Last Seen Blogs
arashi-and-nami
Sukuna's20Fingers
luminaryhqs
𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘.
jrmggi
jrmggi
blueheart31-blog
La ragazza dalle mille sfaccettature.
Text
Parenting Reflection
What surprised me the most about being a parent is how all day long, and all night long, you have to care for your child. I never fully realized that there are no real breaks, unless you want to get babysitters, but that comes at a cost too (money and your relationship to you child). It is a full commitment to that child, especially in the first few years where they depend on you for everything (food, bathing, going to the bathroom, entertainment, etc). I think my parents did a good job in raising me, even though they aren’t the most affectionate parents, I still had to rely on them to be my caregivers, which they did a good job at. I appreciate the freedom and independence they give me, as they take a more hands-off approach, for I think it worked well for me and my brother.
I think one of the most valuable things I learned is that children do not have the ability to use logical reasoning, even as a preschooler. I had always thought that by just explaining things to them, they would understand, but that is not the case, even though I believe it is still a good thing to make a habit of (as a parent). Dealing with kids requieres lots of patience and being almost overly understanding. In addition, I learned that children need to stay away from screens (especially if they are under the age of 2). I would never really consider giving a little kid a phone or tablet, but I thought TV was a pretty common source of entertainment for kids (at least it was for me). Finally, I had heard that reading (and talking on general) was important for babies, but I definetly underestimated its value. It improves all sorts of things, their concentration, creativity, empathy, and especially their language and speech skills, and should be continued far past just the baby/infant stage. In real life, I will utilize this knowledge the next time I babysit (which is often), and for just general interactions with children. I am thankful to have learned so much about these important stages of humans life, for it gives me a much better understanding of children (and of parents).
I feel like my experience raising a flour baby was similar to raising my own real child in that I had to take her everywhere with me. It was a full time commitment and I had never truly realized how difficult that would be, especially at this age. Being responsible for and in charge of all of another person’s actions (feeding, changing the diaper,etc) is a huge responsibily and very demanding task. Raising my own child would be different because unlike my flour baby, the real baby would be able to cry, have its own sleep schedule, crave attention, demand food or toys, and much much more that a real human being needs. I think the biggest challenges of being a teen mom (or father) would just be the constant need to give your baby/child attention, which would be especially hard when you are in some ways a child too. I think its hard for kids this age to have steady routines (which raising a child would require) without getting stressed out and exhausted, or to completely focus on others (and not themselves) for a long period of time. It would also be incredibly hard to balance good parenting with school or a job, which can lead to further problems in the future. Personally, I just do not think its the right time to have children.
Thank you!
0 notes
Text
Loralai being a good girl in class! She stayed very quiet and well behaved.
0 notes
Text
Loralai sitting outside at school! (with sunscreen on of course)
0 notes
Text
Preschool Years (3-4)
As Loralai is now in preschool, she has really grown up! She loves playing with all her friends(less parallel play), drawing(simple things), and dressing herself! She is able to judge her actions as right or wrong, based on how I have punished her in the past. She is very energetic and enthusiastic, and loves to learn new words. As soon as she turned 3, she would beg me to read her all her favorite books. She even has some parts memorized. Once she turned 4, however, she became obsessed with new things (books, games, toys, words, etc).
As a parent to Loralai, I would say I am a healthy mixture of authoritative and permissive. If she ends up behaving really well on a troubling day, I like to reward her (dance party, new book/toy, a fun snack, etc). I try not to be too demanding, and allow her to figure things out on their own, but when I do have demands/intructions, I always explain my reasoning, even though at only 3 years old, she is in Piaget’s preoperational stage and can not use logical reasoning yet. However, it is something I want to get in the habit of, and to stay away from just bossing her around. For example, the other day, Loralai was refusing (and whining) to get ready to go out and run errands with me (something she normally loves to do) and just wanted to stay in her room and play all day. I explained to her that she need to stop whining, for it was too hard for me to understand her, as well as that I was too busy that day to let her do stay, and that she had to come with me because no on else could watch her (if someone else could have, I would have let her stay). She still seemed to be lacking in understanding, so I had to reinforce that I am her mother and that she must listen to me, but I also gave her the promise of going and getting a little ice cream after the errands were over (as long as she behaved) which made her excited.
0 notes
Text
Loralai eating some vanilla yogurt with her giraffe ( she’s gotten *a little* less messy )
0 notes
Text
Toddler Years (ages 1 - 2)
These years sure have been interesting to watch! Loralai has taken up trying to eat, walking, climbing, and going to the bathroom all on her own. She took her first steps at 13 months old! She was very determined and we are so proud of her. Her “terrible two’s” have been pretty mild. She seems to get frustrated a lot, mainly because she can only really communicate with one or two words, but she is working hard to improve! Luckily, she is pretty easy to calm down (especially since she has such a short attention spend and gets distracted very easily). We haven’t had any huge concerns about her developmental progress, except for that she wasn’t fully potty trained until 2 and 1/2 years old (but she still made it before turning 3!).
