Post 5 - Alex

I do not think Piaget would advocate holding flash cards of words in front of an infant to teach language. This is because according to Piaget’s Theory, infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences w/ physical ones. Showing an infant flash cards is not a sensory experience. Based on the information we learned in class on Tuesday, about language development, I wouldn’t advocate it either. I think the parent’s time with the infant would be more wisely spent speaking slowly in a high pitched voice, exaggerating facial expressions while talking, and saying the name of an object when the infant touches it.

Post 5

I think holding flash cards in front of infant to teach the language would not be the best idea. I don't think it would necessaily hurt them but it's not the natural way they learn language. Infants learn language by listening to others around them and learning how to form their own words. Simply looking at words on a card wouldn't help an infant develop language because looking at a word won't teach them how to say it. I believe letting the natural events of language occur is better than trying to force an infant to speak using flash cards. I don't think Piaget would like this activity because he believed that infants learned actively and that had no reflective thought. Therefore, Piaget would not see to effectiveness of flash cards for infants.

Post 5--B

I think it would be alright if a parent used flash cards with their baby. I know it is probably not going to work, but I think if you keep doing something over and over they will finally understand. It is really working with the child. Saying the word out loud and repeating is key. I do not think Piaget would agree with the flashcards because he believes in the child learning on their own by doing it and either succeeding or failing.

Post 5

No it would not be a good idea for parents to use flashcards to teach language to their child because when children are first learning to speak they are imitating words that their parents say to them. They learn through imitation of the sounds that eventually turn into words and then sentences. By putting flashcards in their faces they are just looking at the words on the cards but do not know what the words mean because they cannot read yet. Piaget would disagree with this activity because he believes that children learn from experiences of trial and error, such as practicing the words that their parents are saying to them. Deferred imitation is a good example that he would use of the children imitating their parents.

Post 5

Please respond to one of the following:

A) What are some of the implications of Piaget's theory of infant development for parenting?

B) Would it be a good idea for parents to hold large flash cards of words in front of their infant to help the infant learn language? Why or why not? What do you think Piaget would say about this activity?

Post 4

I would first advise a new mother to maintain a healthy relationship with her partner if she is married. I've seen many women neglect their marriages when they have a new baby. I think the addition to the family is an opportunity to bring a couple closer together-to embark on the adventure together will strengthen the bond of the relationship. The mother should not take all the responsibility upon herself, but include her spouse in the process of caring for the infant. Another piece of advice I would provide to a new mother is to let the baby sleep as much as it will. Seventeen hours seems like too much to us, but the baby is developing brain connections and building its immune system while it sleeps. Another important factor to consider is co-sleeping. I think the infant should learn from the beginning that nighttime is not something to be afraid of, and to be able to soothe itself during the night when Mom is not there. Therefore, I think co-sleeping would form an unhealthy and co-dependent relationship between the parent and child.

post 4

One piece of advice I would give to the mother is to let the baby get the needed amount of sleep. Babies need at least 17 hours of sleep a day, and I think mothers tend to freak out if they get too much/not enough sleep. Along with the sleeping issue, I don't think that mothers should co-sleep for very long after birth. I feel like a child should be dependent and by co-sleeping the mother will be very dependant early on. Another thing I would tell the mother is that they need to have their child in an enriched environment, this will allow the child to grow mentally and phyically.

Post 4

I would encourage a new mother to co-sleep with their new baby but not too often. I think that it is important for the child to feel the warmth and affection of their mother but I also feel that it is important for the child to learn to comfort themselves while sleeping and not become dependent on their mother to always be there when they wake up. I would also tell a new mother that it is important to help their child develop motor skills. I would encourage them to play with their baby and to challenge their child to try and hold their bottle while feeding so that they can develop hand-eye coordination.

post 4

Something that i would tell a new mother is keep a health relationship between the newborn and herself. When i say healthy i mean do not spend every waking moment with the new born. The mother needs some time to her self so the new experience of have a child is no so overwhelming. Other piece of advice i would give to the new mother is please do not smoke around your new born child. The effects of smoking can be very bad and cause cancers later in life so why let your new born child be exposed to poison.

Post 4

Two pieces of advice that I would give to mother's about biosocial/physical development, would be the importance of motor skills and brain development. Mother's with newborn children need to keep thier child in an enriched environment in order to develop correctly. Motor skills are critical in development because if the child is not properly developed socially, learning disabilities tend to increase. Mother's should be aware of their child's cognitive development so when they get older, the child will be prepared. Brain development is also critical during this time because more parts of the brain are developing and growing. As long as the child grows up in an enriched environment, all other development should be normal.

Post 4

The first thing I would say is to have plenty of physical contact with the baby. When you spend more time touching and being around your baby it becomes more familiar and comfortable with you. Also, physical contact has a big impact on the social development of the child. The second things I would advise is to make sure your baby's sleeping and eating patterns stay somewhat regular. Obviously it's impossible to make it a set schedule but the more regular it is the better the baby will adjust to a set schedule later in life and will physically develop much better. When their body is on a somewhat regular schedule it develops better.

