Friday, November 7, 2008

Assignment 10

1. What activities and experiences at ages 12 and 14 has your teen been involved in that might promote healthy behavioral practices, physical fitness and skill in sports?

Well as far as activities and experiences that Sky has been involved in, I found a few that seem pertinent to Sky’s behavior practices.  Sky is going through a lot right now emotionally and physically, and has been having some temper issues, she has been going for walks when she becomes upset.  By her finding an activity when she is upset shows me that she is maturing, it also shows a lot about her character and it promotes healthy behavioral practices, because she is choosing to walk instead of remaining in the situation and becoming angrier.  Sky has also taking a liking to camping and hiking, I think this is great for her because she is getting good exercise and it is healthy for her to get outside and build muscle.  Last but not least Sky had a little disappointment when she did not make the high school tennis team.  Even though Sky didn’t make the team she is still playing tennis with her aunt, and I’m hoping that by playing with her aunt it will pay off and Sky can make the team next year, plus it is increasing her skill level in the sport.

 2. Have there been any changes in your teen’s behavior toward you or your partner? Why are these occurring and how are you responding?

Of course there has been some behavior changes in Sky’s attitude towards me.  Sky has begun to be a little disrespectful to me when it comes to my rules and expectations.  For example Sky gives me the silent treatment when I start talking to her about bed time, chores, and rules.  Sky has also become a little condescending to me when I explain to her what I expect when she goes out with her friends.  I think that these are occurring because Sky is just trying to figure out how far she can bend the rules or test my patience.  She is a teenage and I knew it was going to be coming sooner or later.  I have not really had to truly discipline her yet but I have denied her the opportunity to go out when she wants too, that way it reminds her that I am still the boss and what I say goes.

 3. Do you see any examples of how cognitive and physical changes in early adolescence (ages 12-14) relate to your teen's social or emotional behavior?

There is one specific example of a physical change in her adolescence that relates to Sky’s social and emotional behavior.  Sky was being made fun of at school because she is “flat chested” and wanted a push up bra.  Her mother bought her the bra to instill confidence and minimize the teasing, but I had a talk with Sky about taking what other people say with a grain of salt.  I know it is hard for a young women in this stage and I was surprised to see how much it effected Sky, but the new bra will hopefully instill more confidence in her social life and her self image.  Sky’s cognitive development in her early adolescence has been a pretty steady process.  She seems to share a lot of the same ideal thinking on topics as her parents.  The only problem that we are still encountering is her math skills.  I think cognitive thinking has a lot to do with someone’s ability to understand math, because it is a theory based evolution to solve each problem.  I am kind of running out of ideas to help Sky with math, I guess that being persistent might just do the trick one of these days.

 

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