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Prenatal - Birth (Physical)
I was born at 32 weeks (8 weeks premature) on Thursday the 10th of October 2002 at 6:13 pm. I was 5 lbs when I was born and was actually quite large for a premature baby. Because I was born 2 months early I had not developed the ability to swallow and had to have a tube inserted through my nose down my throat to receive food. This was an event of major physical development as I was now out of the womb and learning to adapt to my new environment. -
Infancy - Went home for the first time (Emotional/Social)
After staying in the hospital for nearly a month I was sent home for the first time on November 4th, 2002. I was used to the bright lights of the nursery room at the hospital, and according to my parents, I seemed intrigued by this new environment and looked around everywhere. This was a moment of social/emotional development as I moved out of the hospital and adapted to the new life at home. -
Infancy - Learned how to talk (Intellectual)
At 11 months old in September of 2003, I first started to talk using meaningful words. In my baby book, my mother made a list of some of my first words which included: car, ball, mama, and dada. This was definitely a developmental milestone wherein my brain had matured to the point of being able to know and use words. Not long after I started to put together my first sentences. This period of time demonstrated large amounts of intellectual development. -
Infancy - First steps - (Physical)
About a month after learning how to talk, at the age of 1, I managed to take my first steps. This was a huge developmental milestone as I could now move around more easily. This event showed that I had developed physically to the point where I had significantly more strength in my legs as well as improved balance. -
Start of pre-school - Toddler (Emotional/Social)
Shortly before my second birthday, I started pre-school at St. Johns nursery school. This was an important time for me as it was the first time I really socialized with children my age. I developed a lot socially during this time and was able to make my first friends. I also learned how to interact in a sort of classroom setting, preparing me for the start of kindergarten the next year. -
Start of kindergarten - Toddler - (Emotional/Social)
My first day of actual school took place in September of 2006. I had already learned the alphabet and numbers up to 100 before kindergarten and was generally well prepared because of pre-school. I was a little shy at first but I managed to make a few friends during this time. I learned a lot and on top of developing socially/emotionally (learning to share), I developed intellectually as well. By the end of my first year of Kindergarten, I was able to read short stories and write in sentences. -
Birth of sister - Toddler (Emotional/Social)
On the 15th of September 2006, just days after starting Kindergarten my sister Jenna was born. I remember running around the hospital proudly telling everyone that I was a big brother. I now had a sibling to play with and I learned how to interact with a baby. There are some hilarious home videos of me playing with my sister when she was a baby, and I feel as though having a sibling did help my development. I had to develop socially to deal with the fact I was no longer the centre of attention. -
My 5th Birthday - Early Childhood (Emotional/Social)
This was my first birthday party which I celebrated with friends. I had developed friendships throughout my first year of school and my parents planned out a birthday party at the bowling lanes. I remember vaguely this event and it was one of the first times when I went to a social gathering with a large number of schoolmates. Being able to retain these friendships showed substantial social development and maturity. -
First T-Ball game - Early Childhood (Emotional/Social)
The summer of 2008 was the first time I had played on a team sport. Playing on the T-ball team really helped me develop my social and emotional skills by learning how to deal with losing and making new friends. It also helped develop my motor skills and coordination. -
First vacation - Middle Childhood (Social/Emotional)
This was my first true vacation in which I remember. We stayed at the Disney World resort in Orlando. I remember flying for the first time, going to all the theme parks, and meeting all of the Disney mascots. I had an absolute blast and will always remember how great this trip was. This trip helped me develop in a social/emotional way by giving me a different perspective of the world. I saw animals which I had never seen before, went on amusement rides for the first time, and tried new food. -
First Rep Baseball game - Middle Childhood (Social/Emotional)
After playing house league baseball for a couple of years I decided to try-out for rep. I played well enough to make the team and played my first rep game in May. Being on a rep baseball team taught me discipline and self-regulation, as well as leading to new friendships. I had to develop my emotional skills when it came to failing in sports. It took me a while to learn how to properly deal with striking out or making an error. Luckily, playing on a rep team really helped me in these areas. -
St. Lucia Vacation - Late Childhood (Social)
One trip that defined my childhood was one my family took to St. Lucia in the fall of 2011. On this trip, I met a boy from England and became friends with him. We wanted to stay in touch and I created my first email address. We sent emails back and forth for a few years and it was cool having a friend from another country. This demonstrated social development through me being more comfortable around strangers and making friends more easily. -
10th Birthday - Late Childhood (Physical/Intellectual)
By the time my 10th birthday came around, I was in the 5th grade. By this time I had grown a lot, and was rapidly going through shoe sizes. (Physical development) and had begun to excel at schoolwork (Intellectual development). I remember my teacher suggesting that I begin enrichment around this time as I started to hone in my academic skills. -
Start of Middle School - Adolescence (Physical/Emotional/Social)
Right around the time I started middle school at Westheights I entered the stage of adolescence. It was a time of increased physical development as I started to go through puberty and emotionally/socially as well as I had to adapt to a new social environment. People's personalities/friend groups around me started to shift but I mostly kept the same friends from elementary school as well as adding a few more friends who I met there. -
Grade 8 graduation trip in Ottawa - Adolescence (Emotional/Social)
The first trip I ever went on without my family was my grade 8 graduation trip to Ottawa in June of 2016. This trip helped me gain more independence and created a better connection with my friends (Social development). It was a great deal of fun and really helped me grow up. I was forced to self-regulate without parental supervision for an extended period of time. -
Start of High School - Adolescence (Emotional/Social)
My first day of high school was the 6th of September 2016. I remember being very excited and feeling ready for this new opportunity. My friend groups developed in high school and I met a whole lot of new people (social development). I had to adapt to the new environment and manage my time better (Intellectual development). Grade 9 was overall a pretty good year for me and I transitioned quickly into the new high school environment. -
First job - Adolescence (Social/Emotional)
Shortly before my 15th birthday in 2017 I got my first real job at Blue Chip Sports. Landing this job was a great accomplishment for me and allowed me to start earning some of my own money. This was a large milestone of development because I had now matured and was responsible enough to be able to hold a job. My brain had developed it's social and time management skills to the point where I could manage work shifts on top of my schooling. -
Pass my father in height - Adolescence (Physical)
My father is approximately 5 foot 9 in height, and around this time I passed him. I am now around 5 foot 10 inches in height. This was around the time my physical growth slowed. (Physical development) -
School Exchange - Adolescence (Emotional/Social)
In semester 2 of my grade 10 year I went on a 10-day school exchange to British Columbia. I had an amazing time and made a lot of new friends. On this trip I got a different perspective of Canadian life and I feel as though it really helped me develop socially and emotionally. This trip encouraged me to push myself socially and get out of my comfort zone. -
Graduation of high school - Adolescence/Young Adulthood (Emotional/Social)
I will graduate from high school in June of 2020. This will be a potentially happy yet difficult time as some of my friends may move away. After finishing high school, my university life will be completely different. I will undergo Intellectual and Social/Emotional development as my friend groups change. I may even be looking to start a relationship at this point as I enter young adulthood.