Post 4

Advice I would give a friend who has just had a baby is:
-Not to make things harder than they need to be (don't line dry their clothes, make homemade baby food, use cloth diapers, ect. if it is stressing you out)
-A baby has never died from crying. If they feel overwhelmed put the baby in their crib and go out on the back deck for 5 minutes.
-All a baby really needs is diapers, food, shelter and love, all the expensive baby gear is really for the parent
-The sleepless nights eventually end.
-Take time to enjoy as many moments as you can because it goes by way to fast

Biosocial/physical
I would encourage them to let their baby sleep because during sleep is when their babies body is working its hardest to develop his/her brain. I would also explain that lack of sleep can lead to impaired motor function and a weakened immune system. I would also advise the parents to alert their doctor immediately if they suspect their child’s vision is not developing or they seem to have a hearing problem. I would reassure my friend that testing for these issues are fairly simple and untreated they can lead to permanent social and physical development issues. The reason I chose these two things is because many new mothers think they need to wake the baby to feed it, give it a bath, when visitors come over, etc. and I would want them to know the benefits of letting the baby sleep outweigh the gain from these other things. I would speak with them about the sight and hearing because these issues need dealt with within the critical period and mothers most often the first person to suspect an issue.

Post 4

The two pieces of advice I would give is the importance of sleep and the advantages of an enriched environment. The experiments involving the rats showed that those raised in the enriched environment setting had a significantly thicker cortex. This enriched environment will help the child not only develop well mentally but also physically. As an infant, approximately 17 hours of sleep are needed to keep their growing bodies in good form. During sleep, the body undergoes several important processes. Including replenishing neurotransmitters, distributing growth hormone, development of immune and cardiovascular systems, and several others.

Post 4

One of the things I would tell one of my friends is that the idea of co-sleeping can be beneficial if done right and detrimental if done wrong. I would explain to them that for the first 8-12 months co-sleeping can help develop of better relationship between the child and the parent but if it is a practice used for too long it can create independence problems for the child. I would tell them this so that they can better develop a good relationship with their child. I would also tell them about the idea of enriched environments and how they can stimulate brain functions. This is important because I would want their child to get the best available practices in order to get a jump start on learning.

Post 4

With the idea of co-sleeping I would want parents to know all of the benefits of co-sleeping and that it really is great for bonding. I would also like them to be aware of the lasting affects it can have on a child if it is continued longer than it should be. I would want to present them with all the facts and allow them to make an informed decision.
One thing I would encourage a mother to do would be to breast feed because of all the nutritional benefits that come along with it. Often times mothers who are wanting to breast feed can't because of time or they just don't produce enough. I would also explain, however, that it is not a huge problem if they are unable to for some reason. The vitamins, nutrients, and anti bodies from breast milk are only temporary so in the long run the child will be fine without it.

Post 4

The two things I would tell a mother to be about her newborn's biosocial/physical development would be to explain co-sleeping and how it tends to benefit the mother and the infant, but the drawbacks of it as well. The second thing would be the way to encourage walking would be to have plenty of safe things the baby could pull themselves up on, such as a padded stepstool.

Post 4

One piece of advice I would give her is that an infants brain is developing rapidly and needs to be in an enriched environment. Being in an enriched environment will help the child develop mentally and physically well. I would also stress the fact that motor development is very important. Not all infants develop the motor skills at th same time but there are important gaps in which they need to be developed.

Post 4

Two pieces of advice i would give would be one; to promote motor skills activities because this is very important on your baby in orer to develop correctly. Not all infants do the same things at the same exact ages; but they all should be doing it within a certain time gap and you wouldn't want your child to get too behind with the skills. Another piece of advice, I feel is important and you can start with your infant at a very young age would be to encourage co-sleeping to become more connected with your child.

Post 4

I would inform my friend about sleep and sensitive periods in their infant's development. I would tell them that their infant, as a newborn, needs 17 hours of sleep a day. Sleep is important for replenishing neurotransmitters, and it also helps the brain to mature. Sleep also builds up the child's immne and cardiovascular systems to keep them healthy. If a child does not have sleep, he could get sick, be irritable, and could have problems with his motor functioning. I would also inform the mother about sensitive periods. I would tell her that she needs to make sure the child's vision and hearing are developing in the time frame they are supposed to. I would tell her to be watchful to be sure these things are developing because if they don't develop in a certain time frame, the odds of these things developing correctly are low. I chose these two pieces of advice because I think they are very critical, and I also think they may be things a new mother is not aware of.

Post 4

The two pieces of information that I would tell new mothers about a child's bio social/ physical development is the importance of sleeping and brain development. The mother needs to know that newborns need to get 17 hours of sleep and that importance of sleep, associated with the neurotransmitters and what can happen with sleep deprivation. Also the importance of brain development through experiences in their environment with their motor skills and how there are sensitive periods that the child has to learn.

Post 4

The two pieces of information I would give a new mother about her infant's biosocial/physical development would be information about an enriched environment and motor development. An enriched environment is important for an infants physical and social developments. Making sure her infant is in a nourishing environment that promotes these things will ensure her physical and emotional health as she grows older. I would also stress the importance of motor development. I would show her ways to improve her infants gross and fine motor skills and teach her the importance.

