Person One Paper

Bradley Pinkston
Salt lake Community College
The year is 1995. Joseph Baron is a high school senior. Apprehensie a!out graduating"
Joseph thinks o#ten a!out his li#e a#ter high school. $hat is he going to do% $ill he go to college
right a&ay or &ill he eer go% $hat &ill he gro& up to !e% $ill he !e a rich or &ill he !e Poor%
'ncertainty a!out the #uture and ho& it &ill all play out is a constant theme in Joseph(s mind.
)aren *e$itt is a high school senior riding out her #inal year in the pu!lic school system taking
less strenuous classes and spending more time &ith her #riends. +mpatient to graduate" )aren ,ust
cannot &ait to get out into the &orld and !e her o&n person. )aren meets Joseph and they
-uickly !ecome an e.clusie couple dating throughout their senior year. /raduation day #inally
arries seeing !oth )aren and Joe o## as high school graduates. Both )aren and Joe are a!out to
!e capsi0ed into the &orld o# parenthood right at the !eginning o# their adult lies. 1Berger" 2313"
Chapter 9 page4 5637
)aren and Joseph !oth come #rom similar socio8economic #amily !ackgrounds. Joseph(s
#ather &orks as general manager #or the state run pu!lic transportation company. 9is mother" a
struggling sales representatie caught up in a multi8leel marketing company. As #or )aren" her
parents do not hae much s&ay on her li#e as o# late. A year ago )aren moed into her
grandmother(s !asement a#ter an altercation &ith her #ather. )aren(s relationship &ith her parents
has !een erratic and unpredicta!le since they got a diorce #our years ago. :oing #our cities
a&ay to her grandmother(s house meant changing schools and starting oer making ne& #riends
in her senior year. ;et" )aren &as ready #or all that" so long as she could get a&ay #rom her
parents and !e her o&n person #inally. 1Berger" 2313" Chapter 1 page4 137
A#ter graduation Joseph and )aren maintain a sort o# holding pattern in their lies oer
the summer" )aren continues to &ork at her ,o! at the #a!ric store" and Joe keeps his ,o! at an
+talian #ood restaurant as a dish&asher. The t&o o# them struggle to #ind a place &here they can
carry out their relationship in &ay they #ind satis#ying. <en though they are !oth high school
graduates" they still rely on their parents #or a lot o# &hat they seemingly take #or granted4
shelter" #ood" and transportation. )aren especially #eels cooped up and engul#ed !y the leel o#
adult superision and e.pectations placed on her. Coninced they can make it on their o&n the
t&o o# them get an apartment together and moe out on their o&n. =iing together )aren soon
!ecomes pregnant and eerything changes #oreer #or !oth hersel# and Joe.
)yle Baron" is due to !e !orn on July 5
th
199>. )aren" his mother is doing &hat
she can to stay healthy and !e prepared #or her role as a mother. She &akes up eery morning to
eat a healthy !reak#ast and takes her prenatal itamins &ith #olic acid !e#ore she goes o## to
&ork. )aren spends her day there on her #eet tending to customers. A#ter she gets home #rom
&ork she spends time &ith Joe the #ather o# her soon to !e !orn !a!y !oy. +n the !eginning o# her
pregnancy )aren &as an.ious and stressed out. She and Joe had ,ust moed into an apartment
together !arely making ends meet. The pregnancy &asn(t planned and it put a real strain on their
relationship. At #irst" Joe &as oer&helmed &ith the idea o# haing a !a!y. )aren &as #rightened
and sick in her #irst &eeks o# !eing pregnant. A#ter some time the t&o o# them settled into the
reality o# &hat &as to come. *octor(s appointments" sonograms" !a!y !ooks" and the support
#rom the respectie #amilies eentually help alleiate some o# the stress and &orry. 1Berger"
2313" Chapter 2 page ??7
*eliery day comes #or )aren and Joe and they are #ully prepared #or their #irst day as
parents as much as anyone could !e. A#ter t&o hours o# la!or the doctor tells )aren that !a!y
)yle is in a !reech position and says they are going to go through &ith a C8section deliery. The
surgery goes oer &ithout any pro!lems. @e&!orn )yle &eighs seen pounds nine ounces and is
gien a clean !ill o# health. )aren &ill need some time to recoer #rom the interening surgery
!ut is e.pected to make a #ull recoery. Joe &as a!le to remain calm during the &hole eent. Joe
and )aren maintained a good leel o# support #or each other" helping one another throughout the
stress#ul day. )aren and Joe are no& proud parents o# their #irst child. 1Berger" 2313" Chapter 2
page A5" A97
The Birst year o# little )yle(s li#e &ent !y so #ast #or )aren and Joe. $hen they arried
home #rom the hospital they -uickly settled into the e!! and #lo& o# li#e &ith a ne&!orn !a!y. At
#irst little )yle seemed to lose &eight" &hich concerned Joe since it seemed like )yle &as eating
regularly. That soon came to an end as little )yle !ecame a oracious eater and started to
seemingly e.plode into almost t&ice the !a!y he &as !e#ore in a matter o# months. )aren
maintained a doctor isit schedule #or hersel# and #or her ne&!orn. By the age o# si. months
!a!y )yle seemed to !e a!le to recogni0e the #aces o# those around him reacting to smiles and
goo#y #aces. @earing the end o# the #irst year eerything seemed to !e progressing normally.
