Genie spent the first thirteen years of her life isolated in a room and binded to a potty chair in a homemade straitjacket. She had neglectful parents, in particular, her father that beat her with a baseball bat when she made any type of noise. Nobody in the home was allowed to speak to Genie and she was never spoken to. When Child protective services came in to talk to her she was malnutritious and couldn’t talk. Susan Curtisis, psycholinguistics, befriended Genie and attempted to teach her language and also challenged her cognitive development. Susan taught Genie English and she was able to express herself with words. Although she couldn’t form grammatically correct sentences. Genie produced language in fragment sentences, and even after extensive training she still was unable to produce full sentences. Children are like plants if they don’t have a nourishing and enrichment environment, they cannot reach their full potential. This is sadly the case for Genie who couldn’t develop her language because of the neglectful environment she grew up in. Parents should invest in quality time with their kids because it develops their child’s brain, perception, and affects their relationships with others.
How well a brain develops depends on many factors depends in addition to genes, such as proper nutrition starting in pregnancy, exposure to toxins or infections, the child’s experience with other people and the world. Nurturing and consistent care is they key to brain growth. Children rely on their parents to give them the proper care that they need such as a safe environment. Simple interactions like playing and speaking to children will help with their brain growth. This is called enrichment which is intentionally doing things in a child’s environment to make it more stimulating. Deprivation is when a child does not receive normal stimulation. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Genie and this caused her to not be able to produce language. Since she was never spoken to as a baby or her first thirteen years of her life, it was difficult for her to comprehend language. This supports Piaget’s stages of Cognitive development. The first stage is called Sensorimotor stage which happens when a child is a newborn to two years old. During this stage kid’s most intellectual development here is nonverbal, all sensory input and motor responses are coordinated , and object permanence. Preoperational stage that happens when a child is two to seven years old. During this stage,they are unable to transform images or ideas, begin to use language and think symbolically, intuitive, and egocentric thoughts. Concrete operational, seven to eleven years old, children can carry out mental operations, reversibility of thought, and relationships involving equality or identity. Lastly, formal operation, eleven years old and up which a child can form abstract ideas, hypothetical ideas, and inductive and deductive reasoning. understanding the child’s needs will help with the child’s cognitive development. since their growing through the most crucial part of their life. This time period of their life is important because this is the most rapid cognitive growth. This supports that parents should provide their children with consistent care and spend quality time with them since it affects their brain growth.
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Parents should be aware that childhood also affects a child's perception and how they view different aspects of life. For example, duo Ottis Toole and Henry Lucas, were both serial killers who are accused of killing hundreds of people; were both victims of physical and psychological during their adolescence. They were forced to dress as girls and then viciously beaten. This connects to nature versus nurture. According to my psychology professor Mrs. Birdsong, nature is what is “pre-wiring” and is influenced by genetic inheritance or other biological factors. Nurture is generally taken as influenced by external factors. Although, may some individuals may disagree and say that people have a choice to be different than the environment that they grew up in or surrounded around. This is true but without the proper psychological care and guidance it will be difficult to stir on the right path. Especially if a person suffers from mental illness and are not on their medication. They can be hazardous to themselves and others. Personal traumas can affect behavioral choices. A landmark study of fifty serial killers found that childhood abuse was more prevalent in lust serial killers. It also showed in this study, thirty-two percent of all serial killers had no history of abuse. This psychological study demonstrated both aspects. All abused children don’t become serial killers, and not every serial killer experienced childhood abuse. However, there is a connection between how childhood can hinder perception. What makes a person become to keep taking innocent people's lives without any remorse? A child that witnessed violence is ten times more likely to exemplify it throughout the expansion of their lives. For example, the notorious story of Robert sandifer better known for his nickname as “Yummy.” He made worldwide news when he was brutally murdered in the streets of Chicago. Before his sudden death, he was living a life of crime. He joined a street gang called the “Black Disciples” at only eight years old. Robert had a poor upbringing and his father was not present in his life because he was incarcerated. Robert’s mother had over one hundred arrests which were mostly drug related. Because of this, Robert was known to the department of Children and Family services at the age of three. According to the Child welfare services, Robert was neglected and severely mistreated. They proceeded to remove Robert and his siblings from the care of their mother, and moved into his grandmother’s house. Although Robert’s grandmother's house was no better than his previous home. It was overcrowded and at times there was nineteen children living in the house at once. Sandifer dropped out of school at eight and begin to roam the streets, breaking into cars and houses. This led to Robert and his siblings moving out his grandmother's house and into DCFS shelter. Robert ran away and never return back to the shelter. Sandeifer was known to bully and steal money from other kids and the rest of the community in chicago neighbourhood of Roseland. He had five misdemeanors and twenty three felonies. The police couldn’t arrest Robert because he was too young for Juvenile detention and was a danger to other kids. Therefore, he never really got into serious trouble for his crimes. In August 1994, Sandifer was ordered to do a hit for the “black disciples.” He was ordered to shoot at a group of youths several times with a nine millimeter semiautomatic pistol. This resulted in the killing of a fourteen year old girl. This crime made national news and he had the nation in shock because of his age. The chicago police department began a child hunt for Robert. While in hiding, he was murdered execution style by his own gang. In fear of Robert telling all the Black disciples secrets. This connects to the importance of parents providing their child a nurturing home, so that they can have a strong foundation to live a productive and successful life.
In addition, parents should be made aware that how they raise their child can affect how their children relationship with others. In adulthood, they may struggle with their feelings and find it hard to establish healthy and positive relationships. A case study showed that more than 51% of adults who were abused as children experienced domestic abuse later in life (National Statistics). Furthermore, they are higher risk to have anxiety and depression. Parents are primary attachment figures, play an important role in how children experience the world because they lay a foundation of what the world is going to look like for their child (Reyes). Complex trauma refers to prolonged exposure to a traumatic event (Reyes). For example, children that are in households that are sexually, physically, or emotionally abusive. If a child doesn't have a secure attachment relationship with their parents. It’s healthy for children to have a secure attachment because it shows stability and nurture that the caregiver provides. Secure attachment is classified by children who show some distress when their parents leaves but are able to compose themselves knowing their caregiver will return. Children with secure attachment feel protected by their caregivers , and they know that they can rely on them.Mrs. Reyes, licensed marriage and family therapist, said that individuals that grew up in secure attachment homes are generally open minded and confident. They are more optimistic about life and is comfortable with emotional intimacy with minimal fear of being rejected. Another attachment style is dismissive avoidant. According to my psychology professor Mrs Birdsong, children tend to suppress their feelings and deal with pain by distancing themselves. As adults, they avoid emotions and tend to be closed off from others. Individuals tend to be overly independent and tend to avoid making deep emotional connections with others. Fearful avoidant attachment occurs in neglectful and abusive households. Parents tend to be inconsistent and not nurturing to their children. As adults, they become scared to make intimate relationships but are also scared not to have them. Often have a difficult time putting their trust in others and as a result they are more distance. It is important for parents to establish a secure relationship with their children because it lays a foundation of their expectations and boundaries when it comes to their relationship with others.
Spending quality time, providing a safe environment, and establishing a secure relationship is the stepping stone to make their kids life more fulfilling. It is crucial for parents to be aware of how their actions affect their children. In addition, the environment and the type of people they have around as well. It is a “domino effect” on how upbringing can affect different aspects of an individual's life. This is why it’s crucial for kids to get the proper care that they need at such a sensitive and rapid growth period. Parents are the “safe haven” to their children from the world and without this support system, it can leave an emotional scar that may take a lifetime to heal.
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