Post 4

The first piece of advice I would give a new mother would be the importance of brain development within her infant. The brain is growing and developing rapidly during this time. So it is important that the mother provide the infant with an enriched environment for the infant to thrive mentally. I would also stress the importance of motor skills. The infant should begin to move and control their body. The mother should do activities to enhance the infants motor skills.

post 4

The two pieces of advice I would give someone about the biosocial/physical development I would give a new parent would be the importance of sleep and explain to about co-sleeping, and the advangtage of an enriched enviroment. I would tell them the importance it is on an infant to have an adequate amount of sleep for regualtion of their immune systme and emotional regulation. And also it is good for brain development to get a sufficient amount of sleep when their child is younger. I would also give the advantages and disadvantages of co-sleeping and the time line they should try and stay within if they choose to have their child sleep with them. I would then explain to them the importance of an enriched enviroment it is on a child, to develope fully and beyond mentally, physically and even emotionally.

Post 4

Two pieces of advice I would give to a new parent about their baby's biosocial/physical development would be to give their infant an enriched environment and give them the chance to develop their muscle control. The rat experiment showed that an enriched environment helped them develop a thicker cortex. Well, why not try that with your child. Give them every opportunity to make more connections. Babies will need to learn muscle control because as they grow they figure out how their body works. Maybe make up some type of game that the two of you can do that way you are bonding and the baby is also learning.

Post 4

Please respond to the following:

What 2 pieces of advice about the infant's biosocial/physical development would you want to give a friend who has just had a baby? Why those two?

Post three

I think that all pregnant women should deffinatly be informent that drinking and smoking while they are pregnant is very harmful to the baby and the mother. All pregnant women should know about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which can cause deformations in the baby and is 100 percent preventable. I think there should be more information, such as videos, that are readily available for young people. I don't think a lot of younger girls know exactly was FAS means and how it can affect their children. I also think there should be prevention programs for pregnant women so that drinking and smoking don't happen while they are pregnant.

Post 3

I believe that women are so desensitized to dangers that could befall their newborn babies, that if a woman wants to smoke or drink, she will. To me this is a sad but realistic outlook. It is almost like the blame would not be on them because it could have been any number of reasons that a child comes out affected. This is why I think the only way to affect women who are pregnant and smoking or drinking is to put the responsibility where it belongs; on the pregnant women. This includes not only the doctor but on society as a whole, including tobacco companies!

post 3

I think that there are a lot of women who love their babies enough to follow the rules and don't drink or smoke. However, those that don't need a reality check. Maybe there could be a way for insurance companies to cut coverage if the mother smokes or drinks during pregnancy, or they have to pay more to keep their coverage. I high school they did mock crashes to show students the affects of drinking and driving. they took it very seriously. there were actual ambulances and actual wrecked cars. There was even a funeral after the "crash" with caskets and blown up photos of our classmates. If there was a in your face way to show parents what drinking and smoking could do to their children in utero, maybe it would be more of an impact. Because I certainly will never drink and drive.

Post 3

I think they only way people ever listen is if you make a big enough impression on them. The only way pregnant women will believe that their baby is being harmed by smoking and/or drinking is if you convince them. The best way to do that would be to show them first hand what these actions can do to a baby. Let other mothers explain to them all the reasons they regret making the wrong choice of drinking or smoking while pregnant & prove to them what could happen to their baby. Take those mothers who think that what they are doing to their bodies isn't affecting the baby all that much and let them look at the babies of other women who stupidly thought the same thing when they were pregnant & were later proven wrong. The only problem with this solution, or any idea for that matter, is that not all mothers-to-be really care all that much about the person inside of them. It is an unfortunate reality that a lot of mothers are perfectly aware of what their actions will cause & they just don't care enough to change.

Post 3

For those women who are pregnant, it is important to be educated on what harmful effects certain drugs/alcohol may have. However, those women who chose to abuse those drugs or even alcohol are already putting themselves at risk, so they obviously are aware of the effects it may have on the baby. I think insurance companies provide enough information about the harmful effects that certain substances might have on the child, as well as on the mother. It is important to educate those women who may not have been previously informed about the certain defects it may lead to. Heath-care providers are supportive of women who are pregnant, and are helpful in answering questions. Most doctor's offices provide pamphlets and brochures for pregnant women. Pregnant women themselves should be aware of the harmful effects by just watching the news, or looking through magazine ads. Most people are aware of the effects smoking has just through the media itself.

post 3

I personally think that health care programs and insurance companies already shell out plenty of money on educating there customers about health risks. It's not rocket science, smoking leads to Cancer and other health problems. These health problems have already been in the main stream media for 50 to 60 years. If the mother wants to choose to have her baby under the influence of cocaine and other illegal drugs, unfortunately could have some effect of the unborn child. Someone else should not have to educate someone that should already be educated about sex and drugs and other things. Adding more cost to our insurance companies would only make every ones rates jump through the roof. I think the system should not be changed for a few thousand people that are not careful during their pregnancies.

