Oaklie Observation Essay

Observation Assignment I observed Oaklie, who is two years old and the youngest of four children belonging to a sister that I visit teach. I had the opportunity to observe Oaklie in nursery on Sunday combined with around ten other children age 18 months to three. Here Oaklie was more of a leader than a follower. I also spent time observing Oaklie in her home with her siblings who are ages eight, six, and four. At home, Oaklie is quite self-reliant and holds her own among her older siblings. I got to see her briefly at Walmart this week with her mom and sister, age 4, where she was in the cart happily playing with a cup. Children’s temperaments are often affected by the circumstance or environment they are in, so it was beneficial to observe Oaklie in three different situations and see that her behavior is consistent. Having mostly been around Oaklie when her mom has been present, I didn’t know if she would be approachable; however she is. I went into nursery during the final hour, so she had already been with other adult caregivers for an hour. She didn’t hesitate to interact with me, whereas some of the others did. In her home she talked to me and
showed me toys and things that are important to her. At the store, she let my 17 year-old son and I approach and talk to her, and she maintained a positive disposition.
Oaklie is a very active child, a temperament trait that would make her hard to parent. During nursery she didn’t sit down to color her picture, instead she walked around the table talking to the other children, and reaching around them when she wanted a different crayon. She is distractable since I was able to call her over to a small table by me to color with me. Later, during music time I found her behind me standing on the toy kitchen, but I was able to ask her to get down and direct her attention to the singing activity. Her mom told me they threw a big birthday party for her because they were so happy that she survived the yea; a proud accomplishment given all the climbing she does and injuries she has acquired, like a broken arm this past summer.
I was surprised by Oaklie’s adaptability, which I think would contribute to making it easier to parent her. She wasn’t jealous or threatened when I picked up Millie and held her for some time to calm her down, while the leader attended to others. She didn’t object to another child joining us at the small table while coloring. In fact, she welcomed the company possibly because Alder pointed out that the pink crayon she brought to the table matched Oaklie’s dress; which began a new activity of finding all the pink crayons they could. Later, Alder decided to help Oaklie put her shoes back on while Oaklie sat on a chair reading a book to me. Oaklie allowed Alder to force a shoe on her foot.
Oaklie has a fairly long attention span and is persistent. I asked her if she wanted to read a story, so she picked up a book and started reading…“I do not like them, Sam I am. I do not like them anywhere.” I could interrupt and say, “Do you like them at church?” She would say “No.” while continuing to “read” the story to me, turning the pages at the end of her sentence. She finished all the pages and stood to get another book. Another adult came and sat in the chair Oaklie had left. When she return, she sat on the other side of the adult and began to read, while looking over at me trying to figure out how to read to me with a person in the middle. When asked if she wanted her chair back she said, “Yes” and returned to her seat and read another book all the way through to me. Oaklie’s combination of persistence and high activity level is something I would alert her parents too. I imagine that she would climb to great heights and persistently work to get into dangerous situations, like climbing a high ladder at the playground.
Oaklie has a high threshold of responsiveness and a positive quality of mood. She was happy interacting with me or any of the other adults and children in the room. She greeted her oldest brother when he came to pick her up with a smile and a hug. The only time she seemed slightly ruffled was when another child was taking a doll (her own) out of the nursery, and we weren’t letting Oaklie take one (not her own) with her. However, I asked her if she wanted to but the baby to sleep in the carrier on the toy shelf. She allowed me to pick her up, so she could place the doll in the carrier, cover it with a blanket, and then get down and leave hand in hand with her brother.
Observing Oaklie, thinking about her temperament and the temperaments of my children I discovered that many of the traits go together.
For example Oaklie’s approachability and her high threshold of responsiveness, might mean her parent need to be extra vigilant when strangers are around. Oaklie’s high activity level combined with her persistence means that she might need an extra set of eyes on her at the swimming pool or playground. Likewise, my son’s inapproachability and low threshold of responsiveness explains his anxiety at ward activities. Understanding the temperaments of our children helps us “protect when we must, but permit when we can” (Steinberg, 2004) and to base our parenting less on consistency for the sake of consistency and equality and more on the individual needs and personality of each
child.