over appearing and acting differently than what parents want. Third, opposition is the process of actively and passively challenging parental authority in an effort to become more self-determined. Conflict start in opposition due to disagreeing with parental demands, delayed response to parental response, and disobeying parental rules.

Even though parent-adolescent conflicts are stressful, they can sever as a positive developmental function. The disputes and negotiations facilitate the adolescent's transition from being dependent on parents to becoming and autonomous individual. Also, adolescents that are involved in disagreements with the parents are more likely to explore identity development. If both parents and adolescents realize that the conflict and negotiation can serve as a positive developmental function can tone down the hostility.

My opinion:

I think in most cases it is hard for the parents to understand and realize that their child is growing up. But it is also hard for the child to realize that they are not completely ready to be independent from their parents. For example, a good friend of mine is currently struggling with her 13 year old son. They are constantly arguing over whether or not he has to take a shower that day, did he clean his room, or if he is old enough to do everything his friends are doing. I know that she has the best interest of her child at heart, but he needs to be able to make decisions on his own. He will never realize the consequences of his actions if he doesn't make his own decisions. On the other hand, he needs to realize that at 13 years old he is not old enough to be completely dependent of his parents, and they are only there to help him.

What do you think?

Sources:

Parent/adolescent conflict -- fighting to communicate. | Psychology Today. (n.d.). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved July 12, 2010, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/200908/parentadolescent-conflict-fighting-communicate

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Affects of Adolescent Pregnancy on Development

Adolescent Pregnancy is a high-risk circumstance. There are health risks for both mother and baby, as well as physical and mental development issues.

First, the teenage body is not done growing. The reproductive system is not fully formed until after adolescence. . Therefore, the proper growth and development of the reproductive organs and other body parts may be inhibited. Second, the mothers brain is not yet fully developed. The parts of the brain that aid in decision making and logic are not fully developed until after age 19, not to mention, that the young woman has not finished her education and has less real-world experience. Therefore, pregnant adolescents do not always make the best decisions for themselves or their babies.

Adolescent pregnancy can have many long term effects on the mother. Adolescent pregnancy makes the young mother grow up faster and take on more responsibility. They miss out of major events associated with growing up and their development must be kicked into high gear. Often adolescent mothers drop out of high school. In 2002, only 20% of adolescent mothers aged 15-17 had graduated from high school, and only 1.5% will receive a college degree by age 30. Also, their family incomes are lower, they are more likely to become poor and receive welfare, and they are less likely to get married.

In most cases babies born to adolescents have an increased risk of physical and mental issues. Adolescents are not always educated about proper nutrition and other precautions that must be taken during pregnancy. Also, young mother have a tendency to skip medical care during pregnancy. In addition, pregnant adolescents face many hardships like: lack of social support, financial woes, and anxiety about the future. All these factors can lead to stress which can effect the development of the fetus. Therefore in general all the reasons combined are more likely to cause low birth rates in babies born to adolescents.

Adolescent pregnancy causes long term effects on the children. Children born to adolescents are more likely to be poor, abused, and neglected. Also, the are less likely to receive proper nutrition, health care, and cognitive and social stimulation. These children are more likely to have a greater risk of intellectual and academic achievement and social behavioral problems. In addition, these children are more likely to be incarcerated, not finish high school, be unemployed, and likely to become teen parents.

My opinion:

I come from an area where teen pregnancy is common. I have seen some teen mother succeed and other teen mother not succeed. I agree that mentally and physically teens are not prepared to have children. However, I think it is possibly for them to do well. I think the chances are the having a positive outcome depends on the support they have during their pregnancy. Those that are not offered support at home or in school are not going to have a successful experience. As a future family and consumer science teacher it is important for me to develop and teach family-life education classes that teen mothers can benefit from. Hopefully my classes will help reduce teen pregnancy, and provide support and information to teen mothers that need it.

What do you think?

Sources:

How Teenage Pregnancy Affects Development | eHow.com. (n.d.). eHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4579971_how-teenage-pregnancy-affects-development.html

Mavis, S. (n.d.). Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting. Homepages at WMU. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://homepages.wmich.edu/~s3mavis/teenpregnancy.htm

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Middle Schools vs. Junior High Schools

Which are better for the development of a child middle schools or junior high schools? Both were created to bridge the gap between elementary school and high school, so what is the difference?