Post 3

I don't think that scarring women into avoiding smoking and drinking is enough to get it to stop. We have seen in case of smoking in general, drunk driving and unprotected sex, that scare tactics are not enough. I think part of the solution is better avoiding unwanted pregnancy through safe sex practices and birth control. Most women that are not mature enough to take pregnancies seriously are the same ones that will smoke and drink. Insurance companies can make the pill and condoms more readily available and affordable. Also once a woman is pregnant, there should be incentives to quit smoking and drinking including possibly receiving money for diapers and other necessities after the birth if they can prove that they are not drinking and smoking.

post tres

I think that women should be educated about the effects that alcohol and smoking have on the baby. They can have some sort of class which would be given at the doctors appointments, or not even necessarily a class but an informational video. I also think that the insurance should have some sort of like benefit program, like Allstate (i believe) and their safe drivers program. If during the check ups the doctors find out that you haven't been smoking or drinking during the pregnancy, they will report it to the insurance agency and then the insurance can pay more, or pay the deductible, as a reward. I personally know someone who has 5 children, and three out of the five children have FAS, so obviously just education and past experiences aren't enough. People seem to respond to things really well when they personally get something out of it.

Post 3

I think that in the beginning their health-care provider needs to make sure they stress how bad of an outcome these things have on the fetus. Pictures, brochures, video clips; whatever is most graphic or most influential to get the point across to pregnant women. I have no doubt that pretty much every women knows it's not good to drink nor smoke while being pregnant, but I do believe some don't understand the severity of this and what the consequence could result in. I personally didn't realize a lot of things it could do till we did research in class. I knew that it was extremely bad but didn't realize how many consequences that the fetus/baby could experience if a women who is pregnant smokes or drinks during her pregnancy.

Post 3

I believe the best thing to do is make sure they know the dangers and harm they are causing to their baby. They need to be informed and educated by doctors or health care providers. I also think that the expectant mother actually meeting or seeing a child who has FAS would allow them to see the repercussions firsthand. Seeing is sometimes more effective than just hearing. It would make it more real and personal to them. Insurance companies should not cover expecting mothers who choose to continue drinking or smoking.

Post 3

I think that educating pregnant mothers is the best way to prevent smoking and drinking during pregnancy. I mean, if you don't know what harm, or good, can come from something then your habits won't change. When it comes to health-care I think hospitals should give out some kind of info on what the risks are and if the future parents want to they can view pictures or a video of children whose mothers have used while they were in the womb. It's kind of the same approach to drinking and driving for teens. When it comes to insurance companies and the like I don't know how much push they would have. Although, maybe if the baby is born with some defect that can be related to smoking or drinking then they don't help pay for the medical bills or something. Regardless, I think that education on the subject would be the best course of action.

Post 3

Health-care providers and insurance companies need to partner together to develop education and monetary incentive programs to convince women who are pregnant not to smoke or drink. The insurance companies could justify paying for the program based on the amount of money they would save long term if these woman stopped engaging in harmful behavior. The health-care provider could present the program at the women’s first prenatal visit and explain that if she attends she will get X amount of money.

A few other ideas I have to encourage women to stop smoking or drinking includes:

-Helping the women mak a connection with the baby. One way to encourage this would be by providing an ultrasound earlier in the pregnancy. Most women don’t visually see their baby until they are 20 weeks pregnant. Perhaps if they say the baby sooner they would feel a stronger responsibility to protect the baby through healthy behavior.

-Offering support like smoking and drinking cessation programs.

-Have them attend a program like Bodies Revealed that was in KC this past summer. I attended, and what I saw was SO much more powerful than a picture. I can’t imagine a pregnant person engaging in unhealthy behavior after seeing persevered babies at 2, 4, 6, 8,….weeks of gestation.

Post 3

Education is the best way to prevent pregnant women from drinking and smoking. The effects of both smoking and drinking on an unborn baby are overwhelmingly harmful. Expectant mothers should be offered a class, or perhaps even be required to take one, on the effects of nicotine and alcohol not only on their pregnant bodies, but also on the bodies of their fetus. By educating women, the number of pregnant drinkers and smokers should significantly decrease. Another way to decrease the number is for insurance companies to reduce coverage for those who continue these habits. Health care providers should also distribute more information to expectant mothers on the effects of nicotine and alcohol, as well as general information on how to carry a healthy pregnancy.

Post 3

For me, I am a very visual learner so if something is presented to me in a video, picture, or something hands on then I will learn better and probably for other women too. It's hard to look at it from the perspective of the pregnant women who are smokers, but by giving them a picture or video it would give them a mental picture in their head that might encourage them to not smoke while they are pregnant. When a woman finds out that she is pregnant I think the heath-care providers should require them to watch a certain video showing the effects of smoking and drinking while pregnant. I also feel like the insurance companies should not provide coverage if the mother chooses to drink and it causes her baby to have FAS and inform her of that once she has found out she is pregnant, so she knows of the consequences. Programs that encourage women to stop smoking or drinking should be created so that there are opportunities for them, because most people won't make a change on their own but need some extra help.

Post 3

What would work best, in my opinion, is allowing pregnant women to actually see the effects smoking and drinking can have on their babies. This could be done by having them view a video or even actually meeting a child who has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or a child who suffers because his mother smoked while she was pregnant with him. I would consider this the job of a health-care provider. I remember one time in high-school, we had an assembly about pregnant women smoking and drinking. The speaker brought in three dolls, one looked normal, one looked as a baby with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome would, and the last one looked like a baby whose mother did drugs while pregnant would. The two who "suffered" from FAS and drug use were tiny, and they did not look healthy in any way. Also, they were made to cry very often. In fact, the one that represented a baby suffering from his mother's drug use cried constantly. Because this was a real eye-opener for high school students who were not pregnant, I think it could have an even stronger effect on women who are actually pregnant. In my opinion, this strategy could be used in a class where pregnant women are taught how to care for their babies.

