Brittney's Lifespan Journal

Journal Entry 20: Reflections

psych125block — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:27:53 +0000

I think I will most likely remember the aspects of this class that either affect me currently, or will be affecting me in the upcoming years of my life. I think the infancy, early & middle childhood are interesting, but not as relevant to remember at this point in my life. The more prominent information will be those affecting my adolescent, early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adultood stages of life. I am approaching life head on, and it is helpful to have some insight as to what I’m in for. Learning about the different physical, emotional, and cognitive changes all better help me understand what my body will be going through. The most prominent information I feel I will retain is the information on menopause, only because my period occurs every month and there are many days in which I found myself wishing menopause would kick in soon. I know this stage of my life is way in the future, but it is somehting I think about every month. I am not ready, however, for the damn hot flashes that come with it. My mother tells me she wakes up the middle of night, in the dead of winter, just sweating, making it very uncomfortable for her to sleep. I am not looking forward to those and I’m also not looking forward to the possible osteoporosis that can occur. I try and consume as much calcium as possible to help avoid this problem in the future. Menopause should occur in the middle adulthood. Thelast chapter, death and dealing with it, is also something I will keep with me. As I have stated before, I have experienced many deaths so far in my young life. It is interesting to read about the different aspects of death and how we are supposed to “deal” with it. Everyone deals with death in their own way, even if it’s not healthy. I understand that death is inevitable, and yet I still fear it. I try not to fear it, but I love life so much that I don’t want it to end. I wouldn’t say I’m in denial, it’s just something that is on my mind. Since I have had many exposures, to what I believe, are early deaths, I always think the worse case scenario in most situations. If someone is late coming home late at night, I think they are lying in a ditch somewhere. I don’t think of any other possabilities. It is important for me to understand that this thinking if probably not the best. This could be an example of unique invulnerability, but I’m not entirely sure.
Overall, this class has taught me a lot about human growth and developement. I guess I didn’t realize how many stages exist in my life, and I didn’t understand that with each stage comes both new difficulties and rewards. It is important to embrace the stages of developement and not view them as a negative things. Getting older is a fact of life, something that everyone comes to term with at their own pace. I am excited to live my life. Let the changing begin!!

Journal Entry 18: Facing My Future

psych125block — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:08:30 +0000

First, is there such a thing as successful aging? Everyone ages in their own, unique way. Hence, the variablitiy in the human race. I would like to hope that I will age gracefully and not experience too many difficulties. I am a pretty healthy individual now, so hopefully that helps me in the futre. I don’t smoke at all, and my alcohol intake is not severe enough to be considered problematic. I love to exercise and view my body as a temple; nothing goes in that isn’t supposed to. I also am pretty lucky with my genes; both my mom’s and dad’s side of the family have healthy genes. Longeivity is in my veins! My great-grandma just celebrated her 100th birthday, and she probably’ll make another year or two! My other great-grandparents lived to be 98 & 96; I’ll be on this earth forever! Cancer is also not in my genes and Alzheimer’s, thank goodness, is also not in my genes. The only problem area is diabetes; hopefully that’ll steer clear of me! I am looking forward to retirment actually. I know I haven’t even started working yet, but I’m excited to spend time with my family and friends. I love to travel and I will take that time to travel with my family. The world is meant to be seen, and if I am not able to see it now, I want to go before I get too old! Even though I don’t have kids yet, I can’t wait to play with the grandkids. I love my grandparents and they are such a big influence in my life that I hope to be that kind of an influence to my grandkids. I am currently in nursing school and hope that this is the career path that I desire. I am passionate about nursing and cannot wait to start my career. I can see this career taking my far in life. If I could pick an age to retire at, it would be around 55/56. I am not too old and I’d have worked more than 25 years as a nurse. That seems like the perfect length of time for me to be working.I’ll spend my retirement days doing whatever I please! The world will be mine for the taking! Life is a journey and retirement is just the inn that is located near the destination. I cannot wait to lay down and rest my legs before taking that final stroll to the end.

Journal Entry 19: My Bucket List

psych125block — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:54:12 +0000

My twenty-five, randomly selected things I would like to do before kicking the bucket are:
1. Skydive over Franz Josef Glacier in NZ
2. Join the Peace Corps
3.Backpack through Europe
4. Wine tasting in Italy
5. Sail the Greek Islands
6. Be fluent in another language
7. Audition for Saturday Night Live
8. Go on an African Safari
9. Mission Trip to Central/South America
10. Travel to every U.S. state
11. Read a different book every month until I’m 30
12. Ride a Camel through Israel
13. Pilgrammage to Jerusalum
14. Learn to Surf (and actually be able to ride a wave)
15. Catch a fish!
16. Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride
17. Walk the entire Great Wall of China
18. Camp in the Outback of Australia
19. Run a marathon
20. Watch every Hitchcock film
21. Work on a farm
22. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
23. Kiss a Prince
24. Have a peom/story/article published
25. Marry my true love

I hope to accomplish everything on my list! Some are more extreme than others, but hey, life is supposed to be fun and exciting!

