Time for Kindergarten Assignment 5

I would say that our parenting style is Authoritative. We do our best to enforce and explain the age appropriate demands we place on Katie Anne. I do not think that my parenting techniques have changed much since infancy. I model and consistently praise Katie Anne for good behavior. I also encourage her to share her thoughts and feelings. Although, since Katie Anne seems depressed when stressful situations occur, perhaps that is a result of the harsh fighting my husband and I have done in front of her. My experience as a parent of 4 kids has been helpful in realizing that I don’t have to be my child’s friend. I should guide and direct my child with warmth and love. However, since Katie Anne is still slow to warm up and at times clingy at 4 (and none of my real children are either of those things) I wonder how to “virtually parent” differently to get different results or if those things are simply a built in part of my child’s personality.

Since Katie Anne is now ready for Kindergarten, she is not as easily distracted or impulsive as she was at 2. She can finish a task by herself, unless it becomes too demanding. At 2 she was easily distracted, and rarely finished activities. Part of that comes from goodness of fit, I can recognize that Katie Anne benefits from warm parenting with firm and reasonable demands. That allows her to master a new experience. Katie Anne was able to write her name, and earlier she showed below average results for copying lines. She improved on several of her fine motor skills. I feel this growth comes with age and symbolic thinking as she can control more of her fine motor skills.

I feel that Katie Anne is still slow to warm up to new situations, yet resilient since she is usually in a positive mood, and seems to take ups and downs during the day in stride. She also seems to be able to avoid conflicts and arguments with peers. However, I wonder if Katie Anne is overcontrolled? Katie Anne needs a lot of encouragement and support from teachers to get started on and persist with many tasks or activities, especially if they become too demanding. She often does that with me when a task is too demanding at home. I will continue to encourage her to find a solution on her own and only step in if I fear she will harm herself or others.