P.E.P.S.I.

P.E.P.S.I
Amber Arsenault
EDU 220
Rochelle Hooks
May 12,2019
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BIOGRAPHY
Makenzie Bauman is a 11-year-old child. She was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.

She is my niece and lives with her mother (my sister) and my parents (her grandparents) along

with her brother and her mother’s boyfriend. Makenzie has never had a strong relationship with

her father. Her father and mother broke up when she was about 3 and he hasn’t really been in her

life since. This has been hard on her and she still tries to contact him and be apart of his life. Her

mother’s boyfriend has been around since Makenzie was about 5 years old. He plays somewhat

of a fatherly role for her.

The household gets a bit crazy at times and Makenzie’s grandparents are often left to be

the parental figures for her and her brother. Her mother is usually busy with work and activities

outside of the household, so her grandmother is more of a parental figure than her mom. She had

been an only child until about two years ago. She loves her brother and often takes care of him

being that she is old enough to do so. She is very kind towards him and even with the age gap

seems very interested in his life and making sure he is happy. This is her half-brother.

This is nearing the end of Makenzie’s 6th grade year at Cadwallader middle school. She

has had some challenges entering into middle school. She changed her school zoning so many of

her friends went to a different middle school. She was at a new school and also had to make new

friends. She is outgoing and making friends usually comes very easy to her.
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Physical Development

Puberty has hit for Makenzie. “In 11-year-old girls, physical changes include increased

body fat, beginning of breast enlargement, pubic hair growth, widening hips, underarm hair

growth, oilier skin and hair, and the first menstrual period” (Morin, 2018). Makenzie started her

menstrual cycle early on into the school year. She has also started developing some acne on her

face and has developed in the chest area. She is 60 inches and she weighs 116 pounds. 57 inches

is the average height for an 11-year-old girl and usually they weigh about 81 pounds (Bruso, J.,

n.d.). These numbers put my niece over in both height and weight.

Makenzie has struggled with asthma since about 6 months old. She has been on steroid

medication since this time, often going on and off high dosages depending on her symptoms. She

has been in and out of the hospital since she was an infant because of her asthma. Prednisone is

one medication that she has been on over the course of her whole life for her asthma.

“Prednisone causes the body to retain sodium (salt) and lose potassium. This combination can

result in fluid retention, weight gain, and bloating. Prednisone causes an increase in appetite,

which means that eating more and taking in more calories is also common” which could

contribute to her being overweight for her height (Tresca, 2019).

Asthma has also kept Makenzie from always being able to be physical outside. When it is

windy out, she is not allowed to go outdoors unless she has to, and her allergies get in the way at

other times when the weather is nice. It seems as if she spends the majority of her time indoors

watching television or being on her phone. Her grandparents being the main caregivers don’t

always have the time and energy to participate in outdoor activities with her and being so much

older than her brother she doesn’t often have anyone to play with. She used to live in a

neighborhood with children her age but now she does not.
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Emotional Development

Makenzie has many emotional ups and downs. She doesn’t have the strongest

relationship with her mother, and it is often confusing when her grandmother plays the motherly

role but her biological mother still tries to be the authoritative figure. Her and her mother often

fight which leaves her sad and feeling as if her mother dislikes her. She wants to have a

relationship with her father, but he does not want to be a part of her life, which causes her to feel

depressed and have anxious feelings. “Adolescents experience more intense positive and

negative emotions than do adults”, which makes smaller issues seem larger to them (Snowman,

J., & McCown, R. R., 2015). There was also a major shift once she left elementary school and

started middle school. “Among the concerns that some students have as they make this shift are

having several teachers who vary in their demands and teaching styles, getting lost in an

unfamiliar building, having to make new friends, being picked on by older students, having more

assignments that are also more difficult, and getting low grades” (Snowman, J., & McCown, R.

R., 2015). “Relationships with adults and other children play a central role in the development of

social and emotional regulation”, which is why her lack of a relationship with her parents and

being an only child is contributing to her emotional development in a big way (Nelson, Kendall

& Shields, 2014).

Makenzie is a very strong individual and really has a lot of high self-esteem. While an

article written on the scholastic website says, the rate of bullying increases during this stage of

life, especially among girls, Makenzie is in a good place where she doesn’t let bullying affect her

and she does a great job at being herself (Anthony PHD, M., n.d.). She participates in guitars at

her school and this has become a great outlet for her to relive stress and to stay focused on

something that she likes and enjoys. The past two years she has participated in softball which has
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taught her how to balance emotions that go into winning and losing a game or being frustrated

that you might not be performing as well as you wish you might have.

