Essay on Whitney Houston Childhood

My report is going to be on a woman named Whitney Elizabeth Houston. Whitney was born in Newmark, New Jersey on the 9th of August 1963. She was raised in a Baptist household. Her parents are called John Russell Houston, Jr (father) and Emily Houston (mother) Both of her parents were African American. She has a brother and a half-brother. Whitney's brother is Michael Houston who is a singer and her half-brother Gary Garland is an ex-basketball player. Houston was an American singer and actress. She started her career at a young age as her mum used to take her to different studios.

When Whitney Houston was only four years old she and her family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey which was only 20 minutes from her old home. This was just after the 1967 Newark riots. At the age of 11 Whitney was attending New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. She started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir and she also learned how to play the piano.

When Whitney was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, New Jersey. Whitney met her best friend who she described as the 'sister she never had' at this school. Her name was Robyn Crawford.

Conception and pregnancy

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was estimated to have been conceived in December of 1963. She was then delivered on August 9th. She was born into a very musical family. She was brought up by both of her parents Sissy Houston and John Houston in a poor black community in Newark, New Jersey. It was as if Whitney Houston was born to be a singer-performer.

Birth and infancy 0-3 years; Childhood

Physical development

'Physical development refers to the normal ways in which bodies grow, change and develop throughout a person's lifetime.' (Alleydog.com, 2021) This process starts in human infancy. When Whitney was born, she could not do much apart from sleeping often, drinking milk, and crying like any other baby. Babies tend to sleep very often because they get tired quickly. Some babies sleep more than others. Some sleep for short periods and some sleep for long periods it all depends on the baby. Babies must get breastfed or bottle-fed every four hours. Babies need to be fed regularly for the baby to grow. Babies cry because it is their way of trying to communicate when they want to be fed or when they want comfort. The most common reason why a baby might cry is because they are hungry but, sometimes babies cry for no reason this usually happens when the baby is under five months old.

By six months Houston would have been able to lift her head when lying flat on her stomach. All babies by six months should be able to lift their heads. This is a sign that your baby will start crawling soon. They will also start to be able to smell and taste. At six months Whitney Houston would have been ready for solid foods her mother would know that she was ready because she would be showing signs. The signs are that Whitney can hold her head up, sits well with support, has doubled her birth weight, and is curious about what her parents are eating when around them.

By twelve months Whitney would be able to crawl and sit up without support. Some babies will be able to stand with support at twelve months and some will be able to walk by this point it all depends on the baby. At twelve months quiet games will not entertain Whitney or any other baby, they will start to show an interest in louder games for example playing with blocks and throwing the blocks out of the container. Babies tend to resist taking naps at this time of physical development.

By eighteen months Whitney would have been able to crawl up the stairs. Some babies will have been able to walk up the stairs it all depends on the baby because some babies learn faster than others. Babies will now start to show signs of physical independence. By this point, they can draw lines on a piece of paper or might even try and draw lines on your walls.

By the age of three Whitney would be able to put on her shoes however would not be able to tie her shoelaces. She would also be able to run well and walk well. At this stage, she would be more independent than she was in the earlier stages.

Intellectual

Intellectual is 'relating to your ability to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas' (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021) New-borns can recognize their mother's voices right away due to being able to hear their mother's voice 10 weeks before they are born. When a baby is first born their vision is quite blurry but just before three months old, they can start to see things clearer. You will notice that their vision is clearer because they will be able to track an object that you move from side to side. After a couple of weeks after birth babies tend to recognize familiar faces and voices. By six months Whitney and other babies will know exactly who their mother is even when their mother is not around and sometimes, they can recognize their mother just by a picture.

At ten to twelve months Whitney would be able to understand small and simple sentences such as 'Give the toy to me please'. Babies learn to shake their heads in response and they learn to wave bye. They also begin to copy you. You will notice this if you play a sound game with them. Whitney will begin to be more aware at this stage for example if she sees a bird, she might point at it.

By the age of two Whitney would have been able to say short sentences for example 'I want more food please'. She would learn how to put a spoon in her mouth, she would learn because all toddlers at this stage tend to put things in their mouths. They will also learn how to drink out of a cup without a beaker.

Social

New-borns loved to get held. In the first month, she will begin to copy your facial expressions. You will notice this if you stick out your tongue and watch her do the same. She will enjoy watching your facial expressions.

When a baby is two years old that is when they start to enjoy playing with other children. When she first started playing with other children, she would not want to share her toys. Later on, she will learn to share and include other children. When she starts nursery that is when she will begin to make real friends.

Toddler. 3-5 years.

Physical development

At three to four years Whitney Houston would be less dependent on her parents because she would be able to do more things. She would be able to balance on one foot, play with clay, be able to build a tower of blocks, she would be able to dress herself, and undress. By the age of four, she would know how to pedal a tricycle. Her fine motor skills should include feeding herself with a spoon and washing and drying her hands.

