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Father has depression
Father has genetic predisposition to depression and drug addiction, influencing mental health outcomes even before my birth. -
Mother has routine prenatal care
My mother had routine prenatal vitamins and care, which likely precipitated my healthy birth. -
Mother gives birth early and under narcotics
Early birth could have been linked to a number of post-natal outcomes such as low birth weight and developmental issues; however, this was not the case, as I was born BIG and healthy. -
Mother and Father move off-base
Social development - instead of growing up a military brat I grew up as a civillian. -
Overcome "fear of strangers" early on
Attachment - I was securely attached enough to my mother that I basically trusted everyone and was fine with her leaving anywhere. -
Learned to read at 3 years old
Cognitive development - I learned to read early on and showed signs of advanced cognitive development compared to my peers at that age. -
Entered Pre-K
Social/Cognitive development - entering pre-k gave me social and cognitive tasks that were age-appropriate in a supervised environment, and allowed me to get access to services other children my age lacked. -
Father and Mother divorce
Emotional development - Father and Mother separated. Led to abandonment issues and anxieties later on in life, and lingering depression issues that were at least partially from a genetic predisposition thanks to father. -
Moved to Texas for first time
Further abandonment issues and undiagnosed psychosomatic issues! Also a disruption of social factors in life. By that point in time I was already at the formal operational stage, able to think in abstracts as well as concretes. -
Moved to Alaska
Moved back to Alaska and had to deal with my grandfather. Their poor economic status and my grandfather's abusive behavior contributed to a very hard time with the industry vs. inferiority crisis as defined by Erikson as appropriate for that age. -
Go into therapy for the first time
I went into therapy for the first time, and began moving into the crisis of identity vs role confusion of Erikson's stages. -
Miya born!
Miya was born in June of 2004. She helped my psychological development and emotional development by giving me a non-abusive figure to attach to, even if that attachment was very one-way protective at first. -
Left the Mormon Church
I left the Mormon church, firmly asserting my identity as an individual. This is classic of the Identity vs Role Confusion stage of adolescence. -
Dropped out of area High School
Dropped out of my area high school halfway through a semester, strongly asserting my identity again. I knew that the school was bad for my mental health and had better options waiting in the wings. -
Admitted to Benny Benson Secondary
I was admitted to Benny Benson at this time, a high school that fostered my individual learning style and allowed me to socialize with others who had similar priorities to me. -
Met Ruth for the first time
Met Ruth for the first time. At this time I was likely already migrating into Erickson's crisis of intimacy vs isolation. I was seeking friends I could be close to, as I hadn't made many in prior years. -
Ruth and I begin long-term relationship
Ruth and I finally got over our awkwardness about not wanting to ruin our relationship, conquering the intimacy vs isolation crisis quite soundly before we both turned 20.