Philosophical Development

Though Makenzie’s family has never been religious or talked about worship, over the

past year Makenzie has started to ask questions about the nature of religion. According to J’Anne

Ellsworth, at 11 years old the child will start to question the nature of God and questions will

start to come up (Ellsworth, J., 1999). Lately she has questioned the meaning of religion and who

God is. She had a friend that she went to church with and has become acquainted with more

children that have religious backgrounds, so Makenzie has become more exposed to the idea of

church and worship. Her family is not religious and not very open when it comes to speaking of

worship or religion. She does not feel comfortable asking them questions in this matter.

Many of her friends are starting to have boyfriends or like people in a more romantic

way. It is developmentally normal for a child in middle school to experience romance and

relationships (Gilboa, 2019). It is something that comes naturally and although parents might not

like that their child is feeling these feelings it is out of their control and cannot be stunted. As Dr.

Gilboa says “We don’t fear the feelings; we fear the path, the behaviors, the future, the

consequences. Those feelings are so strong that they will take our children to decision-making

without us” which is why it is important to keep lines of communication open with your kids

(Gilboa, 2019). Makenzie has had boyfriends over the past two years and what this means is,

more so just texting and talking to eachother at school. She thinks boys are cute and she gets a

shy embarrassed look when you ask her about her romantic relationships.

Makenzie also seems to use black and white reasoning as a way to defend her failures as

far as grades and school. “To rationalize a lack of effort: if the child sees himself as simply a
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failure, then it isn’t his fault when his lack of effort results in poor performance; it is simply

destiny” (All-or-Nothing Thinking, 2009). When Makenzie doesn’t do well on homework or

schoolwork it is because she doesn’t try not because she is incapable. She does this a lot and she

blames it on understanding the work but in reality, she just thinks if she struggles a little then it is

a complete fail instead of being able to look at the accomplishments overall as a success if she

got something out of it.

Social

Peer pressure has also become a problem as of late. “Peer pressure is akin to the idea of

conformity. It occurs when an individual feels as though they need to do the same things as

people their own age or in their social group to be liked or accepted” and while Makenzie

marches to the beat of her own drum peer pressure still gets the best of her sometimes (Lee, S.,

2018). I talked to her about her group of friends and how they were peer pressuring her to

confront a boy at school she liked earlier in the year. Makenzie didn’t want to, but her friends

insisted that if she didn’t, they were going to think she was shy and afraid and tease her about it.

Of course, peer pressure can be a way of getting a child to step out of their comfort zone but if

the peer pressure is about illegal activities or things that might get them in trouble it is hard to

find when to say no to their friends.

Makenzie has also been a lot more vocal about which clothes she wants to wear. When

she was in elementary school there was no uniforms and now at her middle school there is. She

hates the fact that she has to wear a uniform and thinks this takes away from her personal

expression. Your wardrobe “is self-knowledge and self-confidence expressed through what you

choose to wear, a life-affirming expression of your character and spirit” and because of this,

wearing uniforms to a middle school kids seems like the end of the world (PT Staff., 2005). She
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picks clothes based on what is in style and often looks at people in the shows she watches and in

ads that she sees and wants to look fashionable. She likes to borrow clothes from her mom and

also from her friends.

Makenzie has also developed new friendships and has given up ones that she has had for

a very long time. Two of her best friends are brother and sister and Makenzie’s mom happened

to be best friends with their mom, because the moms are no longer great friends she finds that

she hangs out with them less often and she is almost forced to find new friends. Her mother used

to take her on trips to see the friends and to hang out with them but now she does not, so she

finds friendships in people at school and with people that are more convenient to hang out with.

Psychological scientists Joseph P. Allen “hypothesized that “following the herd” and having

close, supportive relationships in adolescence would lower the risk of having stress-related

health problems in adulthood” (Close Friendships in Adolescence Predict Health in Adulthood.,

2015). It is essential to develop these friendships and relationships early on to be allowed to

maintain them as well.

Intellectual

“Cognitive or intellectual development means the growth of a child’s ability to think and

reason. It's about how they organize their minds, ideas and thoughts to make sense of the world

they live in” (Intellectual development in children., n.d.). The largest thing that has been noticed

with Makenzie’s intellectual development is her ability take on responsibilities and how she is

with her younger brother. The fact that she has no problem watching her brother when he is two

and she is eleven shows some great deal of intellectual development. She has patience with him,

and she understands what he is crying for when he is doing so.