In order to childproof my home, my parents and I put little lock mechanisms on all the low cabinets (to keep from chemicals), door stops and holders (to protect fingers), and window net and locks (to protect from falls). I have kept Loralai away from any screens or real technology. I think it is unneccessay and I have heard it is bad for them under the age of 2. She has plenty of toys and never really asks for it anyways, as I am never on my phone around her except for music, which she loves.
For my research scenario, Loralai is 4 years old and when hanging out with her older cousins, she see’s violence on the TV and videogames. After my research, I discovered that between the ages of 1 1/2 and 5, children can’t tell the difference between real life and fantasy, and seeing violence on the TV (especially when it is meant to be funny) can be very confusing to them. Even though there are other factors typically involved, there has been a connection found between watching violence on TV and video games, and aggressive behavior or lack of empathy. There have also been links to attention problems and anti social behaviors. Personally, I just don’t wanna risk the negative effects this could have on Loralai (plus, she doesn’t even like or ask to play violent video games or watch it on TV), and I would rather deal with this when her brain can fully realize what is right and wrong behavior, to avoid any learned confusion.
0 notes
Text
Infancy (age 0 - 1)
Whew! Time flies. Loralai has grown so much! Shortly after we took her home from the hospital, I could tell she recognized my smell and voice, as well as her fathers. At around 8 months, she definetly developed a strong attachment (emotional tie) to both of us and a fear of strangers. From when she was 2 months old, I realized she is such a giggly baby, constantly smiling and laughing. It’s adorable. At just 7 months old, she was able to crawl all around the house! I had to make sure to keep an eye on her at all times and always stay in the same room as her or else she would just crawl away. I have also noticied she has a major fear of heights, which does help me knowing that there is something standing between her just crawling straight off the table (but I make sure to never step away when she’s up high anyways). And before developing object permanence at 8 months, she LOVED peek a boo (she still does, but she is not as excited anymore). I haven’t had any real reasons of concerns for Loralai yet, just that we are working on walking and hope to get it down soon!
Some of the biggest parenting decisions I have had to make so far are whether to allow a pacifer or not, and whether to feed the baby on demand, or try to implement a feeding schedule. After my research, I believe it is better to allow a pacifer for atleast the first year. Having something to suck on soothes the baby and it has been proven to prevent SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Its easiest to wean a baby off slowly, so I am going to start implementing certain times when Loralai can have it, like while she is in her crib, the car, and during nighttime. I have also decided I will try giving Loralai a feeding schedule now that she in no longer a newborn, but of course I won’t just let her cry and scream if she is obviously very hungry. However, research shows that some babies work well with feeding on a schedule once they have a pretty well established natural schedule. Slowing shifting to a better schedule for the parents has shown to work and not cause the baby too much discomfort.
This first year has been hard but not impossible! Luckily, Loralai is a very mellow baby and has been surprisingly very flexible. Can’t wait for years to come.
0 notes
Text
Pregnancy
I am Lauren Craig, a high school senior and 17 years old. I am having a daughter, due this monday(!), and her name is Loralai. She will be named Loralai because I thought it was really beautiful and unique. My boyfriend and I (and our families) are very excited for her to finally join us after 9 long months.
In the first trimester, Loralai was just an embryo and was forming all major body organs and systems. The first trimester is an extremely critical period for lots of Loralai’s body, and I made sure to only eat non processed, all natural, organic foods from all the food groups. After 8 weeks of pregnancy, Loralai was a fetus, meaning she was able kick, swallow, and hear my voice. It was still incredibly important to be eating and staying healthy throughout this time, even though her central nervouse system is past its most vulnerable stage after 4 months, the baby is still suspectible to other birth defects/deformities. By the third trimester, Loralai’s brain and head continues to grow rapidly, as the rest of her body growth declines. She also begins to develope her own immune system.
My experience being pregnant has gone better than expected. I crave a lot of food, but with the help of family its manageable and keeps me from going too moody. My life has changed a lot but I am excited for Loralai to join us. I go to mommy-yoga twice a week and have had to make some major upgrades to my diet, but I know those both will help ensure the health of Loralai.
Loralai will be living at my house with my family and boyfriend. From my research, I know that two parent households are typically more successful than single parent ones, so her father will be moving in to allow more time with her. Two parent household statistics show children with less social or emotional issues than those raised by single parents. We hope to raise our Loralai in a supporting, loving, and warm household. I think the biggest challenge will be finding alone time, but I know Loralai needs my full attention and intend to give her that. I also want to make sure she will be strongly finacially supported, and I intend on getting a part time job in maybe 2 years, to add a second source of income for her needs (another benefit of two parent households).
0 notes
Text
Our Family
Our family consists of my mother, my father myself, and my boyfriend. There are also numerous pets the baby will be around, 2 cats, 2 dogs and 1 tortoise. My family is very suportive of the child (& very excited) and has offered to watch the child if ever need be. Even though they hoped I would be older when having kids, they are happy to soon have a baby around the house again!
0 notes