The Birth Of My Son

I have a 3yr old son and the experience of his birth was the most rewarding yet exhausting event of my life.  I counted down the days getting closer to his arrival.  Finally at 1 week over due my Dr. called and said it’s time to induce.  So my husband and I anxiously and nervously checked in to the hospital.  It was 8 am when we checked in and the process was much slower than I thought.  The Dr. broke my water at about 3 pm and from there the contractions grew unbearable.  I did choose to receive an epidural and am so thankful for the medication because it was easy until time to push. After the epidural I rotated positions in the bed until fully dilated.  My mom had arrived at the hospital around 4 or 5 pm but need to leave at 2:30 am for work.  So it was 2 am when I finally was given the ok to push.  I only had 30 min to get him out before my mom had to leave.  I didn’t take any birthing classes but I was so determined to have my baby with my mom in the room.  I focused all my thoughts and energy in to pushing as quickly as possible and it worked.  My son was born at 2:35am, mom was there to see him born, my husband cut the cord, and we had a healthy 9 lb 12 oz baby.  My husband and I stayed awake for hours and hours just holding our son and staring at him.  I know some may not agree with epidurals but I believe I made the right choice for myself and my son.  It was a very stress free labor and delivery although not completely without pain.  I chose not to breast feed because I am a working mother and wanted to be consistent with feeding methods from the beginning, knowing that I would be returning to work in 2 months.  I do not feel that my choices have affected my child’s development in an unfavorable way.  He has met his mile stones thus far and I am pleased with his, social, emotional, and cognitive skills.

Codes of Ethics

From the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of commitment

I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early
childhood care and education and to stay informed
through continuing education and training.

This ideal is meaningful to me because I am at the beginning preparation stages of my career in early childhood education.  I understand that it is important for me to learn and familiarize myself with the basis of early childhood education and continue to keep myself informed.  i am excited about continuing to expand and grow in the field.

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children,
including those with special needs, have access to the
support services needed to be successful.

I believe that most people who know me understand that I believe in equality for persons with disabilities.  Working with disabled adults has made me aware of the injustices that people with disabilities face and also the resources available to support this population as well.  Being that I am now an advocate for people with disabilities I know this will not change as I move toward a career in early childhood education.  Also I have a sister who was diagnosed with a learning disability, so I have seen and understood the barriers and challenges that people with disabilities face from childhood to adult years.

From the DEC Code of Ethics

Professional and Interpersonal Behavior
1. We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value
and human potential of each child.

I was thinking back to my childhood memories in the educational setting and realizing that there are certain things that my teachers have done or said that have stuck with me through the years.  That is why this guideline/principle has meaning to me.  Realizing that as a teacher myself I will also impact the lives of children, I want to make sure that I respect each individual child and family that I come in contact with

Additional Resources

• Learning about cultural diversity at the preschool level
• Children's Defense Fund
• Seattle's Child Magazine Early Learning: A Top Priority for Washington Despite Economic Woes

Health & Well-Being Sector

"I think we need to start early with pediatricians in their training—even before they get

into medical school—to start giving them a desire to understand children and to understand

what they contribute in the way of biases and past experiences. Then, if they understand

themselves by the time they get to medical school, they’ll begin to want to be a pediatrician

who understands children. And then somewhere along the way I’d like to bring in parents and let

pediatricians begin to care about parents as well as the children. And I’d like to teach

pediatricians about child development and about parent development. I’d like every pediatrician to have an exposure to child development!"

T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.

"I think we have to educate everybody about how important the parent is for a child and

how much the child depends on both the parent and the caregiver. And if we do that, I think the

workplace will become more family-friendly. If we can get workplaces to become more family friendly, they’ll begin to support child care situations right around them. I would like for every business community to have a child care center right there in the workplace so parents can go back and forth and feed their babies when they need to; take care of the baby; when the baby cries, the child care person can come and get the mother or the father to come and support the baby. If we can set this up that way, then we could train child care people to pay attention to parents and how important they are, and to understand their gate keeping (that they’re bound to have) and then begin to support the families and the children. Give them the best opportunities that they as a team can give that child! I think we can do that."

T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.


"I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world, and to fix all of the injustices that existed in the world.  And I wanted to do that through teaching.  It became my life long work, early child hood education, and the passion to make sure all children were taught in environments and ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability."

Louise Derman-Sparks
Professor Emeritus
Pacific Oak College, CA

Child Care Sector

"My hope is that the early childhood field will begin to recognize and challenge the cultural standards of leadership that silence many of our most creative and dedicated colleagues. We can challenge the internalized low value placed on child care work in the greater society that is reflected in the limited presence of teachers and providers as our acknowledged leaders and spokespeople. By so doing, we can develop a group of leaders who are willing to question the status quo and to take the necessary risks to make working with young children a career that people can afford to pursue and a career that is respected."

Marcy Whitebook Ph.D.

"When I think of the word passion and the meaning to the word passion, what comes to mind are;  what are my values, what are my beliefs.   What are the ideas that lead me to action.  What do I do so naturally, that perhaps seems so natural to me but may be challenging to others.  What's in my heart."

Leticia Lara LCSW
Regional Manager
Outreach and Professional Development

Personal Childhood Web

Grandma Hunter

 My Grandma Hunter was the Queen Bee of our family.  This is my maternal grandmother who lived with us for most of my childhood years.  She was very nurturing and loving.  She cooked most of our meals and helped us with home work.  She would help get me dressed and comb my hair for school.  She kissed owies and seemed to have a magical touch for making everything better.  She had a way of telling stories that made it all so believable.  She had such a special role in my early years. She filled those times with happy memories.


Mom

My mom and I have always been very close.  As a child I always had a sense of safety and security with my mom which is probably why I slept in her bed until I was five years old.  When my dad finally had enough is when I had to start sleeping in my own bed.  My mom was not the cook of the family but cared for us in many other ways like showing her love.  She has always encouraged confidence and taught good morals and values.   We are still very close today, sometimes she feels like a mom and a sister in one.  She is my best friend and most people think we are sisters. 


Dad

This is dad.  He is and has always been a very hardworking man.  If I had to pick one thing that he always preached, it would be sacrifice.  My dad taught me to be dedicated to everything I do, not just with words, but also by example.  My dad was the disciplinarian but combined that with love and affection.  I am the oldest of four.  Before my siblings were born my dad would take me to Toys R Us every Friday and I would pick out a My Little Pony or Barbie.  I had a whole collection thanks to dad.  Today I don't see dad as much because he lives far but he is still an important part of my life.

Grandma and Grandpa Harris

Grandma and Grandpa Harris have been married 59 years.  They are my dad's parents.  Grandma is the sweetest kindest person ever.  She is a special one of a kind.  Growing up grandma was someone who would always make sure I had everything I needed.  Each year grandma would take me back to school shopping for clothes and school supplies.  This started from kindergarten-senior year of high school.  Grandma always said it was important to love others and she showed me how by being such a loving person herself. 
Grandpa is a man who has lived his life by the bible.  As a child he would teach me lessons from the bible.  Most of my childhood memories of my grandpa are of him teaching me life lessons according to God.  He shared his wisdom, knowledge, and religious spirit.  Today my grandpa has Alzheimer's disease.  I'm glad that I have childhood memories of my grandpa and how he shared his love through teaching.  I don't live close to my grandparents but see them as often as I can.

Quote about children

While we try to teach our children all about life,Our children teach us what life is all about."Angela Schwindt"

...I like this because it is relatable to me.  Having a child has  made me view life in new ways.