Post 3

The best thing we can do to convince pregnant women to not smoke or drink is to educate them on its dangers. I think health-care provides and insurance companies can play a big role in their education. If a pregnant women is having trouble with smoking or alcohol the insurance company could provide classes or counseling on quiting. This could actually save the insurance company money, because if the baby is born with abnormalities because of the mother's irresonsibility the insurance company will have to pay for the child's extra care. As a mother myself I remember when I was pregnant getting hundreds of brochures and magazines about pregnancy and all this risk and health issues that can happen. I think the doctor's need to take extra time explaining to mothers who still smoke or drink, that they have to stop or there baby could have serious health issues. It is disgusting to me to see how irresponsible some women are with their babies health, but we have to focus on getting the mother educated to help their baby.

Post 3

I think that health care provides need to do somethings to make sure that women stop smoking and drinking while they are pregnant. The health care providers need to show videos, pictures, etc. of what happens to your child when you do smoke and/or drink. They need to be real life videos or pictures, not just the drawings that we sometimes see in books. If women see these I think it would make them not want to harm their child. I know that while I was in elementary school every year for 3 years this RV/bus type thing came to school and showed us what would happen to our lungs if we smoked and they had real pictures and video things that showed it getting worse til they had cancer. They also did this with alcohol and the liver. This honestly made me never want to smoke because I didnt want me lung to look black and gross. Also I think that insurance companies need to not cover the pregnant women who smoke or drink. I believe they should cover them but not the things due to the smoking or drinking. They should also have some programs that help pregnant women get off smoking and drinking at the beginning of their pregnancy and maybe throughout the whole pregnancy to make sure they do not fall back into the habits again.

Post 3

Women know what may happen to their child if they drink or smoke during pregnancy, but have they actually seen it. I believe seeing pictures has a bigger affect then just hearing. By this I mean real pictures not drawing. I know in high school we watched a video about car crashes and people who did not wear their seat belt and from then on not only do I wear mine always I make everyone else in the car do it too. With insurance companies they could easily not cover them. That would really get someone to change their habits if they know they are not covered any longer. I understand smoking is addicting, but if it comes down to the health of your child you should do everything possible to stop. Even if you have to join a group to stop.

Post 3

Please respond to the following:

What can be done to convince women who are pregnant not to smoke or drink? Consider the role of health-care providers, the role of insurance companies, and specific programs targeted at women who are pregnant.

Post 2 (a)

I have three brothers, and the middle one is the most different from me. Tom is 24 and although we are only two years apart in age, we couldn't be more different. He has gotten himself into trouble with his driving record, something I was always cautious about. He seems to take more risks and has much more of a rebellious streak than I do. It is important to me to maintain good credit and spend money wisely, but Tom is the opposite. A week ago I went shopping with him and he bought a pair of 210 dollar sunglasses after he'd said he was tight on funds. Although we are different in those areas, we have similarities too. We have exactly the same taste in music. We also both love cassic cars. Since we are different sexes, we don't really look alike, although we do have the same parents. We have a close relationship although his reckless lifestyle often worries me.

(A) Post @

I have one older brother who i would like to think im nothing like. Often times people will tell us we look alike, and sometimes we say or think similar things. My brother is 2 years and 9 months older than me, he is currently on his way to the military, and im currently getting my degree in criminal justice. He is 6'4 im 6'0.5 he's light complected and im dark, we have somewhat similar builds but im a little bit bigger than he is. Having more facial hair than he does people will occasiaonally mistake me for the older brother! There are definatly some similarites but on the journey to becomeing men we have choosen completely different paths.

Post 2 (a)

I have seven siblings but the one that I have the most in common with and at the same time we are very different, is my younger sister. We are three years apart and have only known each other for four years. But people see us together and automatically know we are sisters. We look alike and have similar personalities. We both are strong minded and very hard headed, so fights between us last awhile because we both have to be right and have the last word in. We are different in ways of relationships with guys, she feels better about herself when she is in a relationship and I am the free spirited independent one. It is crazy how well we connected from the very first day we met four years ago, because we were raised by different people. We share the same dad, who she was raised by along with her mom. I was raised by my mom and step-dad, who I consider my dad. I believe the reason for many of our differences is because we were raised by different people and in very different enviroments.

Post 2,A

I have a younger brother who is 16 and we look exactly the same. People are always calling us by each others and when we are standing next to each other it is very uncanny how much we look alike. While we do look a lot alike our personalities are very different. He is much more outgoing than I am especially around new people. I think it has to do with the fact that because he is the younger of us he had to compete for attention from an early age and developed a much more outgoing personality in order to separate himself from me.

