Person

Paper 1
Growth & Human
Development
Briana Pappas
Person Paper 1
My name is John Finch. At the time of my beginning, my parents were both 37 (older by
many peoples standards), and my conception came as a surprise to both of them. Their marriage
had always been somewhat rocky, and it nearly collapsed when I was born. My parents were
both Caucasian, born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. My mother had a large middle-class
family, many of whom had moved away as they got older but who remained close with each
other. She was able to trust and count on them for anything. My fathers family was small and
impoverished; he was estranged from his own father, who was an abusive alcoholic. However,
my father was lucky; he was able to get past secondary school and was the first one in his family
who had moved onto college.
My parents met at college, and were they both each others first serious relationship and
they decided to get married after they finished college. My mother worked as a nurse in a small
hospital, and my father worked in the business office of a local company, for which he traveled
frequently. They were almost always financially stable, but occasionally, money got a little tight.
Fortunately they were always able to depend on my maternal grandparents if things got too
rough.
I had three older siblings- the eldest was my brother Will, who was nine years older than
me, and dizygotic twin sisters, Catherine and Audrey, who were six years older than me. People
often thought that my sisters were identical twins since they looked and acted very similarly, but
actually, being dizygotic meant that they were created completely independently of each other,
and only shared the same amount of genetic makeup as they did with me or my brother (Berger,
2010, ch. 2, pg. 47).
Initially, my mothers pregnancy with me was by the books. Once she found out she was
pregnant, she took care of herself and stopped smoking, since it is a teratogen, meaning that it is
a substance that can impair prenatal development and result in birth defects or even death
(Berger, 2010, ch. 2, pg. 73). Exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy can lead to many
birth defects, heart disease and stillbirth (Rochman, 2011). She also began taking her daily
prenatal vitamins, visiting her gynecologist regularly, and eating more healthily. Being pregnant
at her age concerned my mother, who knew that the risk of having a child with a genetic defect
like Down syndrome rose to 1 in 350 after age 35 (Down Syndrome, 2014), however, things
were progressing normally at all of her doctors visits.
Unfortunately, my father had developed an alcohol addiction and was traveling a lot for
his job, which, coupled with the needs of my older siblings, caused my mother lots of stress. This
was compounded when she developed preeclampsia, a complication in pregnancy that causes
high blood pressure and significant edema (Preeclampsia, 2014). Preeclampsia can be dangerous
for both the mother and baby, so my mothers doctor advised her to take some time off of work.
Despite all the precautions she took, I still wound up being born prematurely at 36 weeks, with a
low birth weight of only 5 pounds, 2 ounces. My mothers doctor was concerned about my
weight and prematurity, which can lead to developmental delays or even death (UNICEF, 2004),
so my mother and I were kept at the hospital a few extra days to make sure we were both
healthy.
Besides the prematurity, the labor and delivery went smoothly, and my parents were
terrified yet thrilled to have me. The doctor suggested that my mother try kangaroo care, a
technique where mothers hold their infants skin-to-skin between their breasts (Berger, 2010, ch.
2, pg. 70). This is soothing to infants, and has been shown to help low-birth weight infants gain
weight, as well as sleeping more soundly. My mothers nurturing paid off, and I began to put on
weight and quickly caught up to where I should be in height, weight and development.
As I grew, my phenotype (all of my observable characteristics) began to take form
(Berger, 2010, ch. 2, pg. 44). I was a mirror image of my oldest brother, with large brown eyes,
dimpled cheeks and platinum blonde hair. But my temperament was very much like my
mothers: imaginative, sociable and easy-going. My gross motor skills (such as sitting or
crawling) and fine motor skills (grabbing or using the pincer grasp to pick up small objects)
advanced quickly (Berger, 2010, ch. 3, pg. 95-96) - I started walking at ten months. My language
development came more slowly, but my mother insisted that this was because my older siblings
wanted to do all the talking for me. My siblings loved showing me how to do everyday tasks as
much as I loved watching them and following their lead. My twin sisters in particular enjoyed
being my mentors and providing scaffolding (Berger, 2010, ch. 5, pg.174-176 ) for my learning-
they taught me many things, like showing me how to operate toys, eat with utensils, and open
doors.
Since both my parents worked full time jobs, I spent most days of the week at a daycare
center, where I had several teachers and got to interact with children of varying ages. It seemed
to be a good fit for me, and my linguistic capabilities flourished. Like most toddlers, I would
occasionally get separation anxiety and cry for my mother when she dropped me off at daycare
(Berger, 2010, ch. 4, pg. 125). Although I seemed to enjoy daycare, my mother and I were
deeply attached. She was an advocate of proximal parenting, meaning that when we together, I
was almost always in her arms, touching and cuddling me (Berger, 2010, ch. 4, pg. 136).
