My Virtual Life Report Essay

Attachment is defined as the positive emotional bond that develops between a child and a particular individual. Of the four major patterns of attachment (secure, avoidant, ambivalent and disorganized-disoriented), I would consider Blair securely attached. Like other children who have a secure attachment pattern, Blair uses me, her mother, as a type of home base (Feldman, 2012). At 8 months Blair is cautious and shy in new situations. She has a typical fear of strangers but will eventually warm up somewhat to a new situation. Blair shows a strong preference for me over others. I am always talking and thinking about Blair. When my husband and I find time to go out, I find myself worrying and calling grandma to make sure she is doing all right. Set 2: 19 months-TEMPERAMENT Blair has a somewhat moderate activity level. She enjoys her quiet time activities, but she also loves climbing and exploring her environment. As far as sociability goes, I would say that Blair is more introverted. This means that she is less sociable (myvirtuallife. com, n. d. ). At 19 months she seemed to not like playing with the other kids at daycare and had a hard time warming up to anyone who she wasn’t super close to. I would consider Blair a slow-to-warm up child. She shows relatively calm reactions to her environment. She tends to be withdrawn from new situations, adapting slowly. Blair is pretty cooperative for the most part, but she sometimes resists me. She usually just whines and fusses and is not usually aggressive. Her self-control is very good, but one may say that she is somewhat emotional. When she gets upset it is sometimes hard for her to calm down. Blair has been fairly stable in terms of her temperament throughout the last 18 months. Blair’s goodness of fit is directly related to her temperament. When Blair was younger she was anxious with strangers. As parents, we are benefiting from the principle of goodness of fit by gradually introducing her to new people and situations (Feldman, 2012). Set 3: 30 months-PARENTING PHILOSOPHY â€Å"For cognitive development to occur, new information must be presented- by parents, teachers, or more skilled peers- within the zone of proximal development (Feldman 2012 p. 171). This, in other words, is when a child cannot completely perform a task independently but can do it with a bit of assistance from a more competent figure. This zone of proximal development is something I experience with Blair. At two years old she has got to pick out her tooth and hairbrush, but she still needs a bit of help with both operations. Another idea that Vygotsky believed in was the method of scaffolding. This is known as the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth (Feldman 2012). For example, sometimes Blair has a tough time communicating using her words.