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5.1a Child Attachment
During my infant stages, I demonstrated a secure attachment style. I was always happy to be held, rarely cried, and was generally a very happy baby. I can recall being carried often and cared for. -
4.3a Language 1
The language I grew up with was spoken and written English. My first words were Duck, Duke, and Dad. I was about 1.5 years old. This was the primary language I was surrounded by. -
4.1 My First Memory
I remember being outside of my house in Oshkosh, learning how to ride a bike. My mom and step-dad weren't married at the time, but I do recall it being the first time I called him "dad." I had begun to relate different things and knew he was a father figure in my life, meaning I was developing my interpersonal intelligence. -
4.2 Intelligence
There are two areas of Gardener's eight types of intelligence that I believe I excel in: bodily-kinesthetic and linguistic. I began dancing at the age of 3, and I'm typically very good at learning through visuals or trial-and-error. Growing up, my mom always challenged me with books and played many word games and mazes to help me increase my literacy and improve/expand my vocabulary. Both of these help me today, especially when learning sign language! -
6.1a My Family
When I was two and a half, my parents divorced. About a year later, my mom remarried to my step-dad. My dad remains single. During the day, all three of my parents would be working, so my paternal grandparents would take care of me. Due to being on a farm, I ended up exploring alone often and became more independent at an earlier age. It was odd after my mom and I moved in with my grandmother--both biological parents lived blocks away from each other while my stepdad lived in a different town. -
5.3a Gender
I entered preschool at the age of 5 and began to learn how to interact with my peers. At the time, I didn't understand what gender was, and I remember being confused if I was a boy or a girl. My mom, step-dad, and I were driving to the Lake House for the weekend, and I asked my mom if I was a boy. She got angry with me and snapped that no, I'm a girl. Still, I was a tomboy, and did not typically use most of the "girly" things. Now, I do not strongly identify as female, but more genderfluid. -
4.3b Language 2
When I was 4 or 5, I started learning Spanish with my grandmother during summer school hours. I had always been interested in language, and my grandma took care of me most of the time. I stopped at the age of 7, and took another 3 years of Spanish once I reached high school. -
3.1 My Health
In second grade, I started showing signs of struggling in school--I was missing information due to visual and auditory issues. On top of that, I had too much protein in my urine. My kidneys were not doing well. All three of these things develop in one area of the womb, but it may also be genetic since my father has both hearing loss and kidney problems. The doctors have been unable to come up with a diagnosis despite repeated treatment, which decreased from every 6 months to every two years. -
4.3c Language 3
Finally, in 4th grade, I got an FM System. This intrigued me and encouraged me to start teaching myself ASL. I taught myself the ABC's and some basic signs. In sophomore year of high school, I went to a class held by CESA (but did not learn much). This past August, I was involved in the JumpStart program, which taught me more basics and grammar for ASL. -
3.2 Older Adult Health
Due to my grandmother's declining health, my mom and I moved in with her when I was 11. She had arthritis and many other issues, along with multiple joint and back surgeries. She also had severe cardiovascular issues in which her heart only pumped about 20% of the blood it was supposed to. Because of this, I had to learn how to become an in-home nurse while going to school, being an athlete, and handling a job. It taught me a lot about how to take care of my body to prolong this happening to me. -
6.2 Learning Disability
During my senior year of high school, I started suspecting my inability to focus and stick with a single task may be related to ADHD and not my depression/anxiety as originally suspected. I never noticed hyperactivity, but I was always drained and involved in many sports. It causes me to get distracted easily and forget information quickly. (ADHD causes difficulty with executive functions such as behavioral inhibition, working memory, and planning.) ADHD plus others causes many obstacles daily. -
6.3a Impacted by Death
After 6.5 years of taking care of my grandma, she passed away. At first, the only thing we felt was shock and relief. There was some mourning during which my mom and I bonded, but that didn't last long. We had been expecting her death for a couple years, and we knew it was close at this point. I tried to go out more and be happy to feel normal because home felt off without her. Until late November, I wasn't even able to accept the fact that she is actually gone. I have a hard time believing it. -
5.2 Identity
I am currently in identity moratorium status. I am not completely decided on what I would like to do, but I am exploring my options and I have made a decision to leave home to live here in DC. My commitments are not set in stone, but as of currently I am figuring out how to live on my own and plan to major in Psychology via Gallaudet. -
5.1b Adult Attachment
Although I was securely attached as an infant, I experienced some things which caused my relationship with my parents to be irreparable. Now, I have a very avoidant attachment style. I will get close with someone, but I have limits. I am rather insecure in relationships and do not trust easily. -
1.1 The Present
My name is Brittany Selle. Chronologically, I am 18 years old, and I believe my biological age is roughly the same. My social and psychological ages may be slightly older, due to being an only child raised mostly around adults. When I was younger, I had a lot of independence and was trusted to be alone. However, the middle school period of my life changed that, and I became more rebellious. I have since matured due to those experiences. Various life events impacted my development. -
5.3b Sexuality
When I was younger, I didn't see a problem with loving anyone. However, until middle school, I never questioned my actual sexuality. (At the time, I was bi-curious.) Romantically, I am able to be attracted to anyone provided we get along and share values/beliefs. Sexually, I find many people attractive, but am unable to develop a strong physical attraction to them without an emotional relationship. I identify as pansexual after these experiences. -
6.1b My Birth Order
I am an only child and always have been. I do not believe I am a spoiled brat, but I rarely hear the word "no." I disagree that I am overly dependent, although I need to learn how to hold myself accountable and manage my time better. I understand self-control, although I only achieve moderation after I jump in the deep end. I am definitely not self-centered. I am very achievement-oriented, as my parents pushed that type of mentality on me from an early age. -
2.1 Fertility
Age: 27 (F) / Age: 29 (M) | Female has an STI that was hidden until a fertility test showed it. It turns out that the STI (gonorrhea) spread, partially blocking the fallopian tubes causing lower fertility. However, it may be passed to the baby during birth, potentially causing blindness, adding to the genetic hearing loss. Another teratogen would be severe mental illness, increasing the risk of a low birth weight. If medicine does not help, adoption will be the next step to become parents. -
6.3b My Death
I would like to be cremated or used for helping the earth (i.e. being planted as a tree). I would hope my friends and family don't mourn for long. They can be sad, but I would prefer them to be able to reach acceptance quickly to be able to not be held back. Death is a part of life and it does not have to be a depressing thing. I would hope for them to be able to celebrate my life and remember who I was than mourn over what they no longer have.