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Another thing that can be noted is her idea and concept of money. Before, she would

view money as something that would grow on trees. She did not have the concept of a $1 bill and

a $100, to her it was all the same. Makenzie has grown up in a household where she has been

pretty spoiled. Her grandparents buy her whatever she wants, and she never really has to work at

anything. As a child in the middle adolescent phase Makenzie has begun to “systematically

consider possible future goals” (Intellectual development in children., n.d.). She has become

more aware of the fact that she no longer wants to live in the environment that she does and talks

about moving in with her aunt (me) when she turns 16. This concept to her didn’t seem realistic

before but now she understands the concept of a future and that she needs to work for what she

wants. “Beyond age 10 to 11, development is more quantitative than qualitative. Existing

capacities are refined and extended to new material. In particular the child’s ability to view

problems in a variety of social contexts, to comprehend the variable sources of other people’s

behavior, expands rapidly during adolescence” (Intellectual Development., 2019).

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MAKENZIE DEVELOPMENTAL
11
10
9
8
7
AGE

6
5
4
3
2
1
PHYSICAL EMOTIONAL PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIAL INTELLECTUAL
P.E.P.S.I
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Recommendations
• Physically Makenzie needs more exercise and to lose weight. It is imperative that she

participate in more physical activities that will help her achieve weight loss. While her

asthma does contribute, it is important to find activities that she will be able to participate

in to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is hard for kids of this generation to get off their

phones and to do physical activities, but she needs to learn to importance of physical

health and how it will bring her far in life.

• Emotionally Makenzie needs to feel loved. Coming from a household that is essentially

broken is making it hard for her to develop in a beneficial way. She needs to feel loved

by her family and supported by what she is doing. It would be beneficial for her to have a

set of rules and boundaries given to her by her parent so her relationship with her

grandparents is that of a granddaughter and grandparent situation.

• Philosophically Makenzie needs to feel as though she is allowed to ask questions. She

needs to know that she can think for herself and try to figure out what life means to her.

She should feel comfortable in the way she approaches asking questions about topics that

may be uncomfortable or considered unacceptable in the household.

• Socially Makenzie seems to be doing just fine. She has many friends and she is doing

well at her social skills. Being involved in activities such as guitar and softball will help

with her social skills and it should be encouraged that she keeps participating in such

activities.

• Intellectually Makenzie is exceeding. She makes it clear that she loves her little brother

and can provide care for him. While this makes her seem more developed then she is it is

important to remember that she is a child and that she is still developing herself. She
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should be able to make goals and set them according to what she wants, this will help her

see what is possible to achieve.

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References

All-or-Nothing Thinking. (2009, September 01). Retrieved from

https://kidsthinkingcritically.wordpress.com/thinkingerrors/all-or-nothing-thinking/

Anthony PHD, M. (n.d.). Social Development in 11-13 Year Olds. Retrieved from

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/social-emotional-learning/development-

milestones/social-development-11-13-year-olds.html

Bruso, J. (n.d.). The Average Weight & Height for Girls. Retrieved May, 2019, from

https://www.livestrong.com/article/362608-the-average-weight-height-for-girls/

Close Friendships in Adolescence Predict Health in Adulthood. (2015, August). Retrieved from

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/close-friendships-in-adolescence-

predict-health-in-adulthood.html

Ellsworth, J. (1999). Retrieved from

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year11.html

Gilboa, D., M.D. (2019, March 20). Do You Know the Benefits of Middle School Crushes?

Retrieved from https://yourteenmag.com/social-life/tips-teen-dating/tween-talk-first-

crush

Intellectual Development. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-

sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/intellectual-development#A

Intellectual development in children. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-

topics-a-to-z/children-and-youth/intellectual-development-in-children#.XNZVno5Kg2w

Lee, S. (2018, November 28).

How to Deal with Peer Pressure in School | Expert Advice & Resources. Retrieved from

https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/peer-pressure/
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Morin, A. (2018, October 19). Here Are the Developmental Milestones You Can Expect From

Your 11-Year-Old. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/11-year-old-

developmental-milestones-4171925

PT Staff. (2005, June). The Value of Style. Retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200507/the-value-style

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching. Australia: Cengage

Learning.

Tresca, J. (2019, March 13). How You Can Reverse Prednisone Weight Gain. Retrieved from

https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-can-i-lose-prednisone-weight-gain-1942985