Reflection Blog #3

            Doing the readings this week was great. I have never before thought about what truly is the difference between boys and girls, and why we are different? It really made me go back in time and think about my childhood and my friends. I would really love to know more about what truly sets us apart. If I could discuss this topic with the author I would ask about how much culture was involved in shaping children as well as or maybe only parenting is the key here. In my mind I see that kids do what they see other kids like them do, which brings me to another question. What would kids do if they were never introduced to or exposed to media or other kids and toys? Would they still be so creative, adventurous, and imaginative children or would they be just blank slates doing what their parents told them to do?

            When I was a lot younger my little sister and I were very close, and would always be playing with dolls. We had everything from bottles to strollers to diapers. We never played with Barbie or what we called “boy toys”. It wasn't until my mother took our dolls away that we stopped playing with them. Sometimes I think if we kept playing with them we would have never stopped on our own. To my parents though playing with a boy toy or playing a rough boy game was not something a little girl should do and it was never allowed. It feels like we were raised very gender specific and girls are to be compassionate, soft and cuddly while boys are supposed to be tough.

             I would really like to know more about how to set a gender neutral environment where being warm and fuzzy was not a necessity in order to pass for a girl or rough and touch for a boy. I would rather have no one judge you on being the opposite of what is only culturally okay.

Reflection Blog #2

During my reading of chapter 2 I found it very interesting that a fetus can sense different sounds and flavors. This was very interesting to me because I have always wondered about how much influence surrounding the baby actually has an effect on the fetus. This also makes me wonder if say the mother was sad or cried a lot, or the baby heard a lot of yelling would that affect the fetus at all? Would it make the baby react/cry to loud noises once it is born? Would there be a long term effect? After reading all of this I want to always make sure that I remember this for my future pregnancies, and make sure that I keep calm and surround myself with a healthy environment for the life growing inside of me. If I could discuss this with the author I would ask about how strong of an influence are these different things, and would the babies grow out of bad reactions if the surrounding how changed? Would the children be able to grow up and lead normal lives or will it affect them throughout their lives?

            When my sister in law was pregnant with her first child a boy, I remember her being very stressed out, and a nervous wreck. One day she was experiencing intense contractions, and we all thought she was going to labor early. Luckily the hospital found her just extremely dehydrated and malnourished. This reminded of one of the other sections I was reading about on how stress can harm prenatal development by weakening the mother’s immune system. She was so stressed out that she wasn’t eating or drinking and we all had to keep an eye on her and give her a hand to make sure she was all right. Thank fully everything went well and I have a healthy 6 year old nephew.

            If I had all the time to learn about something I would want to know more about how badly can a fetus be damaged by unhealthy surroundings and whether or not these effects will be reversible once the baby is born.

Reflection Blog #1

This week’s reading was all very interesting, and made me look back at my own life and compare it. While I was reading “The Identity Dance,” it made me think that just because someone looks a lot alike; it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are one and the same. I wonder if they have ever done a research on just sisters. It makes me look back on my relationships with my siblings. We are all different ages yet we are all very much the same. We all took up nursing and are very caring people, and think very similarly among other things. To me DNA is just a fraction of what plays a role in who we are today. I look at it as if DNA is where I come from, and then life is what truly shapes us. The other thing that really got me thinking is the continuity vs. discontinuity. I find that I have stayed the same since I was a little girl. I love staying inside and enjoying things on my own, while one of my sisters have turned more of an extrovert. I would love to know more about what is means to share DNA, and why don’t we all experience life’s circumstance in the same way? I want to always remember that we all think, learn, and process differently.