Ramadan Blog: Week IV

Week four had us covering “Early Childhood” and “Middle Childhood” in chapters six and seven respectively. There were many discussion topics that caught my attention in this week’s reading, so I will not spend as much time rehashing what was read. Instead I will dedicate more time to discussion of these topics, as I feel it would make the reading more interesting.

The book defines the early childhood age range as being from ages two to six. Chapter four starts out with the physical development that occurs, it a worth noting that more rapid growth happens during this time that children grow about 12 inches and gain an average of 5 pounds a year (p.130). The chapter moves from physical into the mental development of the child, covering motor, cognitive, language, social developments. It is during this time that all of these important aspects keep growing exponentially. In terms of motor development, they start improving on their motor skills. For instance they go from teetering around to normal walking around. They also begin to develop a sense of self. Play is also incredibly important but often not spoken of. Through play, children learn socialization and the way they play changes with the way they grow.

Middle childhood was defined as the ages of five to twelve on page 156. More physical and cognitive development happens in this phase of life directly preceding adolescence. Their heights and weights continue to increase steadily. However, unlike middle childhood, things like critical thinking and development also start to develop. Their language functions are much better than they were in their middle childhood years, being able to effectively communicate with adults and peers. It is during this time that kids start to form friendships and test social relationships. Their schooling also makes a huge change, as they go from a one classroom day to moving classes and having numerous teachers in a day. Even more change is to come in their adolescent years! 

   

As I said in the beginning of the post, there were a few things that caught my attention. The first thing was a subsection on page 161 called “The Ritalin Disease”. I have read about this issue in the past while taking Medical Anthropology at Monmouth College. This drug is tested and made for adults with ADHD or ADD but is prescribed to children all the time. Having known many people who have made use of this drug, I know it has certain side effects on them. It also has very adverse side effects on children, such as lifelong nervous ticks and twitches. ADD and ADHD are some of the most common diagnoses for today’s children, and the over prescribing of its meds are a concern. I wonder if one day people will view the prescribing of Ritalin the same way we view doctors prescribing things like Morphine in the past.

Another thing that grabbed my attention was the subsection on children and technology on page 178. No matter where I go, whether at home or at work in schools, people are always discussing this. Sometimes it is the center of controversy when it comes to the media and its influence on kids. I’m glad that the author included well researched statistics on the topic for everyone to see. I feel that we live in an era that is dominated by technology but I do not think that our future is lost because of it. Technology is evolving, and so must our use of it. However, I feel that is should not consume us.

The final thing that caught my eye was the different styles of parenting. Coming from a very large family, I have seen a variety of parenting styles in play. Of the ones listed in the book, I feel that I was raised under an authoritative household because very rarely were things done for no reason. It is in my opinion that this is the ideal way to raise a kid. I even like to use this method to teach and coach. I feel that the authoritarian method is no longer effective as it used to be. Who knows? Maybe I’m completely wrong. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!