Middle School

• Student-Centered
• Fosters collaboration of students
• Affective and cognitive growth are emphasized
• Focuses on creative explorations and experimentation of subject matter
• Varies length of time students are in courses
• Offers high interest exploratory coursework
• Advisory program = teacher-oriented guidance
• Athletics organized around intramural concept

Junior High School

• Subject-Centered
• Fosters competition of students
• Cognitive development is first priority
• Focuses on mastery of concepts and skills in separate disciplines
• Offers subjects for one semester or one year
• Provides highly structured activity program after school
• Study hall = access to counselor upon request
• Athletics organized around interscholastic concept

Junior High Schools were created mainly for 7th and 8th grade students and were designed to be just like the high school setting. Middle schools were created to have a different grade organization and a more developmentally responsive program to provide a more gradual and appropriate transition between elementary and high school years. The middle school feature interdisciplinary teaming, small learning communities, a teacher advisory program, and special learning centers where students can catch up on needed skills or branch out for further explorations.

Some schools have the term middle school in there name. But are they really a middle school? Are they a junior high school? Or are the combination of both. What do you think is best for the development of children?

My opinion:

I went to a school that had all grades from kindergarten to eighth grade in one building. I greatly enjoyed my time at this school, but I think I would have enjoyed going to a middle school or junior high school more. The only think I remember about my elementary school that was even similar to high school was that we switched classes. But all of our classes where on the same wing, so we didn't have far to go. I think I would have benefited by attending a school that help with the transition from elementary to high school. Luckily all the schools in our county are set up the same way, so we all had the same issues when we got to high school. Not being familiar with a junior high or middle school, I couldn't begin to say which format I think is better. However I can say I think they are necessary.

Sources:

Middle School Versus Junior High: Distinctions Between Middle Schools and Junior High Schools for Students. (n.d.). Middle School. Retrieved July 10, 2010, from http://middleschool.suite101.com/article.cfm/middle_school_versus_junior_high

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Peer Status and Peer Relationships

Peer status has an important impact on children’s peer relationships. Developmentalists used sociometric status to determine how well students were liked or disliked by their peers. The determined that there were five different peer statuses. First are popular children, they are frequently nominated as a best friend and are rarely disliked by peers. These children have numerous social skills that contribute to their popularity. Second, are average children, this group received an average number of both positive and negative nominations from their peers. Third, are neglected children, they are infrequently nominated as a best friend but are not disliked by peers. Neglected children normally engage in low rates of interaction with peers, and are described as shy. Fourth, are rejected children, they are infrequently nominated as someone’s best friend and are actively disliked by peers. Rejected children tend to have serious adjustment problems. Finally, are controversial children, these children are frequently nominated as someone’s best friend and as being disliked.

Peer relationships are important because the relationships give children the ability to learn social skills that will be important to them throughout their lives. Children need skills to initiate and maintain social relationships and to resolve social conflicts. Also, children without peer relationships are missing opportunities to build social self-confidence. Therefore they do not develop the ability to achieve interpersonal goals and become overwhelmed by social interaction.

There are four different factors that contribute to peer relationship problems: social behavior, differentness, family problems, and reputation. Social behavior is when children exhibit some ineffective social behavioral pattern that can cause them to be rejected by their peers. For example, some children may behave in an aggressive or disruptive manner or some may be withdrawn from their peers. Differentness is when children are rejected by their peers because they are perceived to be different. This tends to occur when children are from a different ethnic group or sex, are physically unattractive or handicapped, or are newcomers to the classroom. Family problems cause children to act out which cause rejection from peers, or they could be reluctant to bring friends home and avoid creating close friendships. Reputation is a social outcast that is difficult to change. Even when children overcome the circumstances that led to peer problems, their reputation will usually stick with them.

There are four strategies to help children overcome peer relationship problems: social skills training, intervention for related problems, nonthreatening social experience, and cooperative classroom projects. Social skills training can help children learn new interpersonal skills. This training can help them learn different ways to make peer interactions mutually satisfying and productive. In some cases children who are exhibiting peer problems are also having other problems. In some cases children that also have academic problems may need intensive academic intervention or children with family problems may need counseling. Some children find large groups to be overwhelming. Therefore they need to experience nonthreatening social experiences. It is important for them to be given opportunities to interact in smaller groups and be encouraged to develop interests that will provide a natural basis for interacting with others. Finally, cooperative classroom projects can foster peer acceptance for children who are trying to fit in with classmates. These groups allows students who would normally avoid working together the opportunity to interact.

My opinion:

I would say that growing up I was classified as one of the popular children. I never had a hard time fitting in and I always had friends. However, throughout the years I have watched my cousins and other kids that I am close to struggle with peer status. No one likes to be the rejected child, and rejection has an effect on one’s self confidence. The one thing that I do remember from elementary and middle school was the cliques that caused problems in peer relationships. It wasn’t necessarily that peer statuses changed, but your status in a certain clique may change. And not being invited to be a part of a certain clique caused a huge amount of rejection. Peer status is large part of life no matter what age. However, I think the older and more mature you become the less you pay attention to peer statuses, but it is a huge part of middle to late childhood.

What do you think?

Sources:

Burton, C. (n.d.). Children's Peer Relationships. . ERICDigests.Org - Providing full-text access to ERIC Digests. Retrieved July 10, 2010, from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-923/peer.htm

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Children from Divorced Families

40% of children born to married parents in the United States will experience their parents’ divorce. Today there are approximately 20 million children that are living in single parent homes. Children in divorced families are more likely than children in non-divorced families to have academic problems, to show externalized and internalized problems, to be less socially responsible, to have less competent intimate relationships, to drop out of school, to become sexually active at an early age, to take drugs, to associate with antisocial peers, to have low self-esteem, and to be less securely attached as young adults. Also, children from divorced families show poorer adjustment than their counterparts in non-divorced families.

Divorce can cause developmental issues in children. Development refers to that “unfolding” of a child’s physical growth, behavior, and personality. A child is constantly developing. Not only are the changing physically and emotionally, but they change the way they think and communicate. A child develops within the context of their family. The family is where a child’s basic needs are met, emotional bonds are formed, and learning begins. Therefore any event affecting the family, will have an effect on the child.

The following are example of how divorce affects children in different ways depending on their age:

Preschool (ages 3-5): Preschool aged children are likely to regress in their most recent developmental milestones. Also, the can suffer from sleep disturbances. As well they develop a fear of separation and abandonment. In some cases the child may become more aggressive or develop a fear of being hurt.

· Early latency (ages 6-8): Children aged 6 to 8 are more likely to openly grieve for the departed parent. Their school work could suffer because of the grief. In addition they develop a sense of fear and anger. They are still scared of being abandoned, and can direct their anger at the custodial parent. Also, they are wishing for reconciliation between their parents.

· Late latency (ages 8-11): The biggest issue with children ages 8-11 is anger and a feeling of powerlessness. Also they tend to develop a loyalty conflict and will begin to label their parent’s as “good” parent and “bad” parent. Lastly, this age group will try to take care of their parents and let their friendships start to deteriorate because of their focus on their family.

· Adolescence (ages 12-18): Adolescents usually respond with acute depression, suicidal ideation, and sometimes violent acting out episodes. They tend to often judge their parents’ decisions and actions. Many adolescents become anxious and fearful about their own future love and marital relationships.

My opinion:

I believe that the child’s reaction to the divorce depends on the reaction from the parents, as well as how open the parents are about the situation. My parents divorced the summer before I started third grade. I was eight years old that summer. I remember the day my dad told me he was moving out. At the time I did not really think much about it, my reaction was to ask who planned on taking me to swim lessons. I remember my mom being really upset, and I cannot say that I was trying to be strong for her. I think more than anything I just wanted to try my hardest not to cause her anymore hurt, so I wanted to be on my best behavior. My parents were very upfront and honest about the reason for their divorce, and I think that made the biggest difference in me being able to adjust to the divorce. I remember my mom being extremely worried about the divorce affecting my grades. Before the school year started she went to talk to my homeroom teacher, and explain the situation. Not one time did my grades drop that year or any year after that. I did have a lot of anger. Not as much towards my parents as I did towards my Dad’s girlfriend. At one point I wrote her a letter telling her how much I hated her. I think had my parent’s not be as open about the entire situation and process it would have had a bigger effect on me.

What do you think?

Sources:

Divorce effects on children. (n.d.). Child Advocate - Helping Parents and Professionals. Retrieved July 9, 2010, from http://www.childadvocate.net/divorce_effects_on_children.htm

Effects of Divorce on Children - KidsGrowth. (n.d.). Welcome to Kids Growth , for pediatric professionals, parents, and teens.. Retrieved July 9, 2010, from http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=1153

Gray, B. (2001, May. - Jun.). Supporting Children and Families in Times of Stress. Texas Child Care, 26. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Documents/Child_Care/Child_Care_Solutions/TCCSeparationDivorce.pdf

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.