Journal #1:

If I were actually at the point where my wife and I were planning to have a baby, I feel
that my health practices mainly do fall in line with what I read in Chapter Three of the text. The
main factors that have the largest impact on a child's development and health typically involve
the mother, but the father's health will also have an impact on the baby. A mother's diet, any of
her diseases, and any of her consumption of nicotine through cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs play
the largest role, but the health of the father is also crucial. Fathers who are in poor wealth, who
smoke, who drink, who do drugs, who are old, do not eat healthy, do not exercise right, and have
family history of diseases/disorders are more likely to have children with health problems and/or
malfunctions in development and/or formation. My health is good, thank God, so my wife and I
are hypothetically off to a good start. I have never smoked a cigarette (because I am not a
chimney), I do not drink alcohol, and I have never taken a street drug. Smoking and drug and
alcohol consumption are proven to hurt sperm and cause seem abnormalities. I am twenty years
old, so this also puts us off to a good start since I am not old and have less of a chance of having
mutated offspring. Older fathers are more likely to have offspring with autism, schizophrenia,
and/or a reduced IQ and/or social function due to sperm that has been regenerated hundreds upon
hundreds of times. Also, I am not overweight, but I do not exercise and eat the healthiest. When I
was younger, I was a little chubby, but I do not believe I overate. When a father-to-be overate
before puberty, it has been proven that their sons and/or grandsons have a higher chance of
developing diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease, and they may be subject to an early death as a
result. So, before we definitely decide to have a baby, I should begin to exercise and eat healthier
for a little while. Overall, I think my wife and I should have a healthy baby based on the health
practices I discussed, God willing. 

Journal #2:
Just like the textbook states, it truly is common and normal for children to display different
forms of fears and anxieties, and this definitely goes for our virtual children as well. Between the
ages of eight and twelve months, my virtual child, Madeleine, did have some anxiety, but
nothing out of the ordinary for a child at this age. At eight months, she was reluctant to part from
me when I dropped her off at daycare, and she would begin to cry at this moment. I would have
to leave her, and I would later be told that she always got over it quickly after I left. Also, when
we would be around unfamiliar people, Madeleine would show some signs of fearfulness by
clinging onto whoever was holding her at the time, whether that be my partner or myself.
Without a doubt, she would be cautious around strangers, unfamiliar people, and new situations.
After some time, she would begin to warm up quickly to the friendly people and to new activities
and situations and then begin to vocalize and make eye contact with the other individuals during
these moments. At her first birthday party, Madeleine began to cry when "strangers" would get
too close to her, but then after meeting them a couple times, she would began to stare at her
guests and manage to crack a shy smile for them. This was it. The anxiety and fear reactions
were minimal at this age, but they did not control her and her lifestyle, therefore she should not
have any lasting impacts due to the anxiety later on throughout the rest of her development. She
was cognitively advanced for her age, she wanted independence, was willing to try new things if
I was around, and she interacted without hesitation to a friend of mine during her first encounter
with him. She even attempted to imitate him when he spoke words of a foreign language for her.

Journal #3:
A secure attachment is defined as a pattern of attachment where an infant frequently uses their
mother as a secure base, prefers their mother over a stranger, and where an infant is quickly
comforted by their mother if they seek their contact during a moment of distress. My virtual
child, Madeleine, does have a secure form of attachment directed to my partner. Her mother is
her favorite go-to during moments of distress, and this is completely fine. I am her second go-to.
We were even told, "It has become clear that Madeleine shows a preference for your partner
(especially when distressed) with you a close second." This statement alone definitely provides
us with this conclusion since Madeleine's actions tie into the definition of secure attachment.
When we leave her off at the daycare for the day, she is hesitant when we leave her, and she
wants to stay with the two if us instead. Upon her assessment at nineteen months, the specialist
stated that they thought Madeleine was securely attached, so this statement from the professional
helps us to conclude our judgement as well. At the same time, the specialist thought the
communication system between she and the two of us could be improved, so we will have to
continue working on that. Also, the specialist stated that they thought she was slow to warm up
to new situations with adults. This observation helps to show we (especially her mother) are her
secure bases. Once she turned two years old, the relationship between she and myself grew much
closer, and she has pretty much equally formed the same amount of secure attachment between
my partner and myself. Madeleine checks back in with the two of us during new situations, and
this statement can also help us with our judgement on the type of attachment she has toward her
parents. Infants that display secure patterns of attachment seem to develop in the healthiest way. 