Post 2 (a)

I think I'll compare myself to my mom. We look very much alike. We have the same hair, facial features, skin tone, and body type. The only thing that I have that looks like my dad are my hands. We both care about people and try to do our best to take care of them or make things easier for them. We also enjoy just talking to people and can sometimes just a little wrapped up in it and lose track of time. Although she tends to take things a little more serious than I do. I like to lay back and take things as they come and she tends to freak out about every little detail. She's quite the worrier and I don't usually give things a second thought unless I'm having a huge problem with them.

I really don't know what would cause these differences. I would have to say that it's because I tend to act more like my dad when it comes to most things. Plus I really don't see the need to explode and the most minor things that can be remedied with a little can-do attitude.

I only have one sister and her name is Jessica she is 17 years old. We are three years apart and 180 degrees different in many ways. For someone just to walk up and meet my sister it might be an experience that you are not ready for. She could be called a female dog at many times the way she treats people sometimes. My sister always has to have one up on me our relationship is competitive. My parents have just moved to Sycamore, Ill which is seven hours north east of Kansas City. Since the move i have been on my own living in a apartment and my relationship between my sister has become better. After the move in can actually sit down and have a conversation with her, where as before i could not even say one word to her with out her blowing up on me. But even with there being some differences we have some similarities. What makes it hard to see these similarities is some of them have yet to come she still has some growing up to do and with more time our relationship will become better.

Option A

My younger brother, Tyler, is quite different from myself. Physically, he takes after our mother: blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin. I, on the other hand, look just like our father with dark brown hair, brown eyes and tanner skin. In school, I did considerably better than Tyler in our core classes (math, English, science), but he enjoys and excels in creative classes, like art and music and drama, classes I never found interesting. As for his temperament, he's always been the wild one, the one who likes to throw parties and be loud and get in trouble; and I was always the calm, casual, is somewhat cynical, observer. I think most of these differences (aside from the physical ones) can attributed to the schools we attended, the friends we had and how those experiences shaped us as we grew. Also, some of it has to be genetic because schools and friends alone aren't likely to make one person turn towards math and science and another towards art and music.

Sibling Comparison

My only sibling is my sister who is six and a half years younger than myself. I really don't see it but people always comment on how much we look alike. She is very tall for a girl her age and will probably reach the same height as me. She has light brown, borderline blond, hair and freckles. We are both athletically inclined and both played soccer for a long time, though she recently gave that up for dance. In school she does reasonably well though it was much easier for me. She did, however, get the creative gene when it comes to writing and just about anything.

response for post 2 option a.)

My sister is eight years older than me, we were both raised in a similar manner, I guess the only difference was that our dad was around more after I was born. We have both been very similar in choices that we made and our personalities up to a certain point, I use to be rather shy and awkward around people, the way my sister is now. Somewhere along the way I think peer influence changed me more than her, so she still has a lot of our parents influences while I'm trying to shake them off. However, it has been a goal for both us to not turn into our mother, she suffers from depression and has moments of harsh words that have bothered my sister and I since we were little. I sometimes think that that goal is the only thing we have in common, she's always been dedicated in school, and very independant. I just sort of got by as best I could, not really over-achieving in anything, and I don't do well when left to do things by myself. She has also not really had any problems with Identity confusion and that's one of the huge stages I'm having problems with, I don't know if it's because our parents came down more strict on me or less because we both got away with things that the other didn't.

Option 1

My sister and I have been total opposites ever since I can remember. She always had a problem following the rules and didn't care what the consequence was when she did break them. I on the otherhand always followed the rules because I didn't want to be in any kind of trouble. I never have really understood why we are so different either. Our parents got divorced when she was 7 and I was 2 but we were raised the same. The only thing that might have made a difference in the way that she acts is that when she was 15 she moved to live with my dad full time because she couldn't get along with my mom and follow the rules. Once she moved to my dad's house she could pretty much do whatever she wanted to. He worked long hours because he owned his own business so he didn't really make the time to check up on her and what she was doing. I stayed living with my mom until I moved to college and went to my dad's house every-other weekend. I think the reason that I am the way I am is because I was raised in an environment where rules were inforced and if I broke them there was a consequence, unlike my sister where she had free rain to do whatever she pleased.

Post 2 part A

I have one younger brother who is 2 yrs younger than I am. We are VERY different people in pretty much every aspect. He is very tall and extremely skinny. He looks just like a younger version of our dad where as I look like the younger version of our mom. He has never been a horrible kid but my parents have had discipline problems. He started smoking when he was 16 and was starting to fall into a bad crowd. He is very intelligent but has no motivation to do well. Now he has dropped out of high school & hasn't yet passed his GED. I am the complete opposite in that I was valedictorian and feel that grades are very important. I have also never been in hardly any trouble for anything.
I believe these differences are because of the ways my parents raised me. I was very spoiled by my grandparents so my parents tried to make it up to my brother by being overly lenient with discipline. Still to this day he has practically no curfew or rules and isn't required to do anything. They never expected him to get good grades, or even decent ones. Although he is very capable of becoming a great artist, they have failed to give him any reason to try in school so that he can make something of himself. With me they would give me a lecture if I got a B and they would have never let me out of the house if they had found me doing something like smoking.

option 2

My brother Nathan and I are 4 years apart. When I was little I tried to do everything I could to be like him. We are both very athletic and intelligent. Physically, as we are both pretty much maxed out on growth, he is 6'2 and I'm 5'8, which is above average for height on both. As for weight, neither of us are skinny, but not obese either. Our hair color is different, his is a light brown, while mine is auburn, as is our eye color, his is a grey/blue (unlike anyone in our immediate family), and mine is a lighter brown/hazel-ish. Socially, we are both outgoing around people we know, or people we get to know, but when put directly into a situation among strangers, we are both more on the shy side and just sit back and take everything in at first. Nathan excels in Math and Science, i.e. he is a biology major out doing research in Alaska and off the coasts on fishing boats, as well as everything else, while Math and Science are my worst subjects. We both take after our dad more than our mom, but still have differences, like in high school my extra curriculars consisted of basketball, volleyball and soccer, while his was technology club and other stuff like that.

