Put that phone down! Essay PDF

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Example of essay 5 "put that phone down" in psych 101. This essay was a bit complicated because of the in-depth research and work I had put into it but it was worth it!...

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Put that Phone Down!

Dominique Vera Liberty University Psychology 101-B11 Dr. Kevin Ganey October 5, 2020

2 Put that Phone Down! Every life stage is fundamental for forming personal connections and determines how a person will connect with others as they grow. Mainly, I will be discussing the importance of toddlerhood. Toddlerhood is the age of two years old to about five years old. In this lifetime, electronics consume a significant part of our time, making it harder to make meaningful connections with the ones around us. Parents are often on their phones, computer, and tablets for school, work, and social media, taking their attention off their children. Children currently spend much of their time on YouTube, playing video games, and must attend virtual learning due to the pandemic. Parents play a significant role in their toddler's screen time, and it unnoticeably restricts their child's ability to connect with others. There are many ways to stimulate your child's needs so they can have meaningful connections with others. Therefore, I experimented with my parenting style during this week to help my four-year-old son develop a better sincere relationship with myself and others. As a child grows, their needs change, so does a parent's parenting style. Toddlerhood requires many needs, but some of their primary needs are security, love, emotional support, guidance, consistency, structure, and education. A child's need for security requires them to feel safe, protected, and have all their necessities to live, such as food, water, shelter, and clothing. When their need for security is satisfied, it helps build trust and lets them feel comfortable around you. The needs for love and support are best when you tend to them with high responsiveness, show your love and support, and verbally express it. When the needs of love and support are satisfied, it builds stronger bonds between you and your toddler. It also helps them learn how you would react so they will trust you in future situations. At this stage of life, toddlers want to start doing things independently, even if they cannot successfully achieve

3 the task. Guidance is essential for this stage. According to Erick Erickson's psychosocial theory, toddlers go through the crisis of autonomy versus shame and doubt (George et al., 2020, p. 273). For a toddler to learn and do the functions by themselves, they will need supportive guidance through their tasks. The textbook explains the different outcomes of Erickson's crisis, "Supportive caregiving that allows toddlers to learn these important skills without fear of reprisal helps to successfully resolve this crisis, which leads to autonomous, confident toddlers. In contrast, harsh or unsupportive caregiving during this crisis leads to toddlers who have high levels of shame and who doubt their abilities to act independently in their world" (George et al., 2020. p. 273). Toddlers need structure and consistency; they like to test the waters. When providing structure, you will teach your toddler boundaries and show them you mean what you say you will do, especially if they break the rules. Consistency also requires a parent to be there when their child needs them. When parents provide structure and are consistent with their toddler, it increases toddlers, positive behavior, and social ability in the future. It also helps with developmental morality; your toddler will learn what is right and wrong and fair and not fair. Lastly, a toddler's need for education is essential for cognitive development. Children learn in their own ways, and each child learns differently. Children must learn new information to stimulate their brain and socialization skills to make better connections with others. It is also essential to educate our children on the word of God. In Proverbs 22:6 the Bible states, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it" (English Standard Version, 2016). Parenting styles are different for everyone, but your toddler needs you to be there and fulfill their needs to become successful and have positive, healthy, meaningful relationships with others as they enter their childhood.

4 There are many activities to facilitate meaningful connections with your toddler while attending to their needs simultaneously. One would be to cut the time used on electronics and spend more time together. Parents are often distracted by their phones due to work and social media. Parents also now utilize screen time to break from their toddlers or keep them occupied to do other things like cleaning the house or prepare meals. Instead of offering screen time, parents should have their toddlers help with little chores around the house or give them a hand with preparing for meals. Another activity could be following your child's lead in what they would like to do, for example, coloring, drawing, or arts and crafts. Your child deserves respect, attention, responsiveness, and love. Take that time to talk to them and learn more about them, listen to their stories, answer any of their questions, and reassure them every chance you get. However, many other activities would be imaginary play, making up stories, singing songs, playing outside, and more. Teach them or even let them teach you how to play the way they like to do it. As you do these, they can develop skills for self-entertainment. According to Bowlby's model of attachment phases, our toddler's should be between the well-defined attachment and goal defined relationship phase at this stage of life (Gorge et al., 2020, p. 264). Doing more of these activities and spending more time with your toddler will help facilitate a meaningful connection and help influence them to have meaningful relationships with others in the future. This past week I experimented with my four-year-old son Paul and myself. Like many of us, he must do virtual learning and is confined at home a lot. My husband recently deployed, so there have been many changes in his life that cause him to have different behaviors. Before reading this chapter, I switched my form of parenting to gentle parenting, which at the time, I did not know it would be considered authoritative. My son had been acting out a lot, and it was getting hard on both of us. This week, I decided to cut down on screen time significantly, added

5 more structure to our routine, and spent more one-on-one time with him. At first, Paul was a little upset because he could not watch TV when he had his lunch break but then realized that he could go out after eating. We sing his months of the year and days of the week songs that he learned in class on our walks. When we walk about a mile, we go to the park down the block from our house for thirty minutes. I have done this daily with him since Tuesday, and it has been beneficial in many ways. I was able to teach him how to cross the street, seasons, why holding my hand is essential for his safety and much more. He has been more open with his teachers and speech therapist on what he has learned as well. While creating a stronger connection with my son, I am also fulfilling his toddlerhood needs. In summary, toddlerhood is not always easy. Especially in times like this, our toddlers need us to cater to their needs to build many meaningful connections in their lives. It is essential to spend time with your toddler and not let them rely on electronics to satisfy their needs. There are many activities that every parent can utilize to help them along their process. You are your child's first role model, be a positive one so they can become successful as they grow. Therefore, "Put that Phone Down" and facilitate a meaningful connection with your toddler!

6 References George, S., Kelley, B., & Piferi, R. (2020). Introduction to Psychology from a Christian Worldview. [Liberty University Online Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781792411540/ The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+22%3A6&version=ESV...