At four to five years, she would be able to draw a basic picture of a person and draw crosses and circles. She would be able to cut around an outline using safety scissors. She would also be able to walk up and down the stairs properly.

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Intellectual

At three to five years Whitney and other children will begin to imaginary play. They would begin to have imaginary friends and pretend to feed their teddy bears. All children will be able to name colors and can count to ten or maybe even twenty. You can better their Intellectual skills by reading a book to them every day.

By the age of three pre-schoolers know 300 words. That expands to 1,500 words by age 4 and to 2,500 words by age 5. Stimulate their language development through reading, talking, and asking them questions.

Emotional

At three to five years children sometimes do not know the difference between fantasy and reality. This can cause nightmares for example they might think monsters are under their bed to get them, when in reality there is nothing there.

Between the ages of three to five Whitney would begin to notice other people's feelings and moods. If she cannot do something she would learn to ask for help.

Social

Whitney Houston and other toddlers at the age of three learn how to interact and make friends with other children at the nursery. All children at the ages of three and four understand what is right and wrong.

At three to five years children start to enjoy helping out around the house. Children at this age also like to play with other children and sometimes play on their own.

Adolescence

Adolescence is physical development that happens during puberty. Adolescence happens during the teenage years. Puberty is when boy's voices get deeper, and girls get periods. Adolescence takes place between twelve to eighteen years.

Physical development

Like all teenagers, Whitney Houston started puberty. She started her period, and she had a growth spurt. Whitney Houston's mother (Sissy Houston) performed at nightclubs. Houston went from performing in a church at age eleven to performing occasionally in nightclubs in her teenage years. At age fourteen Whitney Houston became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single 'Life's a Party'. At the age of fifteen, she sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single 'I'm Every Woman'. In her teenage years, she was exposed to Chaka Khan, Glady's Knight, and Roberta Flack. These individuals had an influence on her as a singer and performer.

Intellectual skills

As a teenager, Whitney Houston was able to think outside the box. She would think about her future. She knew exactly what she wanted to be in life. Even though she could sing she was still inexperienced in singing so she gained more experience by performing in nightclubs.

Emotional development

Houston's hormones influenced a lot of her emotions it shows that she was forming an independent identity and learning how to become an adult. She was constantly shown love by her mother because they both had an interest in singing and performing. Being a teenager is a very difficult time because your emotions are everywhere. Teenagers become stressed because of exams and gaining a good social life.

Social Skills

Whitney Houston had one main friend. She had a best friend that she always used to describe as the 'sister she's never had'. She met her best friend at Mount Saint Dominic Academy.

Third life stage- Adulthood (19-65)

Adulthood is split into two stages, early adulthood, and later adulthood (46-65). As Whitney Houston was only aged forty-eight when she passed away, she only got to experience three years of her later adulthood.

Physical development

Early Adulthood is when Whitney Houston started to age. Even though she started to age she still looked very good because black people age a lot later than white people. In early adulthood, there are changes in vision and reproductive capability. Middle adulthood around the age of thirty is when her aging will start to speed up and she will start to have further vision problems. At the age of thirty-five, some people start to get grey hair, some get it before, and some people get it a lot later. Middle adulthood is when Whitney Houston would have started her menopause but because she died at such a young age it is less likely that she started her menopause.

Intellectual skills

At this stage of adulthood Adults have a much slower reaction to things than teenagers, sometimes this can affect their work. Whitney Houston's brain would have started to work slower in the middle of her Adulthood because she was on heavy drugs. This can affect the way she thinks, and it affects her health. Whitney Houston could not face her difficulties, and this resulted in her taking drugs.

Emotional development

At the stage of young adulthood. Individuals have to make big decisions about their careers. Long-term relationships are formed and often result in marriage and even babies. Big choices about marriage and babies happen at this stage but sometimes it happens in Adolescence. People who marry in Adolescence are more likely to divorce. Some individuals lose their self-confidence. Whitney began to take drugs in the middle of her Adulthood. The middle of Adulthood is when problems start to occur for individuals. Sometimes problems occur because of the way how they are being treated.

Social Skills

At the early stages of this stage in life, individuals tend to have a group of close friends. Whitney Houston had a good social life. She was an Actress, she featured in many different films. Her first acting role was as a star in a feature film' The bodyguard'. This film took place in 1992. The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Houston became the first solo to sell more than a million copies in a week due to her single 'I Will Always Love You'. She influenced many African American artists who followed in her footsteps. Houston was the first person with color to be at the front of a magazine. She was also in commercials, she appeared in Canada's dry soft drink commercial. Whitney Houston was very popular because of her looks, her voice, and her acting. In 1992 she married Bobby Brown. Whitney gave birth to a baby girl on March 4th, 1993. She named her baby Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. This was Houston's only child and it was Bobby's fourth child. At this point in life, adults must be financially stable. With everything that Whitney was doing, she was financially stable, and money was not an issue for her.