Journal #4:
Pretend play in children is very common, and it is an extremely healthy, participative, engaging
action for them. By engaging in pretend play, cognitive development has been proven to
advance, social skills are promoted, social relationships with peers is launched and supported,
and children begin to develop an appreciation for relationships with others by doing so.
At age three, pretend play for children is mainly related to real life experiences. Also, the use of
props is heavy, lots of language is used by the child, and imaginary friends generally begin to
appear at this time as well. Real life experiences are typically based on their own personal life
experiences, such as moving, changing schools, losing a relative, etc. Props would include boxes,
balls, toy telephones, wands, and almost every form of toy that is suitable for a child that they
can hold, carry, use, and interact with. Children use language by talking out a scene they are
pretending to be part of, and they actively use dialogue during the process to many times express
their feelings regarding the scene they are actively and imaginatively engaged in at the moment.
Through the development of imaginary friends, children are able to actively engage with
somebody they feel is a real person; children typically talk to their imaginary friends, give them
instructions, wait for them to do something, and wait for them to say something, among many
other things. In addition, children at this age typically pretend to role play and act like they are
someone in the real world, whether that be a mom, teacher, doctor, princess, prince, etc. 
At age four, pretend play in children mainly becomes more realistic and even more detail-
oriented in addition to everything they developed a year prior. For example, when a child decides
to "cook" pasta, they will put it in a dish, garnish it with cheese, serve it to someone, and then sit
down to "eat" a plate of it themselves. When dress and props are used now at this age, they are
more elaborate and make better sense. For example, when they pretend to be the chef that cooks
the pasta, they decide to really get into the role and dress in white, wear a big, white hat, and
carry a wooden spoon or some other utensil fit for cooking since that is how a real chef typically
looks. Dialogue during these moments generally always contain more detail and is more realistic
than before. Most importantly, it is at this age when children typically successfully grasp the
difference between make-believe and reality, knowing the difference between the two, and
knowing when each situation is appropriate to use during the day at various moments. 
Pretend play normal and healthy, therefore it should be embraced and supported by parents,
teachers, and caregivers. It is during these moments when children grow and develop in
successful ways.
Journal #5:
The parenting style my partner and I predominately exhibit with our Madeleine is Authoritative
Parenting. According to our textbook, authoritative parents are high in warmth, responsiveness,
and control. They are affectionate, sensitive to their child's emotional needs, have high
expectations for maturity and responsibility, set standards, explain and enforce rules, and
typically use positive discipline methods. As a result, children who are exposed to this type of
parenting tend to be more independent, self-reliant, cheerful, and cooperative.
When my partner and I had a fight, afterward, we both tried our best to calm Madeleine and
explain that neither one of us would be leaving. We typically watch and interact with educational
TV together with her, we do not discourage fantasy play, we try to get her involved in other
forms of activities that we feel would greatly benefit her, and we try our best to encourage her to
try new things. When she has questions, we always answer them. We let Madeleine have lots of
experience with animals and explain to her how they need to be handled, and we generally keep
routines so she understands daily expectations. We always tell her how we want her to act and
tell her what kind of behavior we expect of her given the circumstance. We always explain our
rules and expectations of her given the circumstance we are in, we always praise and frequently
reward her when she follows our rules, and when she does not follow our rules, we give her
warnings and reminders, and if these do not work, we put her in a time-out. We do not spank her,
especially since that is now illegal. When she is put in a time-out for a wrongdoing, we explain
to her why she is in trouble for what she did and why what she did was wrong; she will learn
from this and remember it in the future. Lastly, we make sure to explain to her how gender
generally does not matter anymore when it comes to careers, for example, how men can be chefs
and women can be police officers, but we do want her to play with gender appropriate toys, so
we generally encourage this, but if she is interested in something that does not pertain to her
gender, we let her explore and find the interests that she likes. 
I believe that my parenting style is mainly influenced by my own background. My feel that my
parents are/were authoritative parents, and I think I turned out alright, so this type of patenting
must work. Based on my observations of my grandparents, they seem like they were
authoritative parents, so it must run in the family. European influenced parenting like this truly
does seem to work well. Also, this type of parenting just seems to be the best. Truly good
parenting where everything works out for the better; it has been proven that children that have
been exposed to this type of parenting turn out well. The other forms of parenting come off as
very neglectful, bad, and even kind of abusive where they are not interested in their children or
their lives and the children ultimately are aggressive, depressed, have anxiety, have low self-
control, and do not cooperate very well. 
Journal #6:

For the most part, my virtual child, Madeleine, was very healthy during middle childhood. She
did not have any hearing or vision difficulties, asthma, overeating/obesity, or inadequate sleep
problems, which is good. Unfortunately, she had an accident that resulted in an injury at the age
of six. She was riding her bike, with a helmet, and she decided to cross the street through an
intersection while riding without looking both ways. As a result, she was hit by a turning car and
knocked unconscious due to her head hitting the sidewalk. We immediately (and obviously) took
her to the emergency room for prompt treatment. Upon evaluation by the neurologist, it was
determined that she had suffered a concussion even with a helmet on. It most likely could have
been worse if she were not wearing a helmet, so this is definitely something that needs stressed
to all children and parents: make sure you and/or your child is wearing a helmet because it can
save your life and reduce catastrophic and even fatal injuries. The neurologist ordered a
combination of medication and ample amounts of rest in a dark room for several days for a
healthy recovery. We followed these directions and listened to the doctor: she took her
medication and rested in a dark room for several days. Fortunately, the neurologist informed us
after evaluation and the prescription for treatment that Madeleine should not have any residual
brain damage, which is wonderful. Madeleine had not complained of a headache or any
abnormality in thinking, processing, and vision, so this turned out to be true and a definite
blessing. 

Journal #7:
I have experienced my virtual child represent verbal, logic-mathematical, spatial, musical, and
bodily-kinesthetic  aspects of ability in many ways. On her first grade report card, it stated that
she demonstrates strength in reading, writing, speaking, listening, social studies, science, and
math, is appropriately active, interacts well, and listens. According to her psychologist's report at
the age of eight, she scored average and above average in word reading, reading fluency,
phonological awareness, and spelling. Her scores on the math concepts at this time were in the
gifted range, and this included math application and math computation. On her fifth grade report
card, it stated that she demonstrates strength in all areas of reading, spelling, speaking, listening,
social studies, science, mathematical problem solving, understanding of data, number concepts,
graphical applications, and arithmetic computation, music, and that she is appropriate for grade
level in writing. Overall, Madeleine reads a lot as a strong reader of higher level books, reads
above grade level, loves to read, has an excellent vocabulary that includes many difficult words
for her age, is excellent at language arts, and is able to hold her own conversations with adults.
She is intelligent in math to a gifted level, therefore she is above grade level here as well. Her
passion is math and science, so she is extremely enthusiastic in these areas of study. She is
interested in playing sports, and she is very well at what she does, so she continues to play. She
impresses everyone that hears her singing and ability to play piano. In addition to piano, she has
shown much interest in playing another instrument. She soaks in information like a sponge. Out
of her many talents, she despises arts, crafts, building, constructing, drawing, and all other spatial
aspects of ability, therefore she is not good with those activities and has received comments on
her report cards and evaluations stating that those are areas that require improvement. Based on
all of these examples, it is safe to say that Madeleine is representative of these many abilities
because she meets nearly each description under the definitions of each of the above forms of
intelligence based on Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Framework. She is intelligent. 
Journal #8:
Formal operational thinking/reasoning is typically developed in adolescents between the ages of
eleven and sixteen, and it lasts into adulthood. Once this is developed, adolescents are able to
think more deeply and critically involving abstract, hypothetical, and scientific problems and
think about the relationship between two statements or propositions. Emerging abstract thought,
hypothetico-deductive reasoning, and syllogism helps to develop these skills and skills that
contribute to isolating and combining variables, language, mathematical symbols and chemical
elements becoming a medium of representing thought at the formal operations stage. In the end,
adolescent thinking becomes much more advanced and sophisticated to the point where they can
use logic to come up with creative forms of solutions to problems, do mathematical calculations,
think creatively, use abstract reasoning, and imagine the outcome of specific actions and events.
Madeleine has been intelligent her whole life, therefore her operational reasoning is acceptable.
Her oral reading, decoding, comprehension, spelling, writing, math, and science skills are
definitely average or well above. Many times, she talks about what is "fair" and "not fair,"
obviously developing some moral principles through critical thinking. At age 13, she said that I
am a more supportive and approving parent compared to other parents, but I am more strict than
the average parent, so she pays attention to her surroundings and can comprehend that. By age
14, she had developed a more abstract understanding of people and personalities, so she is able to
use her reasoning and knowledge to make impressions. One time she was on the bus, she had a
long discussion over issues like religion and politics and how they disagreed with one another,
but she listened to their point of view, stood up for her beliefs, and wanted to share with me the
ideas she has and had proposed. This shows that listens, seeks knowledge, is accepting, and uses
reason. Most interestingly and importantly, when she was 14 and went on a competition trip with
school and students, one of the vocal groups that had gone were caught stealing from a store,
ultimately resulting in a school suspension. She agreed with the consequences those students
were facing because they did not live up to the expectations their parents, coach, other
teammates, and school had set for them and their behavior on the trip. This shows a lot about her
person and shows that she is able to reason, understand, and comprehend other forms of
reasoning. Reasoning is extremely important, and Madeleine has shown that she is able of doing
that effectively. 

Journal #9: