course material

1. 300 words discuss what you learned from the following information with
clarity and explain why you find it interesting meaningful please split out
your topics by numbering them 1 and 2 or by paragraph then respond to 2
other posts
Main discussion should be 300 words. Responses to 2 posts should be 100 words each.The
Impact of Eletronic MediaComputer technology has revolutionized parenting. For better or
worse, many of us—practically from birth to adulthood—spend much of our time staring
at a screenBABIES, TODDLERS, AND PRESCHOOLERSThousands of music, counting, and
alphabet learning apps are now targeted at infants and toddlers. The apps include “flash
cards― to teach toddlers to read and spell. Many parents are convinced that smartphones
and apps are beneficial for preschoolers. In contrast, most pediatricians and educators say
that such electronic devices aren’t educational but passive amusements like television.
Because the children are staring at screens, they don’t interact with people around
them, don’t use language, and don’t experience the wider world through exploration
and play.School-Age ChildrenA recent test of 400 popular smartphone and tablet apps
aimed at children found that 80 percent of the apps didn’t offer any information about
their privacy policies. Of the 20 percent that contained any privacy-related disclosure, many
consisted of a link to a long, dense, and technical privacy policy that was filled with
irrelevant information and would be difficult for most parents to read and
understand.TeensInternet use among American teenagers has changed. Since 2006, 95
percent have been online, but 74 percent of adolescents, aging 12 to 17, now access the
Internet on cell phones, computer tablets, and other mobile devices. This means that many
preteens and teens have more autonomy because they no longer have to share desktops and
laptops with other family members.For the vast majority of teens, social and other digital
communications media are a daily part of life—90 percent have used some form of social
media, 87 percent text every day, and 75 percent have a profile on a social networking site,
usually Facebook. A small number (5 percent) say that the Internet makes them feel more
depressed and less outgoing, and 36 percent sometimes wish they could go back to a time
when there was no Facebook.ParentsMany parents are wary of the electronic media’s
impact on their children. For example, 81 percent are concerned about how much
information advertisers can learn about their child’s online behavior, 72 percent are
uneasy about how their teenagers interact online with people they don’t know, and 69
percent worry that the online activity might have a negative effect on their children’s

2. reputation or future academic or employment possibilities. Despite such concerns, only 31
percent of parents have helped their children set up privacy settings for a social networking
site.Another source of parental concern is cyber-bullying, willful and repeated harm using
computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices. Cyber-bullying among children begins
before age 12, but is most common during the teen years. Approximately 32 percent of
teens have experienced some type of online harassment.Parents often criticize their kids for
spending too much time texting and surfing the Web, but they themselves may be the
biggest technology abusers. For instance, 40 percent of parents admit that their mobile
devices have distracted them from playing with their children, and 41 of teens report seeing
their parents read or send an e-mail, or text, while driving “all the time―.Children at
RiskLife is improving for many American children. Compared with figures from 2000, today
they’re smoking and drinking alcohol less, graduating from high school in larger
numbers, are less likely to die of motor vehicle injuries and to be exposed to secondhand
smoke at home. There is also some bad news:Approximately 36 percent of children and
adolescents are overweight or obese, up from 6 percent in 1980.Between 1991 and 2007,
the number of incarcerated parents with children under age 18 increased by 79
percent.About 67 percent of children (up from 59 percent in 2009) live in counties in which
one or more air pollutants are above the allowable levels.Among all industrialized
countries, the United States has the highest child poverty rates and the worst record in
protecting children against gun violence.Foster CareThe obvious benefit of foster homes is
that many children experience physical and emotional safety. Poverty, child abuse, and
parental neglect are some of the major reasons for children’s out-of-home placements,
including care by relatives, residential treatment facilities, and group homes. The most
common out-of- home placement is the foster home, in which adults raise children who
aren’t their own.Nationally, the number of U.S. children in foster care decreased by 30
percent between 2002 and 2011. In 2011, 410,000 children were in foster care at some
point during the year; 104,000 were waiting to be adopted. In theory, foster homes are
supposed to provide short-term care until children can be adopted or returned to their
biological parents. In reality, many of the children wait up to five years to be adopted, go
through multiple placements, and remain in foster care until late adolescence.Estimates
vary by city and state, but between 36 and 52 percent of older youth run away at least once,
and nearly two-thirds do so multiple times. Unlike other runaways, youth who run away
from foster care aren’t trying to escape abuse or neglect, but want to be with family or
friends, including girlfriends and boyfriends.Of the teenagers who “age out― of the
foster care system when they turn 18 years old, about half don’t complete high school,
about a third are arrested, and almost as many are homeless. Only 38 percent of those
working at age 18 are employed a year after leaving foster care, and among women, about
half are pregnant within 12 to 18 monthsPOST 1: Two topics I found interesting this week
are medicalization and the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and parenting.
Medicalization is defining a nonmedical problem as an illness that requires medical
treatment. I once examined this recent phenomenon in the case of alcoholics. Today, people
addicted to alcohol are usually called alcoholics; but some of us surely have heard them
called drunkards. Drunkard isn’t really used anymore because it was considered

