2-5 Years

A. Lola is progressing favorably in regards to early childhood issues. She knows our household rules and routines. She demonstrates good self-control. As she has gotten older, she has progressively improved her ability to get along with others, both adults and children, and work cooperatively. At this point, Lola does not have any behavioral or emotional problems. For a time after her sister Leah was born, Lola displayed some regressive behaviors. My husband and I recognized that Lola felt that she was not getting enough attention with the new baby. We make it a point to spend one-on-one time interacting with Lola. We also have involved Lola in caring for and playing with her sister. Lola has proudly embraced the role of big sister, which helped her get over the regressive behaviors. 

B. Based on parenting questionnaires, our family is above average in warmth and affection, as well as slightly above average in discipline and control exercised with Lola. These factors are influenced by our socioeconomic and cultural contexts. Lola is a naturally curious child, so we try to take her to visit museums, zoos, puppet shows, etc. from time to time. Our family has this luxury, whereas others may not, because both my husband and myself work and therefore we are financially stable. We also frequently read and talk to Lola, which has helped to improve her vocabulary and ability to hold a conversation, skills that are valued in our society. My husband and I both spend time with Lola. In other cultures, the mother may primarily interact with the children. We feel it is important for Lola to see that her mother and her father can interchangeably take on different roles around the house. We reinforce this concept by letting Lola participate in non-stereotyped activities and play and talking with her about gender and stereotypes at an age-appropriate level. This is also a cultural value that we are instilling in Lola, but that she may not learn if she had been raised in another part of the world. We are trying to strike a balance between letting Lola develop her independence and developing her ability to work well with others. At home, my husband and I do not jump in and help with her play or help her solve a problem unless requested to increase her problem solving ability and independence. At daycare and now at school, Lola is learning to work cooperatively with others. We reinforce this by organizing play dates with a few of Lola's friends from school. In our culture, both working independently and working cooperatively are important at different times, so we are trying to develop both skills in Lola. 

C. Based on Lola's pre-kindergarten assessment, I believe she has a resilient personality type. She is easy-going and does not get upset or flustered when under mild stress. She is cooperative and works well with other children. She does great with her peer group and quickly made several friends during the kindergarten prep session. Lola also does a good job of regulating her emotions. The teacher told us that Lola is able to focus and does not become distracted easily. She did an excellent job of adapting to the practice kindergarten sessions and following the rules. My husband and I couldn't be prouder of Lola!

Birth to 2

A. Lola has a strong preference for me, with her dad a strong second. This shows that she is forming a secure attachment to both of us. This occurs because my husband and I show Lola that we are loving and caring and she interprets these as good intentions, even if we make a mistake. At 3 months old, Lola is very interested in studying faces and is interested in everything around her. She goes to a home daycare provider when my husband and I are at work.

At 8 months old, Lola is scared of strangers. She has object permanence, but looks in the same spot for the hidden toy even  after she watches me move it. At daycare, Lola cries a little bit when we drop her off, but she usually gets over it fairly quickly. At her 8 month check-up, the doctor says Lola is securely attached to both myself and my husband. She is unsure of new people, such as the doctor and the nurse, which is normal. Although cautious at first, when given time to warm up to new people and situations, Lola verbalizes and makes eye contact a lot. The doctor says that Lola's gross and fine motor skills are advanced for a baby of her age!

B.  We decide to have a developmental assessment done on Lola at 19 months, just to see how she is doing compared to other kids. Lola's temperament has been stable throughout the first 18 months. Lola is a very mentally and physically active child. Lola was more cooperative than aggressive, unless a child tried to take a toy away from her, in which case she resisted. We need to work on her social interactions (she is a bit slow to warm up to new people), so we will try to schedule more play groups to improve her sociability. Lola is not overly emotional. She has a level of self control that you would expect for a 19 month old. My husband and I try to match our behavior to Lola's temperament to ensure a goodness of fit. We let Lola's natural curiosity lead the way. The doctor says that Lola shows good concentration and memory and scored above average in language development, which indicates Lola will be ready for preschool relatively soon!

Welcome to the World, Lola!

Lola was born on June 17, 2014!