Post 2 Option A) Alex and Danielle 14 months apart

Option A)
Alex and Danielle

Danielle is my only sister and she is 14 months older than me. As little kids we were exactly the same. My mom dressed us the same and people thought we were twins. We both have blond hair and blue eyes. However, by the time we got into our teen years I had lots of freckles and she was taller and bigger boned then me. As we navigated through our teen years, only a grade behind each other at the same high school, we developed two totally different personalities. I was a clean cut, non-smoking, non-drinking, no drug use, average student with a steady boyfriend. My sister wore black, smoked, skipped school, barley graduated, had a steady boyfriend and moved out at 17. We had nothing in common other than both always having a boyfriend and couldn’t stand each other.
By the time we were in our early 20’s we were best friends and our moral compasses were the same. Our view of right and wrong is the same; our parenting styles are just about the same; we have both only been married one time and never divorced, we both have two kids; we both quit good careers because we recognized the value of knowing and raising our own kids; and we would both do just about anything to help someone in need.
I think the reason my sister and I started out the same, became very different, and then back again is because at a young age our parents laid the foundation for our moral compass. Once we got through our confusing teen years we were able recognize who we really were and be true to that. I think we always felt like we needed a boyfriend to be whole because our Dad wasn't what we hoped for in a father and we were both looking for love and acceptance from a male.

Post 2

I am four years older than my sister Kelli. Physically, we are both very different. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes, while I am blonde and have blue eyes. She is also taller than I am and built differently. The only thing we share is the same nose. Our personalities are very opposite. Kelli is very outgoing, outspoken, daring, and impulsive. I, on the other hand, tend to be more reserved, thoughtful, and cautious. We both have always had difficulty in math and science. We are better at english and social studies. We both like to read the same kind of books and listen to the same kinds of music. We also both have a very good work ethic and are very responsible. I think we get that from our parents because they encouraged us to get jobs when we were both 15. Kelli and I are different with the issue of money. I like to save my money, while she enjoys spending hers. I think what caused these differences is the genes we inherited from our parents. My sister is more like my mom, and I take after my dad.

Post 2

a) I am the youngest child of three in my family. I have two older brothers. Josh, who is four years older than me, and Zach who is two years older than me. When I was younger I seemed to get along better with my oldest brother, Josh. As he got older and went to college, I became closer to my older brother Zach. Since our age difference is only two years, we have a lot more in common with each other. I would compare myself with Josh because we are personally different. Josh is shy and serious, I am more laid back and outgoing. Josh is also smarter than I am in math and science. Although we are different socially, we still belong to similar social groups. I believe that these changes occur with genetics. Some of Josh and I's traits may be similar, but those that are different come from our parents or other members of the family and extended family.

Post 2

I have two older sisters who were raised by my real mother and I was raised by my father. My father, though he never went to college, is an itellectual man who loved to read and discuss theoretical concepts, and encouraged me to do so also. When I was growin up and would ask a question such as, "Why are trees called trees?", he would respond with, "I don't know. Find out and write me an essay about it." Though these essays never seemed to happen, I can say we both share many of the same cognitive skills as well as a few personality traits. That is about as far as the similarity goes. As for my looks, my interests in movies and culture in general, I share a lot those likenesses with my mother, even though I did not know her until I was a teenager. I do believe this is in large part to heredity.

my sister and I

I am the youngest child in the family. My sister and I have the same mom, but different dads. Alexis was always very athletic and got involved in sports and dance. I have always been more on the shy side and was too scared to do the same things. What I did get into was clubs like science club and history club. The only activity that me and my sister both did was marching band, and we both played the flute. Academically Alexis was always better in school than I was. She studied hard and usually got straight A's. By the time I was in high school, my mom was more relaxed with me, and I stopped caring about grades, and got mostly B's and C's. I have always enjoyed reading and begun at a young age. However I struggled with Math. Alexis did really well in math and struggled with reading. She is tall and heavier set, and I am Short and thinner. Although even today family members and our mom can't tell our voices apart when we answer the phone. What I believe caused our differences is the fact that we have different fathers, and our 13 year difference. I feel like I got a different mom than she did. My mom was a lot stricter on her than she was on me. And when I got to a certain age my mom treated me more like a adult. I don't think my sister ever grew up, so my mom still treats her like a child.