Journal Entry 17: Wisdom

psych125block — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:01:53 +0000

To me, wisdom is very difficult to define, but if I go by whom I though to be wise, then my definition would be that wisdom is something that is obtained through experiences. Simple as that. I do not believe that wisdom is linked with the age, it just happens that the older we get, the more experiences we have, thus resulting in more wisdom. Wisdom is not just knowledge, it’s knowledge but also the understanding of why things are the way they are; being able to make certain judgments in specific instances. It’s hard for me to compile a list of those whom I consider wise, because I believe so many individulas are wise in their own way. But since it’s required for this entry I will shorten this list to those who have impacted me with their wisdomthe most:
My mother (48): Gives me wisdom everyday of my life. She has experiences that I will never know, and each day, she lets me know about it. My mom lost her father at the age of five, and everyday she explains how I should be greatful of the life I have. Becuase in an instant, everything could change. I love her for making me the person that I am. Her wisdome has guided through some tough situations.
Grammy (72): God bless her! I love my grammy so so much! She grew up with 14 brothers and sisters and was born smack dab in the middle. She was raised by her elder siblings and helped raise her younger ones. Her life is also something I will never experience. At the age of 27 her husband died, leaving behind four kids. She did not have a job or any money of her own. She went back to school and became a teacher to care her children. Her wisdom is beyond that of my mothers. She never hesitates to tell me when I am doing something that I shouldn’t be doing. She reminds me that school is the most important gift I will ever recieve, and that I should never take it for granted. She has advice for every subject imaginable. We often find ourselves sitting on her front porch, drinking coffee, and listening to her tell me her life’s experiences. She is an incredible women.
Casey (20): Casey is my best friend; she has been since middle school. Casey lost her mother when we were in the sixth grade. She gained so much experience from this happening to her. She views life in such a positive way. She is the person I talk to about everything. She knows me better than I know myself! She gives advice on subjects she has no idea about, but her advice always works for me. Her outlook on every situation is always a positive one; very seldom do I find her in a pessimistic light. She has wisdom far beyond her years. She shouldn’t have knowledge on how to deal with the death of a parent, but she does. Yes, at times it is hard for her, but she someone pulls through. She is a very strong women, and I constantly thank God for bringing her into my life. She will always be my best friend.

I look good

Journal Entry 16: Sandwich Generation

psych125block — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:41:02 +0000

This video was hard for me to watch; it breaks my heart to watch this family have to cater around this elderly man. I feel like they have given up their entire lives to care for this one man. I understand that he is the wife’s father, and the children’s grandparents, but they uprooted their lives and moved across the country to New Jersey to care for him. It is difficult caring for the elderly, trust me, I would know. I have worked in a nursing home for almost two years now. The problem is this man has dementia, and doesn’t fully understand what is actually going on. The family has to monitor him 24/7 because when they don’t, he’ll go into a horrific state. One specific line caught my attention, when the mother/wife/daughter said, “I kind of wish this problem would go away”. This is how many families feel about this situation. They wish they didn’t have to take care of this “burden”, but the alternative would most likely be death. In order for the problem to go away, he either has to be admitted to a nursing home or he has to pass away. Both are not good options for the family. The end of the video was really compelling; the dad mentions how the children will learn about caring for others, and I believe that’s incredibly true. The children are witnesing first hand the love of a greatful daughter. At times it is hard, but you have to think about the person it really affects: the elderly person.If they move in with their families, they will be surrounded by love all day everyday. Something that is not found in a nursing home. We try and give our patients the best care, but often times, their rooms are empty and they sit alone. After working in a nursing home I know that if my parents need my help then I will be there for them. They have given me everything and it is the least I can do for them. My dad always jokes, I changed your diapers, in a few years you could be changing mine. It’s gross, but realisitically true. I really hope I don’t have to be a part of the sandwich generation. It would be much easier to care for my elderly parents if my children were out of the house, but if I do beomce a part of this generation, I’ll take it one day at a time. I can’t honestly say what I would do in this exact situation because I have no idea what the circumstances will be. I would try to be both the best mom and daughter I can be. I would also teach my children the importance of helping others. It would be difficult to end my previous life to fully committ to my parents needs, but if it has to be done I’ll do it. I love my parents, and I would rather take care of them, then those working in a nursing home. I can give them more care and more love than anyone else.