My relationship with my father was never a great one, but his was not particularly strong
with anyone in the family. He had always had problems with his angry temperament and alcohol,
which was certainly genetically predisposed, since his father had also abused alcohol (Berger,
2010, ch. 2, pg. 72-73) but it had gotten progressively worse. By the time I was six years old, he
and my mother decided to divorce. The situation was difficult for everyone, but I remember
having a particularly hard time with the adjustment- I felt angry and frustrated all the time. I
externalized my emotions (Berger, 2010, ch. 6, pg. 201) screaming at my mother and sisters,
throwing a tantrum if my friends at school refused to play how I wanted them to, even lashing
out at the poor family dog.
My mother also had less time to spend with me, being a single mom and trying to work
extra shifts to help cover extra expenses, so the television kept me entertained more and more
frequently. This too correlated with my increased anger levels (Berger, 2010, ch. 6, pg. 213). My
mother also became more permissive with our behavior and eating habits. My oldest brother
soon became overweight, bordering on obesity, and I began having issues at school. When I was
8, my mother took me to see a psychiatrist, who diagnosed me with having attention-deficit-
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I had difficulty paying attention, was impulsive and fidgeted
almost constantly. My mother was reluctant to give me the Adderall that my pediatrician
prescribed me; she worried about giving me an amphetamine, and was concerned about the
possibility of me overdosing (Berger, 2010, ch. 7, pg. 263-265), As my behavior worsened
however, it was clear that something needed to be done. I started taking the medication and my
grades and behavior slowly began to improve.
For a many years, we lived with my aunt (who had also recently divorced) and cousin as
an extended family (Berger, 2010, ch.8, pg. 285). It was hard for my mom, but there was a
certain degree of stability in the household- my mom and aunt had always been close, and were
easily able to share many of the responsibilities of child rearing. My grandparents also helped
whenever they could, looking after us during our spring breaks, helping us with our homework,
even supporting my mother financially. We were very fortunate to have such a strong support
network. Eventually however, she married a man, Stephen, whom she had met at the hospital
where she worked. I was 10 years old, and it was yet another difficult transition. He also had
children who occasionally lived with us, although they were several years older than I was, even
older than my siblings. The tribulations of being in a blended family (Berger, 2010, ch. 8, pg.
284), was too much for my brother, who quickly moved out. My sisters could drive at this point,
and frequently stayed over at friends houses, which left me by myself for the most part.
Living with Stephen had its ups and downs. He was very particular about how things
were to be done, the cleanliness of the house, and the rules he expected everyone to follow- I
often got grounded because I did not follow the house rules. It wasnt that I didnt want to, it was
just that I had a hard time remembering all of the things required of me. Fortunately, I easily
made good friends at school, and as long as I took my medication like I was supposed to, I did
well in school. I enjoyed learning about science, and spent a lot of time trying to find out how
things worked. I was well-liked, and was never bullied, nor was I a bully.
Starting middle school and hitting puberty marked a chaotic time in my life. The
testosterone flowing through my veins instigated surprising changes in my body (Berger, 2010,
ch. 9, pg. 311), I began noticing girls, growing unsightly patches of body hair, and hating how
my voice squeaked or broke at the most inconvenient time. But I also grew stronger and taller, a
much more welcome transformation. I had a hard time paying attention in class, preferring to
play football with my friends or preening myself for girls. I was completely egocentric, feeling
like I was center stage, that I had some kind of imaginary audience (Berger, 2010, ch. 9, pg.
328), that I was playing for. I felt invincible, that none of the stunts that I pulled which I knew
were dangerous could hurt me (Berger, 2010, ch. 9, pg. 328). My friends started drinking,
smoking cigarettes and pot, and so at age 16, I also consequently started drinking and smoking.
My academic performance suffered, but I figured as long as I did well enough to get through to
the next year of school, I would be fine.
Life as I had known it had been filled with adjustments and transitions. Going from my
mothers care to daycare, from a nuclear family to an extended family to a blended one, and
going from a household filled with siblings and relatives to one occupied solely by a mother and
stepfather, I felt like my existence was constantly evolving. Now that Im older, I can honestly
say that I am surprised that I made it through childhood and adolescence without more damage,
considering how tumultuous my life was and how destructive my teenage years were.
References
Berger, K. S. (2010). Invitation to the life span. New York: Worth.
Down syndrome. (2014, April 19). Risk factors. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/down-syndrome/basics/risk-factors/con-
20020948
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, July 3). Preeclampsia. Complications. Retrieved July 4, 2014,
from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/preeclampsia/basics/complications/con-20031644
Rochman, B. (2011, July 12). A New Study Details the Effects of Smoking in Pregnancy
| TIME.com. Time. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from
http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/12/why-its-bad-to-smoke-while-pregnant/
United Nations Childrens Fund and World Health Organization (2004), Low
Birthweight: Country, regional and global estimates. New York: UNICEF.