Me vs. Sibling

I'm the baby of the family for starters! I have a brother who is 18 months older than I am. In all honesty, the only thing we have in common is our physical attributes. He an I both have the same hair color, before I had colored my hair, and we both have blue eyes. Also, we are both average height and look similar. He looks my mom and I look a lot like my dad, but everyone used to say how much we looked like each other so I guess in the end the genes evened out! Personality wise, we are nothing alike. I'm easy going, love to share, hate fighting, outgoing, friendly, and very independent. He acts more like the baby of the family than I do. He depends on my parents for a lot of things and isn't as family oriented than I am. I feel that the differences were caused because one he is a male and I'm female. Two, I have another brother who is older but he's my half-brother from my dad's first marriage so i feel that the reason my real brother acts like the baby and not me is because he was my moms only real son and he was a "mamas boy" and she always makes excuses for him and thinks he can do CLOSE to no wrong! Also, our group of friends and what we do for fun is really different from the other. In the end, my looks resembles more of my brother when it comes to my siblings but personality wise, I'm like my older sister and he's like our oldest sister.

Post 2

I am the middle child, so I have 1 older sister, Charlie and 2 younger sisters, Kirsten and Kinsey and 1 younger brother, Tyler. My sisters and I do not look a lot alike. I look like my dad, Charlie and Kirsten look like our mom and Kinsey looks like our step mom and Tyler looks like my mom too. Charlie played sports up til high school, so physically she is stronger then Kirsten and I. We all are more of the visual learning type because our aunt taught us at home after our parents divorced when I was about 3. Our aunt started teaching us when we were young so we learned more by visual things. My sisters and I are all good at math, but Kirsten and Charlie are good at science and I am not. Also I am interested in psychology and they both do not like it at all. The reason we have these differences and similarities is because we have some of the same genes and some different genes from each other.

Post 2

(a) I am the youngest of two older brothers. My brothers are complete opposites in their looks. Mark, the oldest looks just like my mom. Brett, the middle child looks just like my dad. I fall in between but most say I look more like my mom and brother Mark. I would say more personality is more like Marks as well. Mark and I both went through a more rebellious stage than Brett in high school. We think a little differently than the rest of my family as well. This is probably because of our peer groups in high school. Brett always stayed close to home and was more religious than Mark and I. As I have gotten older though my personality has changed to become more like my brother Brett's. As Brett entered college he became more outgoing yet still stuck close to his family. As I entered college I decided to focus a lot more and build a better relationship with my family. Brett and I have also always been good at school and motivated. While Mark is a very hard worker he has never excelled in the academic world. So I guess I am a pretty good mixture of both my siblings personalities. When I was in the high school environment I was more care free like Mark. Now that I am a college student I have matured a lot more, and become more involved in my faith, which makes me more like Brett. It just shows how much my environment has effected my personality.

Post 2

a) My youngest sister just turned 12. We are 9 years apart, yet we are similar in many ways. We have the same hair color and eye color as well as the same complexion. People often get us mixed up. Although she is only 12, she is now taller than me, which is part of the reason people get us confused. We are also alike in our cognitive abilities. We are both visual learners and we both lack creativity. (My middle sister got the creative gene.) We are different socially, however. She could spend a whole week (probably even 2 weeks) at her friends house. I on the other hand would rather spend time with my family. My sister also has an attitude. She usually lets you know what she thinks. I keep things bottled up inside. Because she is the baby of the family, she is kind of spoiled. I think that is why she has such an attitude sometimes. Also, I think she feels as though my middle sister and I don't pay much attention to her, which is why she likes to spend time with her friends. Being with her friends allows her to play all day because my middle sister and I don't play with her. She is 6 years younger than my middle sister, so we (my middle sister and I) have both really outgrown the "play" thing.

Post 2

a) My sister is 2 1/2 years younger then me, we are the same height, if I did not color my hair we would have the same hair color. As we grew up I was always the bossy older sister who always told my younger sister what to do, which made my sister shy and not very self confident. I felt like it was my responsibility to be the role model for my sister and do everything right so that she had something to look up to. At first my sister tried to do everything different then I did so that she wouldn't be like me. But as we are getting older she is becoming more like me every day. We still have some differences because we are in different positions of the house, I have never been the only child in the house like my sister has and my sister has never had to experience something without knowing how things went for me first.

post 2--letter A

I actually have three older sisters and we are all very similar. We are all four years apart and there is 12 years difference between me and my oldest sister. The funny thing is we have all been ask if we were twins, triplets, and even quadruplets! Physically we all are very similar. We all have brown hair and eyes. Our noses are all pretty much the same. The only real difference between us is I am the only one with freckles. In school Tammy, the oldest,was in the chior, Rebecca, second oldest, was very good in Enlgish, Stephanie was good in science and she was able to draw, and then with me I am better in math then my older sisters. So all our brains worked a little different from each other. The reason there are differences is because some genes that showed up in me did not show up in Tammy, Rebecca, pr Stephanie. On the other hand they got things that I did not get.

Post 2

Please respond to one of the following:

a) Compare yourself with either a sibling or parent (if a sibling is not available). How are you similar and different (i.e., physical, cognitive, psychosocial differences/similarities)? What caused these differences?

b) Think about an experience in which you learned something that was initially difficult. To what extent do Vygotsky's concepts (ZPD and scaffolding) explain this experience?