Journal Entry 15: Hormone Replacement Therapy

psych125block — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:09:17 +0000

Hormone replacement therapy is tricky; simply as that. I learned all about this in my pharmacology class. The adverse effects of the estrogen and progesterone are life threatening and thus, hard to determine if the ceasing of the symptoms is worth it. It would be fantastic to take these hormone replecements to get rid of the hot flashes and other uncomfortable changes, but the mere thought of cancer scares me away. I learned that if somone is determined to have these hormone replacements, then the smallest dose necessary is given; there is no need for excess estrogen and progesterone floating through the blood streams. I will not take hormone replacement therapy pills; sure I may dry up like an old prune, but the risk is not worth the reward. I would rather have hot flashes twenty times a day than have cancer. I probably would not encourage the women in my life to take these hormone replacements; as I stated before, it’s not worth it. I would recommend it, however, ifsigns of osteoporosis are occuring. I want to protect the women that I know, and I feel this is the best way possbile. Women got along centures without hormone replacement therapy’s and so can we!

Journal Entry 14: Family Relationships & Adulthood

psych125block — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:23:43 +0000

I play the role of the loveable, laughable youngest child. I play the role of the comedian and act as the comic relief in stressful situations. My sister would call me attention seeking and spoiled, but I do not see myself this way. I am very sarcastic and this has grown throughout the years; my wit and sarcastic nature are no match for my family! As I was growing up, I think my family saw me as this young girl and always treated me like I was younger than I normally was. I don’t mean in a bad sense, just that important issues were never really discussed with me. But after coming back from university, I think they’ve seen me in a different light. I grew up a lot my freshman year of university and they’ve really seen a difference. I can now talk openly about any issue and my mother now tells me all of the drama that is involved with her family, which is a lot! This was a big step for me, as a kid I always thought that my mom’s and dad’s family’s were perfect, no dramatics involved, but that is not the case, not in any family. I started viewing myself as an adult member of the family when I came home after my first year of college. Even when I turned 18 I didn’t really feel like an adult. I was still living with my parents and was under their supervision. It took living away from home, by myself for a full year before I considered myself an adult. I feel adult enough to have important talks with my family; we’ve grown extremely close these last two years. I have no doubts as to why that is; my sister and I have grown up. We understand more of the world and how to think in the minds of others. I’m still the comedian of the family, but somehow, my family has grown more sarcastic. It’s a problem, really, they can match me in my sarcasm; my father blames me for my mother’s new love for being sarcastic with him. It is not my fault that sarcasm is a great way to get your point across

my family in Australia!

Journal Entry 12: High School Crowds & Cliques

psych125block — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:07:13 +0000

I was one of the select few individuals who loved high school! Here’s why, I am a friendly person who got along with everyone in my class. Also, my school was an amazing sports school and I happened to play two popular sports: soccer and basketball. So I never felt left out, or was made fun in a non-joking matter. I liked everyone and they liked me. That doesn’t mean that cliques and crowds didn’t exist in my school. Some of the popular crowds include the following: bandies, football team, and thespians. I went to a smaller school and honestly, the crowds were basically the kids in the band and theatre, and sports people: those who either played sports or enjoyed watching them. These are two very different crowds. The bandies usually hung out in the band room while everyone else hung out in the commons. There were the selective few who branched out and played in the band but didn’t hang out with the other bandies. There are two main cliques in my class. The first was a group of girls who didn’t do anything but hung out with each other. They spent every minute of every day with each other. They weren’t shy and they didn’t only hang out with themselves because they were ugly or something, they have just known each other from elementary school and preferred to only hang out with themselves. They were perfectly nice girls, but they only wanted to hang out with each other. The next was a clique of very different girls. I was kind of apart of this clique. We called them the “St. John’s Girls” because they went to St. Johns school and kind of refused to take in new comers. But because I played sports with most of them, I was quote-on-quote allowed in their clique. I wouldn’t say this clique was known throughout the school because we all hung out other people as well, we just went to the same parties, sat by each other at the football games, went to prom with boys that were friends with each other. We weren’t the typical cliché clique; we weren’t cheerleaders who roamed the hallways and made fun “different” kids; we just had the same interests. Romantic relations weren’t a big deal in my school, because it was so small and everyone new each other. The only issues that arise were the protocols on dating an ex of a friend. We didn’t have many boys to choose from, and it made it even more complicated if one of our friends dated, or even had a crush on them. But it really wasn’t even that big of a deal! We all got along really well with each other! The crowds stayed the same throughout my entire four years of high school. Sure, I became closer to some than others, but that is a fact of nature. I loved my high school class!! We never had too much drama and we were all there for each other. See, my class has curse. This isn’t some fake, silly curse; we all believe that we are actually cursed. Six classmates of mine have lost a parent to cancer. I had to go to four funerals in high school, one each year. The other two were either before or after high school. Either way, my entire class came together and grieved for the loss of the loved one. With each death we became more bonded; we feel like a family. The scary part is that parents are still being diagnosed with cancer and one of my friend’s mom is struggling with her battle. I know you can say that this is not a curse, but we shouldn’t have to deal with these deaths at our age. We are far too young! Parents are not supposed to die while we’re still growing up, it’s not ok. It is reasons like these that we are such a close class and why there are few crowds and cliques. We understand the important things in life. Drama is not one of them.

