Desirae Hakel CYAF 160 Paper 2 10/29/14

Paper 2: Age 12 years, 11 months

In todays society it seems that media has basically taken over the world. There
are little 8 year olds who have iPhones, iPads, iPods, and all sorts of different equipment.
I would say that I am definitely on the edge of not being a fan of technology because it
seems to take away kids and teenagers creativity. If I think about it, when I was
younger, the most technological item I owned was a remote control Barbie jeep. It
seems that Arnett (2012) agrees with me when it is stated, that watching TV violence
increases childrens aggression (p.274). With this being said, it already starts at a young
age with the violent cartoons that parents let their kids watch. Then, again, according to
Arnett (2012), time watching television rises substantially in middle childhood, about
3 hours a day in the United States (p. 329). Its ridiculous how many negative effects
can come from so much TV, including violence, obesity, lack of creativity, and much
more. Lastly, Arnett (2012) states, The majority of adolescents favorite electronic
games involve violence. (p. 387). While it is harmful for young children to be violent,
the most they can do is be aggressive and hit, but for adults, this is when the full effects
of shootings, robberies, beatings and rape come into play because of all the violence they
are witnessing and are viewing as okay. Throughout the progression of my virtual
child, Augustine, there were a couple times when he would play video games, but other
than that he would stay particularly active by doing projects or playing sports, and
sometimes even simply reading a book. A rule Im going to make, if God-willing I
become a parent, is that there will be no violent video games and media will not be used
for more than an hour a day. The fact that scares me the most is my child will become
too dependent with technology, and thats exactly what the world wants from young

Desirae Hakel CYAF 160 Paper 2 10/29/14

children. I have high hopes that I will not let that happen to my children. Hence, with
Augustine, he never got too aggressive, so hopefully the video games I let him play
werent too violent.
Parents and peers have an incredibly large impact on children and teenagers, and
not just in this day and age, but since the beginning of the time. A lot of kids would say
their biggest influences are their parents, so the way they behave is the most important.
Then peers come in a close second, maybe even first for some kids depending on their
home life. Augustine went through a phase where he would sometimes come home
cranky and would lock himself up in his room or play video games. My partner and I
had been having some troubles, so for him, it showed him it was okay to be cranky and to
avoid the ones you love instead of talking it out. This is a big reason why I believe
divorce rates are so high-because parents seem to avoid what they are actually upset
about, instead of talking it out. Another example is when Augustine and some of his
friends hid behind a bush and threw walnuts at passing cars. This would have to deal with
the influence of his peers telling him, Yeah, its okay we never get caught, or Walnuts
dont hurt cars, just dont throw them too hard. While he fell into the pressure of his
peers, a lady caught them and came after them-but from that day he never returned to that
bush because he realized it was wrong, especially since he got caught. Fighting parents
and typical wrong decisions made by preteen boys is definitely a typical American
cultural influence, especially with todays society and media shows. Whats even worse
seems to be the attitudes of some Americans these days, though. A lot of Americans
have become lethargic, yes with exercise, but also in forming relationships and keeping

Desirae Hakel CYAF 160 Paper 2 10/29/14

relationships. Its almost a chore these days. Not for a lot of families which is fantastic,
but the concept of, Dont fix it if isnt broke, is a great motto families need to use.
According to Arnett (2012) Piagets cognitive-developmental approach,
focuses on how cognitive abilities change with age in stage sequence of
development. At 12 years old, Augustine is very cooperative with group activities. He is
social, his reading, spelling and writing skills are strong as and he is in gifted English,
Spanish and Social Studies. He also got an A in the gifted math and science classes. He
does need to improve his listening, following directions and time management. One
success is his A in science because of all the museums I took him too and projects with
science we did. His listening problem probably has to reflect on how my partner and I did
not listen to each other very well. In 1st, 5th and 7th grade, Augustine has always been very
strong in math, and okay at science, but he loved it and just had to work a little harder.
Likewise, in 1st, 5th and 7th grade Augustine has had some problems following directions.
He also had listening problems, but again, this could be because of the arguments
between my partner and me that showed Augustine it was okay. Like I said, I support
Augustines success in science because I would take him to museums, get him
magazines, and let him do projects that were science related. The teacher encouraged him
to pursue math, but he loved science more. I wasnt going to force him to practice a
subject more just because he was good at it, so I allowed him to deepen his passion in
science by doing activities with him.

Desirae Hakel CYAF 160 Paper 2 10/29/14

References
Arnett, J.J. (2012). Human Development: A Cultural Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Pearson. 2004-2012. My Virtual Life. University of Southern California: Pearson
Education, Inc. http://myvirtuallife.com/#/student/dashboard