Chapter 1 and Chapter 2

Kit has written an entry in response to chapter 1 and chapter 2, and the picture here is of her nephew. This is what she had to say about the photo: "This picture was taken when I dropped my nephew Ryan off at kindergarten. I told him, 'I love you and to have a great day at kindergarten!' He said,'I love you more, Auntie Kit!,' and he did his silly face and I caught it on camera. He's a Lego genius and he knows how to follow the directions in the manual!" I think you'll enjoy Kit's response to these two chapters, so happy reading!

Raising children is not as simple as some people believe it to be. I believe that everyone has their own technique for raising children, but the seven essentials that are important to every child’s life are learned when parents support their children. I enjoyed reading the first two chapters and agree with Galinsky’s research, which was based on studies done over a twenty year span. She worked closely with developmental researchers to provide information that can be used in everyday parenting. She teaches that parents can teach their children on their own without paying big bucks on schooling for their child’s future. These skills create new knowledge for children, to provide them with a brighter future to look forward to.

This book made me think of my own childhood. Growing up, my parents were never home to nurture me and I had my older siblings to care for me instead. As a child I considered myself to be very independent. At the age of seven I was already doing laundry as I watched my mother doing housework. My parents were never home because they both had to work to provide for our family and by the age of seven, I had the skills to do chores around the house. I didn’t have a normal childhood growing up and I was mature for my age. I believe my parents’ cultural back ground had a lot to do with the way I was raised. When both of my parents were seven years old, they had to work on their parent’s farms. They were taught to be strong individuals and to care for their family and to work very hard. I feel that my parents passed these responsibilities, the toughness, and the independence to me from a very young age. When I think back to my childhood, I feel like I was one of the resilient kids who bounced back from the challenges and stresses of life.

Today, I acknowledge my parents for teaching me how to be a strong person and to not depend on others. Reading this book encouraged me to take the information that I read, and to apply it to how I work with children and towards my own personal life. These skills can also be applied to teachers, mentors, caretakers, and caregivers. I want to be able to support, encourage, and guide children toward the right path in life. This book also gave insight on how to have a better understanding of how to care for a child. I truly believe that a child is as precious as a seed, and if we do not nurture the seed, it will not grow. Children need special loving and attention to care for them, just like planting a seed. . I can relate to the importance of perspective taking as a life skill because as a child, my mother and father told my siblings and me to always have respect for others and to get along with others, and to treat them as we would like to be treated. My mother used to always tell me to be compassionate and have feelings for people, and that is why I get along with everyone.

The field of child development explores the developmental processes of children, and helps us understand that every child is unique in his or her own ways, and children have their differences that set them apart from other children. Reading two of the chapters opened a lot of ways I can make a difference for a child. I want to be able to help a child out if they need help, and to provide care if their parents are not there for them. I want to use the resources from this book and apply it to the children with whom I will be working. If we help foster these skills in every child with whom we come in contact. This book has a lot of great information on the seven most pivotal areas for every child.