Certain Experiences From Our Childhood

A child’s behavior is shaped by their genes and environment. This is where the child is affected both by nature and nurture. Nature affects children because of environment. Nurture affects children from multiple things. For example, home, community, beliefs, and our values. Because children are affected by biology and experience, they have different experiences. Because we make an impact on each others lives we experience life differently. We shape our environment and in turn our environment shapes us.This concept help deepen my understanding of children because it made me realize how much of an impact our environment, whether it be genes or experience, has on us. We can’t walk in each others shoes, but we can learn that we are all different and have had different experiences.

Some things I will never experience like someone else has, but I have my own experiences that they won’t have. It is important to remember that we all have our own story and journey in this life and we need to develop love and tolerance for one another so we can understand where they are coming from. One good strategy is to strive to see everyone as Heavenly Father does. One thing I learned in the 12-steps is to view everyone as my brother and sister. This is because I wouldn’t do that to my brother or sister and I wouldn’t want someone else to do that to my brother or sister either. It helps me see people as they really are and not their flaws. This is still hard for me at times with certain people, so I need to work at that.

Another good thing is to be of service to one another. If our experiences shape our development, then it is good to have those healthy experiences and service to others can help foster that. When people see others being of service, they are more willing to be of service to someone else. Of course just because someone is being of service doesn’t mean the other person will do it as well, but it helps build those healthy experiences that everyone needs. As an example, I live across the street from my stake president, of course this is not a shock to anyone who lives in Utah but living in California that is impressive. Anyways one morning my battery died and long story short he helped me out as he was getting ready for work. A week later I was very depressed and bad thoughts were entering my mind. The experience that I had with my stake president that morning, where it was very similar to a father rescuing his daughter, helped me get out of the funk I was in and had a better day. Where I didn’t have a dad growing up, this father daughter moment I experienced was what I needed to show that I was loved and wanted. This goes along with Core Concept 1 because other people have had those father daughter experiences that I will never have, but I had that same experience with my stake president that other people will never have.

Our relationships with each other and the outcomes of that relationship affects other relationships we will have. This is because each relationship is a building block of healthy development. It is important that children have healthy relationships with their caregivers. Not only do they learn what relationships are like, these particular relationships in their infant years help with their survival. When infants and caregivers are in tune with each other, the infants emotional cues and needs are responded to and taken care of. Those intimate and caring relationships are fundamental for successful human adaptation because of the development in communication, cognition, social-emotional competence, and moral understanding. Babies depend survival depends on the care that is given to them by adults. Helping caregivers develop that bond with infants will help the infants adapt successfully. This concept help deepen my understanding of children because it made me realize how important it is to have relationships with one another. Learning about this has made me understand more of how I view certain relationships.

My perceptions of those relationships have changed for the better because of the role models I have had in my life. It made me realize that certain children might have not experienced certain things in their life and are a certain way because of that. You don’t realize how vital healthy relationships are and that one cannot survive without those healthy relationships. The best strategy I can think of here is to be a role model to someone else. I didn’t have a dad growing up. My views on priesthood, father’s, marriage, and guys in general were skewed. As I got older I noticed the father figures around me, mainly in my ecclesiastical leaders. I saw how they were and was drawn to them because they were a father figure to me. I saw how they were with their wives and children and it showed me that was something I did want and it wasn’t all bad. Then I have good friends, because I had no brothers or sisters, that are like brothers and sisters to me. So even though I didn’t have the family that everyone else had, I had good role models in my life that served those roles to help me establish more healthy relationships with the people around me.

We learn that things in our early childhood can have a profound effect on us, there are effective interventions that can help alter negative outcomes from early childhood and shift the odds to having more favorable adaptive outcomes. Even though certain experiences that happen in early childhood can affect us, there is a way to alter our future. Just because alcoholism runs in the family, doesn’t mean that it can’t be stopped. Just because you live in poverty, doesn’t mean you are destined to be poor. Yes you have Autism as a child, but that doesn’t mean you will be different from everyone else. There are many preventive programs and interventions out there that can help alter the future and our children can have happy and healthy adult lives. The individual has to be open to the new experience and be willing to change. The options that are out there for the different individuals vary from therapeutic to educational services. When children are put in these new environments at an early age are more likely to foster growth and development. The earlier an intervention can get started the more likely you will increase the probability of the desired outcome. This concept help deepen my understanding of children because it made me realize because it made me remember that people can change.

There are great resources out there to help people change and they shouldn’t be ashamed to use them. Getting extra help is not a bad thing, as long as it is bringing about a change and the person is not being dependent on that. These resources help people have happy and healthy lives. We may not be cured of certain diseases and disorders, but we can have the tools that will help us adapt to our circumstances and learn how to live with them. When these interventions are used to their full potential great change comes about, the individual just needs to be honest, have an open mind, and be willing to do what is suggested. The best strategy I can think of is to help others get the help that they need and help provide that information for them. Some people need extra help and there is nothing wrong with that. The extra help is the tools that a person needs to help them deal with life’s challenges that is thrown at them. There are many programs that I have used in dealing with my challenges and so I can be a example of that program and tool. I can show others through my experience, strength, and hope that there is a way to a happier and healthier life. It is important to be there for people as they are getting the intervention and prevention that they need. It may not cure their issues, but it helps them accept it, deal with it, and move on with life.