Age 8, 10, 12

In what ways have factors influenced your child’s development at ages 8, 10, and 12? List four examples of such influences and explain their effect on your child’s behavior and sense of self. For example, you could choose two classroom and peer group relations/friendships, parent-child relationships or something that affected the parent directly, but child indirectly (divorce, deployment, etc.).

Olivia's development has been influenced by many things. Her desire to learn has strognly influenced her because she became involved in the school's gifted program and that has really influenced her education and desire to learn more. In school she is also a leader among her peers. She is someone who gets along well with others and seems to be a natural leader especally in the school setting. When she was 10, she went with her class on a week long trip in the mountains. This was the first time she had been away from home for any significant length of time and she seemed to do well. It only reinforced her love of nature and science. Olivia has a relationship that is strong between her family. She is close to her parents and sister. She has said many times that she feels the loving relationship from her parents - sometimes more than other kids. She also says that we are more strict. I think that this is okay to a certain extent. The fact that she is aware of it, yet knows how much we love her makes me think that that has influenced her behavior. She is a good student, and does not have any significant behavior problems as of yet. She gets along with others and follows the rules.