What to expect from your child?

Your New Baby and Your Expectations

For the newborn infant "my day" falls into a sleeping·feeding-tending sequence. Around eighteen weeks of age the baby can sit up with support, and by the end of the sixth month he or she is showing some motor coordination, beginning to be a little more sociable, and express· ing various emotions, such as fear, disgust, and anger. The child is now ready for the playpen.
Around the first birthday, motor behavior is moved into the "Wave bye-bye" stage, and such vocalizations as "Mama," "Dada," and "Nana" are heard. Socially the child may still be a bit shy arpund ~trangers; some temper is showing up, which will become quite noticeable in another year as the child begins to display a little more mdependence.
Great Explorer 
The eighteen- to twenty-four-month-old is a great explorer, getting to everything and seemingly too big for a playpen. Both boys and 5irls are coming to understand their environment better and imitating ;.he behavior of others. At this age the child piles blocks in a mass, :ater making a toWel' of three or four blocks. All this indicates that the :bild is beginning to have constructive ideas, however simple they may seem to the adult. By the time the child is three years of age,
eas sometimes outrun conventional words. In asking to be weighed, the child may get on the scales and say" pound me."
The Negative Stage
e stage or the "city manager" arrives around two to three years of be when the child is beginning to show domineering ways, altern at­~g between temper tantrums and showing affection; shifting from berance to shyness, from being eager for food to rejecting it. Such negativism is quite normal, even though the routine includes "no-no­-no" even to reasonable requests and a repertoire of biting, pulling, and hitting. Some children of this age ask for privacy on the toilet. gering in the bathroom can be expected.
The two·year-old has a listening vocabulary of several hundred words, which grows rapidly. "Tell me the story of so-and-so," you will :car him ask over and over again. He will detect even the slightest varations in his favorite stories. Emotional upsets are found cornmonly between the ages of two and three years.
Better Adjusted 
It may be hard to believe, but the self-centered, negativistic child of  three can grow into a child with some self-control, ready to accept suggestions and learn social conformity, and fortunately this happens within the brief span of about a year. By four years of age the child is beginning to show a sense of humor and is dramatizing events and happenings in an interesting manner. "Natural" baby talk is disap­pearing and will continue to drop out if not encouraged. By four years of age the child has become more cooperative and sociable in play with other children of his or her own age. Taking turns in riding the tricycle is a concept much better understood. But before one con­cludes that the child is now ready to settle down, just wait!
Off Again 
As the child approaches the fifth birthday, he or she becomes a bundle of energy, both physically and mentally, and races here and there. Imagination is becoming extensive in scope, ideas shifting rapidly from one thing to another. Socially, boys in particular are becoming more aggressive, boasting of their abilities, being bossy at times, and "hating" everything. However, they are not returning to the stage of negativism they went through two years earlier, evetl thou~h it seems so at times. The four-to-five-year-old is quite a talker, exaggerator, show-off, creator of make-believe, and user of naughty words. Num­ber concepts are beginning to appear, and the child is becoming a little more "other-directed." Although he plays more cooperatively with others, quarrels among children of this age can be expected. He will tell you he can count from 1 to 10, but, "I can't count down a missile."
By six the child has become better "housebroken," more man­ageable. He or she appears to be taking things a little easier. con­solidating gains made earlier. One may even detect some politeness on occasion! Although still talkative, the child speaks with more thought behind what he says. Questions center on practical matters:
"What's it for?" "How does it work?" Emotionally the child is becom­ing better adjl,lsted, though he or she may pick up certain ftars easily. Bad dreams and nightmares are not uncommon. By the fifth or sixth birthday sex differences begin to make their appearances, boys show­ing interest in tools and mechanical gadgets, while girls are interested in domestic things. But these sexual differences in tastes do not arise spontaneously. Cultural influences have a bearing on 'inte~ests; boys are given tools and encouraged to use them, and girls are given dolls and encouraged to play house. It is not only that our culture seems to program sex differences at an early age, but that children are rein­forced in the roles they are expected to play. Our culture even calls the little girl a tomboy if she enjoys roughhousing or shows ability in using tools. The six-ycar-old is becoming clever in sizing up situations and people. and in getting some understanding of self. After a week in school one boy put it this way: "I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk."
Just after the sixth birthday, the child becomes temporarily rather trying. He or she is impulsive, compulsive, bossy, and full of indecision, starting projects and not finishing them, yet often pursu­ing activities from one day to the next. As the child approaches the seventh birthday, indecisive behavior of just a few months back begins to gh'e way to more organization.
Back to Better Adjustment 
Children of seven begin to calm down somewhat. They are a little more reflective and do not branch out into so many new adventures. One can reason with them with a fair degree of success, and they even like to please. Emotionally the seven-year-old has more control over its temper, but also has up-and-down swings of mood. Nose picking, tattling, and alibiing have become part of the behavior pattern. At seven the child is ready to take on more responsibilities.
By eight the child is "no longer a baby." The boy at this age likes to play different roles from time to time-from being a "woman hater" to utilizing the "wolf whistle." Girls. are a little more realistic in understanding sex differences. Boys and girls show much the same developmental trends in behavior. The eight-year-old is a good ob­server. Boys and girls like to attack problems that take some effort to bring about a solution. The use of tools, sewing, and drawing interest the child at this age, but preciseness of mental and physical control is still lacking. As one psychologist stated it, "The child's level of aspiration at this stage in develoment is higher than his or her level of skill."
Some individual sex differences are quite marked in the age range from nine to ten. Each sex seems to show some contempt for the other, although when they gel together, kissing is not uncommon. Both sexes are becoming more self-sufficient. They have more staying power in sticking to a task and are more positive in their likes and dislikes. The ten-year-old gives an impression of being an adult in the making, but' in spite of many 'grown-up ways, development, both physically and psychologically, has a long way to go. Socially, girls tend to develop a little more rapidly than boys.
In some respects the best total picture of psychological develop­ent can be had by taking a look at problems related to physical abits-walking, talking, thinking, and the like.