Chapter 8 Major illnesses of Preschoolers

Pages 215-216 under Major illnesses of Preschoolers they discusses healthcare in the U.S. and emotional depression. They ask the question that I have always wondered, " Why does the United States, the richest nation in the world, provide less than ideal health care for its children?" Their answer was it's not the government's problem, it's the parents problem.
I do not think this statement is valid because not all parents have control over birth defects, hereditary diseases, or genetic disorders. And if parents are trying to care for a child who has some illness or disorder at birth, how can they care for their child if the U.S. does not provide paid maternity leave? Also, parents or single parents are struggling fincancially to pay for health care while out of work. there really is no benefits for anyone in the U.S to have little or no health insurance at all.
We also have a President who passes the No Child Left Behind Act, causing teachers to change their curriculum so they can spend classroom time preparing students to pass a test. Then the pressure is put on children to pass a test which may not work for poor test taker. these types of pressures follow Bronfenbrenner's Ecological model; the pressure starts from the Macrosystem and works its way to the Microsystem. So much pressure leads to emotional illnesses or depression. If a parent wants the child to see a psychiatrist who wants to prescribe medicine, this goes right back to the issue of relying on health care, a problem waiting to aleviate itself.

Appraising Piaget ( chapter 6)

I was actually glad that this section in the book discussed some challenges of Piaget. As I have been reading some of his theories, I keep comparing it to the kids I have helped take care of in their infant years, to Piaget's studies and theories. Some of his theories seem proven wrong through my experience with children or seemed questionable. In the section, Appraising Piaget: Support and Challenges, they discuss Piaget's theory of infants mastering object permanence by 12 months was not correctly tested. I agree that a child may not reach for the object for various reasons other than they do not think it exists. It could be that their attention is turned toward something else since children are shown to quickly move from doing one thing, to easily changing or being directed towards another thing. Not only that but depending on whether a child is premature, born with a birth defect of some sort, the true age of a child is harder to determine in some cases. I agree with Robert Siegler a little more than Piaget, since Siegler believes that cognitive development is more like a wave, children can motion up or down depending on what strategies they encounter that day. Some days children are active and playing with toys or doing things with people they have not encountered. Then the next few days they could be spending time in a waiting room due to a family emergency, with the same 2 toys, not really making any effort or getting attention. I do agree that Piaget's stages of cognitive development are on average, but they are questionable sometimes.

Breast Feeding

I have learned a lot about breast feeding from the book more than from other people. I agree with the book (pg. 135-136) when it discusses how breast feeding is best for newborns. For many reasons there are benefits, but unfortanately many mothers are not educated on these benefits. Breast milk provides more nutrients and regular formula lacks nutrients. Some of the nutrients help children as they get older and fight illnesses. One important factor is just the fact that while breast feeding, the mother holds her infant close to her body, creating the bond that infants need to develop a secure bond.
Overall I feel like if possible, we should collect breast milk from mother's who have an overflow of it, and keep it stored for others mothers' who cannot breast feed. (Of course we would run test to make sure the mother's are in good health). This plan would create healthier infants and mother's. Also pamphlet's of information should be given to new mother's on breast feeding, instead of samples or coupons on formula. This would also help those in low socioeconomic areas maintain proper nutrition for their baby.

Behavior (Chapter 2)

I find Konrad Lorenz's theory interesting and have observed on my own time that behavior is inherited. Becoming an Aunt played a big part in my conclusion. Once my nephew was born I saw a lot of emotional behavior from him that was easily sparked. I wondered why we could not calm him or predict his emotional outbursts. After observing his father's emotional behavior I saw the connection between him and my nephew. I started to observe other kids I would babysit or other nieces and nephews and concluded that their behavior was a result of their parents' genetic traits. Konrad's theory reaffirmed my conclusion because he bases his theories on Darwin's evolution theory.
Although I find that Konrad's theory is true, I also believe that even though behavior is inherited, it also can be changed throughout time such as Lev Vygotsky's theory. People mature and grow through social experiences and by the influence of peers. Throughout a life time experiences can alter someone's behavior which creates their pesonality. They still have the same behavior traits but they just know how to control them through maturity.