<erything e.cept the sleeping situation. A#ter )aren returned to her normal &ork schedule she
soon !egan to &ake up in the night #rom nightmares. The nightmares continued to distur! her
sleep" #orcing her #rom her !ed to go check up on the !a!y. <entually )aren !egan to sleep on
the couch holding !a!y )yle ne.t to her so she could sleep !etter. At #irst this seemed like a
temporary remedy to the nightmare pro!lem. ;et" eentually Joe !egan to #eel a loss o# intimacy
#rom haing an empty !ed each night. The pattern continued #or months &ith a #e& attempts at
trying to separate )aren and )yle to no aail. A#ter the #irst year" little )yle had learned to take
his #irst steps at #ourteen months old. Already a!le to say a #e& &ords !a!y )yle seemed to !e
moing #or&ard in an almost ideal time #rame. 1Berger" 2313" Chapter 5" Page >?">>"1357
As a toddler" little )yle seemed to hae deeloped a sense o# sel#. 9e could recogni0e
himsel# in the mirror" identi#y his parents" identi#y strangers" and een !ecome em!arrassed
&hen things did not go as planned. )yle appeared to hae a good sense o# trust #or the &orld
around him. This &as something )aren and Joe &orked hard on to keep )yle sa#e" and in an
emotionally supportie enironment. :oing into his third year )yle !egan to deelop a social
connection &ith his e.tended #amily and neigh!ors. Cousins" uncle" aunts" and the kids ne.t door
!ecame a regular occurrence in his li#e. A certain curriculum o# social learning !egan to take
shape in )yle(s li#e. Children his age seemed to !ehae di##erently than himsel#. Some getting
angry and upset at &hat &ould normally not !other )yle at all. Others" seemed to !e less
attached to their mothers as )yle &as. $illing to trael #urther a&ay #rom the sight o# mother
than little )yle &as com#orta!le &ith" al&ays sending )yle running !ack to his mother(s arms
sooner than the rest. Compared to others )yle seemed more conscientious" and easy going !ut
more an.ious &hen it came to !eing separated #rom )aren. 1Berger" 2313" Chapter 6" Page
125"12?"121"12>"1557
As #or )aren and Joe" li#e has !ecome increasing di##icult. Both made !arely enough to
make ends meet &orking lo& income ,o!s. @either hae the time or the resources to !e a!le to
#urther their education !eing that !ills need to get paid and )yle(s needs are al&ays a priority.
The co sleeping situation had drien an almost impossi!le &edge !et&een Joe and )aren in
terms o# intimacy. $hat time they do spend together is spent #ocusing on raising !a!y )yle and
little is le#t #or anything else. Soon things !ecome more than either o# them could !are. Talk o# a
separation &as put on the ta!le. )aren and Joe moed out o# their apartment and !egin to lie
separately. Joe returned to his parent(s house &hile )aren returned to liing her grandmother(s
!asement &ith )yle. This had unintended conse-uences on )yle(s deelopment as a toddler.
$ithout Joe" )yle &as not encouraged in the same &as as !e#ore. /one &as the imaginatie"
high8intensity play sessions and the rough housing. =e#t only &ith the com#ort o# )aren(s
company )yle !ecame more an.iously attached to her than eer !e#ore. Childhood #or )yle
&ent !y &ith the same mile stones as it does #or many other children. )yle deeloped all o# the
-uirks along the &ay. Static reasoning" irreersi!ility" and a ,ust right o!session. All come and go
as )yle !ecame older and older. 9e deeloped a uni-ue sense o# sel# and eentually &as old
enough to attend pu!lic school. 1Berger" 2313" Chapter 6" 5" Page 161"166"16A"1?17
As time passed !y )yle traerses the years o# childhood. /ro&ing older he deeloped a
sense o# his o&n place in the &orld as a !oy. Pre#erring action #igures and ro!ots to dolls and
stu##ed animals. 9e !egan to reason di##erently than he did &hen he &as younger. 9e learned
ho& to apply logical concepts like classi#ication and transitie in#erence in the appropriate
situations. =earning to read" learning proper speech" and learning !asic math all come into )yle(s
li#e as he attended grade school. All the &hile" )aren tries to steer )yle in a moral direction
&heneer it is needed. She tries to maintain a more authoritatie stance in parenting )yle as he
gets older. :ean&hile Joe isits o#ten and maintains a presence in )yle(s li#e &ith &eekend sleep
oers and camping trips. 1Berger" 2313" Chapter A" ?" Page 216"221"259"2557
Transitioning into middle school proes e.tremely di##icult #or )yle. @ot !ut one &eek
a#ter school !egins in his seenth grade year )yle(s grandmother passes a&ay. This coupled &ith
the sudden change in school curriculum and culture sends him into a slump. Academically )yle
!egins to su##er. 9e !ecomes detached and doesn(t #ocus on his school &ork. At home he sleeps
&hen he returns #rom school until his mother arries home #rom &ork. +t is not long !e#ore
)aren !egins to suspect that )yle might need help. A#ter a isit to the #amily doctor )yle is
prescri!ed &ith medication to help him #ocus in school. 9e then is enrolled in an a#ter school
tutoring program designed to help him catch up &ith his peers. Things +mproe slo&ly as )yle
#inds a rhythm in the ne& school setting. 9e eentually deelops #riendships and !ecomes part o#
a cohort o# !oys his o&n age. All the &hile )yle(s !ody is !eginning to change physically. At age
t&ele he !egins to deelop pu!ic hair. At age thirteen he starts his gro&th spurt. At #i#teen his
oice !egins to change into a lo&er tim!re. Binally" !y the age o# eighteen he no longer
resem!les the !oy he once &as closely resem!ling his #ather Joseph &ay !ack in 1995 &hen he
himsel# &as an eighteen year old. . 1Berger" 2313" Chapter >" 9" Page 533"512"556"5597
Works Cited:
Berger" ).S. 123137. Invitation to the life span. @e& ;ork4 $orth"
Content 55C55 ;ou did a great ,o! o# descri!ing )yle(s li#e thus #ar.
Organi0ation 15C15
:echanics 25C25 $ell &ritten.