Nature AND Nurture

My family has definitely nurtured me into who I am today. I am parts of my dad and parts of my mom. Its easy to see, and sometimes almost scary how much were alike, and its all becuase they are the ones who nurtured me, and as I grew up and developed I caught on to how the spoke and how they acted. Of course there are little instances where I wish I was maybe a little bit more like my parents, or even a little bit less like them, but even with these thoughts I know I wouldn't even be close to the person I am today without them, and there nurturing. I am very lucky to have been nurtured by great parents, unlike Danielle from the Oprah show who was neglected as a child. And just like my parents nutured me and had an influence on me making me like them, so have other people in my family like my younger sister. Even though I am older and born first, growing up and being nutured alongside her, she helped to "nuture" me into who I am, and just like how i'm like my parents and I also like my sister. We share many qualities, letting us have a close healthy relationship. But just as much as i'm like my family, and I am also very unique and different from them. There are many things I like to do that they don't, many things I like that they don't, and we even sometimes believe in different values. I don't think that there was a specific time when my parents realized that i was unique, I think as soon as i began to grow and mature (through my early childhood years and after my sister was born) they began to see my unique personality and traits from both them and my sister.
I belive that your nuturing and how you are nutured can be changed, but that your nature is who you naturally are and that sticks with you no matter what. The way you are nutured can change your natural tendencies a little but, but overall you are always who you were naturally. You can't work against your nature becuase your nature was naturally occuring before you brain could function highly enough to have an impact on and it, and with nurture your brain and abilities and tendencies are still to immature to change how others contribute to you nuturing whether you are raised my great postive people who teach you good values and cultures, or parents who don't care and neglect you. You can't make these people change how they act, and therefore making it hard to work against not only nature, but nuture too.

Agents of Socialization

Outside of my family, groups of people such as my friends, my neighborhood, and people in school have definitely impacted my attitude, behavior, and concept towards life. But a group that has had a significant influence on me are my camp friends. I have been going and working at Camp Chi for about eight years now, and it never gets old. Every year I look foward to seeing my best friends from all over, and my counselors and co-counselors who have done nothing but teach me about knew things and help me have a postive outlook on life. These people (my camp friends) are some of the closest people to me besides my family. They are people who bring significant ideas and values into my life, and through being with them, I have learned what things are really important in life; like the people you surround yourself with. They encourage me to be happy and acknowledge all the things I have when i'm down, and never hesitate to make me laugh. They have helped me to have self confidence, and have helped to show me how to percieve others and give everyone a chance. Each of us has come from a different life stle, and even different states and countries. We teach one another our cultures and practice them all the time. Although many of them don't live nearby, because of the influence they have had on my life, we continue to stay in touch and stay close no matter what. We talk on the phone all the time, and try to make as many visits to see eachother as we can. I can't imagine my life without these friends, they are like my family, and continue to benefit and impact my life positvely everyday.

babies?! i don't think so...

The cultural world at Stevenson often infantilizes students. Everyday we face authority figures and many of their rules, which treat us like babies. Some things that have been done to infantilize students at Stevenson are rules such as not being let off campus until you are a junior. Although many think this is a fair rule and is used as a reward for being a junior, that is exactly how we are being babied. When we grow up the world isnt giving us rewards as we get older. We are on our own and are faced with many challenges that we must get passed as a way of life. If sophomores are mature enough to get their drivers license, then how are they not mature enough to go out for lunch. I believe this is one way Steveson babies us as students. As for the infatilization of adults, it is less commonly if at all seen. Once you enter college (without experience obvioulsy) I feel that the infatilization of us from others begins to end and we start to see that we are growing up and need to face the culture around us.