David Shields

CHDV C104

09/25/2022

Tyrone Ledford

Chapter 1 Reflections

Microsystems were always important to the development of a child. From birth, a child is

nurtured by their family, their surroundings and their peers, and the power of this influence only

becomes stronger as the years progress. We all have this influence subconsciously, but it is when

it becomes a conscious thought that things become the most interesting. We go from wondering

how we got to where we are today to understanding the cause and effects between our parents,

home, school, religious background and so much more all combine into the collective influences

of our childhood and even past that, forming us into the humans we are today.

I think the most interesting part about this chapter is how it exposed these connections

outright, talking about everything from the microsystems to the macrosystems, and each how it

influences a child and how some are more potent than others. In the end, all of these systems are

required for a human to naturally develop, and having a system develop differently can cause a

change in the child’s behavior. Say, for example, a child grows up for a few years then his

parents get a divorce, and he lives with his mother who remarries. Not only might he learn from

that that love isn’t permanent, and that getting attached leads to hurt, but he also might begin to

toughen his outer skin per se, not receiving the love that he once did from his father. There are so

many things that can happen when something changes in a child’s life, moving, a new school,

new friends, angry parents, bullying, and so much more that it’s almost impossible to create a

sure-fire formula to actively track and predict how a child would develop. Two children might be
exposed to the exact same circumstances and yet come out completely differently, that’s just the

amazing thing about this study.

I think the biggest moment of realization I had during this chapter was the sudden

realization that every action, even non-action, influences a child. But also, that this action

(Or non-action) doesn’t has to come from a parent. Yes, parents influence children’s

development a lot, but that’s not the only source of development. Friends and family

influence it as well, so as a friend and as a sibling I have to be more careful and more

constructive towards the future and development of my friends and siblings.