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Born
Welcome to the world! -
First Word
Not scholarly, but fun! First words of 11 famous people.Rowan said his first word, the name of my parents' dog. He pointed at the dog when he said its name! This is a milestone in his language development which usually happens around 12 months - he's a little ahead of the game. Rowan is at the beginning of a slow language expansion process that takes place in the first 6 months of toddlerhood. Eventually he will have learned about 10 words by 15 months old and fifty words by 18 months old (Arnett 193). -
Getting a Sense of Self
Development of the Concept of Self in PreschoolersAt two years old, Rowan is showing increased signs of self-awareness through sociomoral emotions. For example, he gives a shy smile when asked to be photographed or looks guilty when he breaks something.
Children show the earliest steps of self-awareness in infancy, but it becomes much more advanced during the toddler years. Self-reflection, thinking about oneself like one thinks about others, develop during this time.It allows the development of sociomoral emotions like Rowan's. (Arnett 203). -
Potty Trained!
The Powerful History of Potty TrainingRowan is fully potty-trained now. Some of the signs that he was ready included staying dry for a couple of hours during the day; regular bowel movements that happened around the same time of day; anticipation of the event - knowing it was coming and being able to express it; and asking to use the toilet (Arnett 184). As to be expected, it was a gradual process and did not happen overnight, but now that it's done he can attend preschool - in this way toilet training increases socialization. -
Baby Sister!
Great article on helping a toddler adjust to a new sibling.Rowan is a big brother now! He's very involved, even rocking and feeding her. He now play-acts a baby role sometimes and has occasionally become demanding and whiny. This is normal - his attachment to me has become insecure. The reaction of a toddler to a newborn is usually negative (Arnett 218-19). but we are working with Rowan to help him transitiion. -
Gender Roles
Exploring Gender Identity inEarly Childhood throughStory Dictation andDramatizationRowan is 4 now and is getting rigid about gender roles. This is a normal development in early childhood as gender constancy, the understanding the maleness and femaleness are biological and cannot change, is not usually attained until age 6 or 7 (Arnett 257). He is rigid because at this age, he believes that changed external features can affect and/or change his gender. -
Preconventional Blues
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development VideoRowan has been lying about things that happen at school, or blaming messes on his sister.He is still in Kohlberg's preconventional phase of moral development, stage 2 - individualism and purpose orientation. He thinks what is right is what satisfies his own needs (and occasionally the needs of others) and what leads to rewards for himself. Soon he will reach conventional reasoning and be less egocentric (Arnett 368). -
Moral Development
KohlbergA teammate of Rowan's was caught stealing on this trip. Rowan acknowledged that the law was broken, but stood his ground that the most important violation was that against other peoples' expectations. He is in Kohlberg's postconventional reasoning level (3) because he has formed his moral reasoning based on his own judgments versus what is considered right and wrong (Arnett 368). -
Tattoo Snafu
Parenting Style Impacts Teen Autonomy, RelationshipsWhile Rowan is a generally good kid, he ran off and got a tattoo with his girlfriend. It's small and inconspicuous, at least!
He is asserting his independence. It was a step on his quest for autonomy. Part of that quest is taking responsibility for your actions and living with your mistakes. The quest for autonomy also often leads to disagreements between parents and teens (which we certainly had about this!), although this is not as common in traditional cultures (Arnett p. 372).