Journal Entry 11: Academic Goals

psych125block — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:43:36 +0000

This particular textbook generalizes with certain types of schools: public schools. I, however, went to a private school; most of these generalities don’t really apply to me. My elementary school was the same as my middle school, and so eight graders were commonly seen walking amongst kindergartners. The junior high was not separated by any physical barrier, just at the end of a hallway. My classes were small, and I enjoyed that. This type of learning was geared towards academic success, my school promoted the task goal. They really did not want us to be concerned with how other students were doing; our main focus was ourselves, and what we were learning. However, just because my school was geared towards this goal, it did not mean me and my fellow students agreed with it. I would say I had more of an ability goal. I loved knowing how everyone else did and seeing how smart I was compared to other students, or vice versa. If I did badly on a test, as long as others did relatively the same, I didn’t care. As long as I wasn’t the worse, my grades never bothered me. I would always tell my parents, “but other kids did just as bad as me!” and my parents would always respond with, “we don’t care how the other kids did; we care about how you did!” They wanted me to be task goal oriented, but I wasn’t! So before I even entered secondary education I was already ability goal oriented, a problem that only worsened in high school. I was never the type to take pride in my school work; I never gave my 100% in high school, never. I did just enough to get a good grade, not a great grade. There were always certain classmates that I would want to better than, and if I didn’t I would get really upset. I knew that I was smarter than them and if they outscored me I immediately regretted not taking more pride in studying. For examples, if I studied for a decent amount of hours for a final and my grade came back a “B+” I would be happy with that! But if someone scored better than me I would start to loathe my B+ and wish that I had studied a tiny bit more, than perhaps I would have done better. But in the end, my goal was just always to do better than someone else, my school work had nothing to do with self-improvement; I just didn’t want to be the worst.

My goals have definitely changed to task goals during my college education. I now know what I am capable of doing, and my primary concern is only me. I take note when others do better than me, but it’s not what I thrive on; I know thrive on knowledge. If I learned a lot while taking a class and the end result is a B, I am happy! I learned something new, and that is what college is all about me. I’m no where near as competitive as I was in high school. I now cater to my own needs, and I am constantly aware of the areas in my life that need some work.

My high school was a college prep school and they really promoted task goals. They really wanted their students to push themselves to try and be better. One thing they could promote is that universities and employers look single-handedly at you; the product that you’ve produced in high school. True they look at other students and compare and contrast the reasons why Sally is a better fit than Billy, but in the end, it is really based on how you performed; they look at you and you alone. It is vital that students realize this fact prior to entering a university.

Journal Entry 10: Childhood Friendships

psych125block — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:18:37 +0000

My best friend growing up was Tara Flynn. We did everything together!! We livedright down the road from eachother, but we met during kindergarten. Tara and I were so similar, we even looked alike. We were both tiny, blonde girls who were crazy loud! We loved biking around our neighborhood and playing at the spider web park (the park behind my house). We were friends for many reasons, but mostly because we loved hanging doing the same things. We were both athletic and we often went to the same sports camps. We also were in girl scouts together, although I hated that way more than she did! She knew everything about me and I knew everything about her. We would talk about our problems, no matter how awful they were. I knew that I could trust her not to say anything to anyone else, and I loved her for that. She had more issues growing up than I did, and at times, it was hard to support her. But she knew that I did the best I could! My family was annoyingly perfect; my parents never fought, money was never an issue, and we took many family trips together. Her family was the opposite. So at times it was hard to relate to each other, but we always found a way!

We were best friends, but we weren’t exclusive. There were nine of us in my class that were really close! See, I went to a private school so we all had been going to school with each other since we were in kindergarten; we knew each other really well. In our group of friends, we each had our best friend, and mine was Tara. Even though Tara and I have grown apart, she will always have a place in my heart since we grew up being best friends! We are forever connected because once in second grade we had a truly bonding experience. We were outside waiting for school to start and we were sitting on the curb. I was leaning in talking to her and she happened to turn her head and *bam* my two beaver front teeth insert into her head right, above her right eyebrow. Yes, that was a magical day!

Based on the information in Ch. 10 I would say that we had typical friendship. In the beginning we were play mates, but as we grew older, our friendship grew into something more. We new that we could trust eachother no matter what happened! She knows my family better than anyone else does! and the same goes for hers! Even though we drifted apart in high school, due to her trasnferring to a different school, we still remain friends to this day! I know I can count on her if I ever have a problem!

My kindergarten class! I thought it was cute

(I am the far right girl in the row and Tara is right below me; the last one of the right in the second row!)