3. derogatory, and overindulgence in alcohol became medicalized; thus alcohol addicts
weren’t drunkards anymore, they were instead victims of alcohol that needed help as
opposed to people who chose to develop this bad habit and display unsavory behaviors. Our
textbook helped make the connection that substance abuse wasn’t the only area impacted
by medicalization. Children are becoming increasingly overmedicated for behaviors
previously considered normal, disobedient, or just different. To make things worse, since
medicalization of children’s behaviors is relatively new, many provided medications are
potentially dangerous to them and are largely tested on only adults.Socioeconomic status of
a family made sense to play a role in the development of a child. After reading the chapter
though, a few details in the middle SES bracket grabbed my attention. First was that the
textbook informs us that middle SES parents speak to their infant children more than low
SES parents do, but also in more sophisticated ways. I felt this needed to be expanded on
because I wasn’t sure how to interpret it. Could this mean middle SES parents are doing less
baby talk to their infants? Perhaps this sophistication simply means middle SES parents are
better at finding creative ways to explain he world to their children upon being asked
questions. Secondly, I appreciated the acknowledgement of the impact of a presence of
books in a home. Apparently a home with just twenty-five books in it increases the
likelihood of a child completing more years in school.POST 2: One of the things that I
learned in this module is the importance of spending time with children. The text
mentioned that an important factor in a child’s well-being is the type and amount of
interaction between children and parents. One of the activities that can be implemented to
spend time with children is reading. Reading stimulates a child’s cognitive and
intellectual abilities, also prepares them for kindergarten. Outdoor activities such as going
to the park, playground or visit the zoo or to friends help to improve the communication
between parents and children. For instance, my family and I like to spend time together at
the beach, we use that time to talk about our daily life or about things that are bothering my
children. I truly believe that spending quality time with children is key in order to develop
communication and trust. So far, in my own experience, my children enjoy a lot when
spending quality time with them, it makes them feel more confident.Another thing that got
my attention from this week’s module is Changes in parent-Child relationships. The text
mentioned that a good parent-child relationship may shift suddenly during adolescent. In
addition, the text illustrates that parents may feel rejected as teenagers become more
independent, teenagers are establishing their own identity and want to break away from
parental supervision. I consider these points as truth because right now I’ve experimented
with some of those issues. My eldest son, (a high school senior) definitely makes me feel
that he doesn’t need me too much anymore. For instance, he is now applying for
different colleges and we have a disagreement about where he should go to study. At the
end, he told me that I need to understand that is his life and that he is the one that would
decide about it. At that moment, I felt rejected and I cried, later I realized that I overreacted,
and we talk about it. I know that he is not my baby anymore but it is hard for me to realize
that it is time to let him make his own decisions and now my role as a mom is to support
him in his decisions.