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My birth
I was born November 15th, 1967. No complications. 19 inches long, 6 lbs, 7 inches. My mother was 22 years of age and already had 2 children, one age 5 and one age 3. My mother took vitamins during her pregnancy. I was told I was an easy baby. No medical problems. I slept through the night, my motor skills were all intact and immunizations up to date. I was bottle fed. -
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The First Two Years: Cognitive Develpoment
Cognitive Development: My parents say that I was a "Normal" baby. I smiled, I crawled, and babbled, I liked to explore the cupboards when I was young. We moved 3 times from the time I was born until I was 2 years old. This meant that I had to adapt to new surroundings. I had older brothers and sisters and would try to do what they would do. I babbled often and my first word was Mama. My grandmother started teaching me my ABC's at birith and read "Tom and Jerry", picture book everyday. -
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The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development
I smiled a lot. My mother was pregnant with my younger brother and said I was fascinated with her belly. My mother said I was very attached to her around strangers but not around known relatives. However, my grandmother helped out and I would spend the night with her. My father always came home from work and hugged us all. When my father wrestled with my brothers on the floor I would cry. -
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The First Two Years: Biological Development
Biosocial Development: I slept in my own crib. I was normal size at birth, 6 lbs 7 ounces, 19 inches long. We have a huge family and there were lots of people around to play with and lots of attention. No problems with my five senses. My motor skills were intact. Immunizations were up to date. My mother bottle fed me. My mother did not work outside of the house. She was a housewife and mother. -
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Early Childhood: 2-6 years of age
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Psychosocial Develoment
After my arm trauma I became a worry wart. I was very aware of my surrounding and did not like to try new things for fear I would hurt myself again. I started trying to read books, playing dolls, but did not like to rough house with my siblings. I loved to play board games. Before the trauma I would rough house with my brother. I loved to play pretend and dress up. My parents were authoritarian and I did what they said and never asked why. My parents always said I love you and gave hugs. -
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Biosocial Development
We moved alot because my parents could not pay the bills. We did not eat the right foods. We drank pepsi growing up. I had a lot of cavities and my grandmother would take me to the dentist and pay for it. I had nightmares as a child until 3rd grade. My father was hard of hearing and listened to the TV very loud so I would fall asleep in class because I did not sleep well. I loved to draw, and my dad taught me to ride a bike when I was in 2nd grade. My parents did not beat us or verbally abuse us -
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Cognitive Development
Learned my ABC's and numbers up to 100 prior to entering kindergarten. I was very outgoing before my arm surgery and then after that I became very shy. My grandmother was my biggest mentor. She taught me to clean the house( I would help her clean her house when I spent the night with her and liked it). I was in a play in 2nd grade and was able to memorize my lines. I started kindergarden at 4 years old. I was never behnd in school. We were poor and I received free lunchs and breakfast. -
Moving
The second week of 3rd grade we moved to a different city. I had to leave all of my friends and start new. The first day of class my teacher introduced me and all the kids were saying you are so cute(because I was so small compared to them). The teacher went and got me a desk and chair from the kindergarden classroom so my feet would touch the ground. -
Left Arm Surgery
It was cold outside. My younger brother and I were running down the hallway to the backyard. I had a winter coat on and put my hands out in front of me to push the door open. I hit the glass with my left arm and it went through and cut my arm wide open. I was in the hospital for over 2 weeks. I remember seeing my father cry for the first time as he had to leave me in the hospital to go home with my mother to take care of the other siblings. -
Tonsilectomy
I had to go in to get my tonsils removed in 3rd grade. I remember being in the hospital scared because I still wet the bed and was ashamed and scared I would wet the bed. There was a ballon above my head as they put the mask on to put me to sleep and count to 10. I remember getting to 1. I woke up my throat was killing me and my aunt was there with a huge stuffed snake, but she was talking loud. -
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The Middle Childhood: Age 6 to 11
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Psychosocial Development
Resilience and stress are key in my upbringing. My aunt died in a car accident when I was in 6th grade. My mother was in the car and started drinking a lot. I was able to keep it together even though I was sad. And in the summer of 1980 a tornado hit Taylor Michigan and I remember thinking you can survive and make your life worth something. All my aunts and uncles were always around playing cards and the kids all hung out together. My father never did sweat the little things in life and I don't. -
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Biosocial Development
As a child we played outside a lot. We played tag, kick the can and baseball. I did not play sports in the community because we did not have the money. I had a lot of energy growing up, so playing outside was a great outlet. I went to church on Sunday's with my cousin. My family believed in God but did not go to church. We were never aloud to use God's name in vein. I had a cousin who was deaf and found that interesting as a child, but did not know anyone else with a disability. -
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Cognitive Developnment
I grew up in the age when teachers were aloud to use the paddle. I got a wack for not knowing 8X7. Cried and then had to get back up in front of the class. I think that teacher made me strive to be my best. I have never forgotten it since. Even though we grew up poor, I graduated from HS, retired from the Navy(21 years) and went on to college to become a nurse. My parents always said I could do what ever I wanted and that I was smart. I went to public schools all my life. -
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Psychosocial Development Continuied
My parents seperated in the summer of 1980, but to my surpised it did not bother me. The only thing that bothered me was my mom's drinking. She drank every weekend prior to the seperation. My mother eventually asked my father for a divorce in late 1980 and we lived with my father. My mother did not want my father to have to pay child support and money to my mother. I started skipping school in 6th grade. I would go in the morning and skip in the afternoon, maybe trying to get attention. -
Death of my aunt
My aunt died in a car accident. She was my mom's closest sister. My aunt was driving and my mother saw my aunt decapitated. My mother felt responsible and began drinking. It was like she never wanted to be that close to anyone including her kids. The funeral was a closed casset and my cousin(my aunts daughter) and I believed she was not dead and would come back. It took years to get over that. -
Parents seperation
My parents seperated in the Summer. To my suprise I didn't really care because I knew it was coming. My mother would already leave for days on end without returning. Be in bed all day and say she was sick(never say it was a hang over). She never acknowledge her drinking. I think she felt so guilty abuot the car accident that she would drink to get rid of the pain, then feel guilty about drinking and drink again. -
Parents Divorce
My parents divorced and we lived with my father. My mother would come over and cook about 2 times a week. Some morning I would wake up to take my dad his coffee and my mom would be in bed next to him. I always felt this to be normal. But when I would go to my friends house I felt envious of how her parents were both home and they sat down to eat together. Also, I was never disciplined except by my best friends parents would make my friend and I clean up for discipline. Family is very important!! -
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The Adolescence Years: 11 to 18
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Biosocial Development
Pubery was tough for me. My parents divorced and I began to gain weight. No one taught me how to wear make up. No one was around to teach me about my period. My older sister had moved out and I lived with my dad, older brother and younger brother. I was a tomboy, but wanted to be a girly girl, but did not know how.My mom was not around to cook and my dad was tired when he got home so we did not eat very good. I had a lot of acne on my face. I was not sexually active like some of the other girls. -
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Biosocial Development Continuied
I was one of the few lucky ones that was not sexually abused. We had a creeepy uncle that my parents said stay away from and we did. I was very curious about boys, but did not know how to talk to them unless it was joking around with my brother's friends. -
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Cognitive Development
I was an intuitive thinking growing up. If something felt right I used by past to rationalize something. On the other hand this did not always help. Because my mother would leave and drink a lot and I felt I had to take care of my dad and brothers, I always assumed that those around me needed taking care of and not take care of my needs. When I came home for leave(vacation) the first time in the Navy, my father was behind in bills and I gave him all the money I had instead of keeping the money. -
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Psychosocial Development
I tried to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. I did not want to fall into a trap of being poor and not giving my kids what they needed. We had no heat in the house at times because the gas would be turned off. My father was a great listener, but my mother was not around much to talk to. I did not fall into the peer pressure trap because I had select few friends because I did not want people to come to my house, it was clean all the time. I found that I was very sad. -
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Cognitive Development continued
I was not bullied in Junior High or High School. I would stick up for my best friend. She would often say things to other kids and they would want to beat her up and I would step in and say you will have to go through me first. I felt needed, which with my mother I did not. My first job was in High School as a Junior. I wanted money to buy clothes and fit in. But the money I earned went towards paying the bills at home. My mother came and borrowed a lot of money from my dad to go out. -
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Psychosocial Development continuied
My friends and I drank on the weekends. This was not peer pressure it is what I learned growing up. I felt sad that my mother was not around and thought about giving it all up, but never did. Once I joined the Navy I was very happy and did not drink. But both my parents were smokers and I started smoking in 12th grade to be cool. But then I became addicted to cigarettes. It took me a long time to quit but I did when my first child was born. -
First Job
My first job was working in a pizzeria a couple of blocks from my house. My brother had worked there before me and got me the job. I did not even have to apply because he was a good worker and they thought the same of me. I was almost late my first day of work. I was terrrified that I would make a mistake. I tried doing too much and the other girls told me I would make them look bad. Eventually I fit and loved it. I made a lot of friends and they even taught me how to dress and put on make up. -
Second Job
I did not want to work the long hours at the pizzeria so I found a part time job working at a bowling alley behind the snack bar. Needless to say I was not a cook, but I found what I had to cook to be very simple. I was great at multi-tasking so on Saturday's when I had 15 orders of fries, 10 cheeseburgers and a dozen other things for the kids league, I did just fine. I only missed one day of work when my temp was 101. 6. I still felt guilty. My best friends mom took care of me. -
Graduation
In May of 1985 I graduated High School with honors. No one taught me how to apply for scholarschips to go to college and I had no money so I applied to the Navy for 4 years to get money for college. I also wanted to get away from my mother, because it made me so sad to see how much she had changed. She had gotten verbally mean the more she drank. She got in bar fights and ended up in the hospital several times. I did not want to end up that way so I left. -
Navy
In February 1986, my parents took me to the airport so I could go to bootcamp in the Navy. From the moment I stepped off the plane into the Navy I knew that I loved it. There was structure, which I had none of growing up. There were rules and regulations and everyone was accountable for their actions. I had found the one thing that I loved and I was good at it. I progressed in the ranks fairly quickly as an Electrician. I saw the world and met many different people. -
Marriage
I met my husband on my first ship, USS Emory S. Land on December 12th 1986. We began dating shortly there after and moved in together in May of 1987. On July 1st 1987 we got married by the justice of the peace. I did not want a big wedding at the time because I did not want to burden my family with expenses. I must say I regret that now. I wish I would have had just a small wedding. We have now been married for 25 years with all the ups and downs that come with it, but have stuck it out. -
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Cognitive Development
In this stage I actually did think about the future. To save money I worked on my own car and my husband and I lived in a mobile home to save money for a house in the future. My thoughts were logical compared to my friends back home. I was saving for a house, taking college classes and put in positions of authority in the military. Of course one thing I did not do was to start saving for my retirement. We all dressed the same in the military so there was no stereotype of others around me. -
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The Emerginng Adulthood
During this time I was newly married. I traveled around the world and visited many different countries. I went to college. I had a lot of close friends and kept my best friend from back home. I moved up the ranks in the military and always strived to do better. -
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Biosocial Development
As a military member, I was very strong. I could haul 100 pound motors throughout the shop. I could deal well with high levels of stress. I could stay up for days on end during high alert at sea in the Navy. No mood disorders, I would jog and work out to keep my mood stable. My BMI throughout these years was at 21%. I did take a few risks that I would not do now. I slept in the desert and jumped off a cliff in UAE.I did not drink a lot or do drugs in the military. I did try new foods. -
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Psychosocial Development
Near the end of this stage I was well aware that I would stay in the military and get a college education. I grew up very poor and knew that I wanted a good life for my self and my family.My father taught me that I had to work hard for anything that I wanted. My husband and I played tennis together, rode bikes, read books and both went to school. I male and female friends in the Navy. It is important to have someone to talk to out to sea. I helped my parents out financially. -
First Cruise in the Navy
I went on what the Navy calls a 6 month cruise. It was my first time being away from my husband for that long of a time. I loved meeting new people all over the world. My mother was terrified for me. Of course once again I never felt that my life was in danger. I got to see different cultures and different countries that I would never have been able to see if I had not joined the Navy. My life was always changing as a child so the Navy was perfect for me. One day in port and the next not. -
Navy Cop
My second assignment after my first ship was law enforcement. I was the first female ever assigned to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Security Department. I was trained by marines at Lackland Airforce Base in Texas. I was nominated for "Top Cop" by my peers and was on the Channel 4 News, This was an award for military and civilian police officers through out Hampton Roads. I felt humbled and honored. I worked side by side with civilian police officers and learned a lot about the law. -
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Adulthood
During this time I had 2 children, retired from the Navy after 21 years of service. I also completed my nursing degree. I am continuing my education to complete my BA and Master's Degree. I work full time at Botsford Hospital and am saving money for my children's college education. I have been married for 25 years. We have a nice home and nice cars. I am also a caregiver to my father who was recently diagnosed with cancer. -
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Biosocial Development
I never wore glasses until I was older. While in the military in 2005 I was diagnosed with hypercussis, things are much too loud in my ears. Also, after years of running on the steel decks of ships and concrete I got 2 knee surgeries. My sex life in my monogamous relationship with my husband has always been fantastic. At 44 years of age I have not started menopuase yet. I did not do drugs, Also having a parent who was an alcohol, I don't drink or allow alcohol in my home. -
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Psychosocial Development
I am in the final stage of Maslow's Hierachy of Needs. I have met Physiology, Safety, Love and Belonging(family and friends), Success and esteem(I love myself, love my job, I am independent, and get recognition and respect from others). Self-actualization is what I strive for, and continue to go to school to get my BA and Master's and eventually teach. I went as high as I could for the years I spent in the Navy(E-8, there is only one higher). My brother's and sisters and I are very close. -
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Cognitive Development
My autonomic performance is correct as written. I can do a lot of different things including math, but find it hard to teach my children math although it is very easy for mef. Flexibility is a good term for me, I work full time as a nurse, I go to college, I am raising two girls, I am married and take care of our home and my father who was recently diagnosed with cancer and is staying with us. I think that intelligence does go up with age, in my case I have access to higher education. -
First Born
My husband and I waited until our 30's to have children. We wanted to be financially set so that we could give our children and ourselves what we needed unlike the way we grew up. My daughter was healthy and happy. -
Second Born
My second child was born. I had placenta previa and was on bedrest for 5 weeks before she was born. I was told that if I did not go on bedrest not only could my child die but I could die from blood loss. I never grasped the idea that I could die, but I did as I was told and laid quietly in a hospital bed until she was born. I had to ask my sister to come and help us with my holdest because my husband worked nights. My daughter was born healthy and happy. -
Navy Retirement
I retired from Navy after 21 years of service. I would miss all the people but not the long hours I spent away from my children. It was my father who convinced me to stay in the last 3 years to retire even though I wanted to get out after having children. It is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, leave my children and go out to sea, but our lives are set and it was the best thing I could have done for my family. -
Schoolcraft College Nursing Program
I was officially in the Nursing Program. I had finished all of my prerequisite classes including pharmacology and only needed the Nursing Classes. It was hard going to school, taking care of a home and taking care of my children. During that time my husband lost his job and was very depressed. He would interupt my study time constantly. I felt as though he sabotaged me and I failed out at the end of the first year. This was the first time I failed at anything!! I got back in the next year. -
Nursing Degree
I graduated from Nursing School. It was a dream that I had since I was in 6th grade to become a nurse. I was terrrified about job opportunities, but knew that I could do good interview, because that is what you had to do to promote yourself in the Navy. I applied for a job at Botsford Hospital before I graduated and got a call to interview right after graduation. I was told to call as soon as I took the NCLEX. -
NCLEX
I took the NCLEX exam at 2:00 P.M. At question 76 it shut off and I thought I had failed. Most of the questions were select all that apply. So when I got in the car I cried! I rarely cry. I called my sister and said I think I failed. My friend called and said I am sure you did fine. 2 days later I found out I passed!! It was the best feeling ever. -
First Nursing Job
I called the Nurse Administrator and told her I had passed my NCLEX. She told me to come in to work on the 17th and begin all the physical requirements. I was so excited that I got down on my hands and knees and thanked God for giving me such a good life. I have been working there since and love every minute of it. -
Dad moves in
My father lived by himself in St. Helen Michigan and asked if he could move in with us. Of course we all said yes. He was lonely and felt he could not take care of himself anymore. He is a blessing to have around my children. He took great care of us growing up and my daughters and my husband also love having him around. -
My Father's Cancer
My father came down my his house to stay with us for a couple of months during the winter. He got very sick and I took him to the ER. He had high blood glucose levels and an x-ray of his lungs that showed a 6 cm mass in his right lung. A week later he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He is living with me. It is so sad to see how chemotherapy can wear a person down. My father was a strong man before chemo. Now it is hard for him to get up to use the bathroom. I have cried more in the last week. -
Dad's Cancer
I had to rush my father to the emergency room. His Blood Sugar was 810 and they took a chest x-ray. They found a mass the size of a tennis ball in his right lung, his T10 and T11 vertebrae's were fractured due to cancer and a spot of cancer on his left shoulder blade. I was devestated as he was , but I also had a feeling that after 63 years of smoking this was the initial cause of his pain. He is receiving chemo and radiation and we are taking good care of him. -
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Late Adulthood
Although I have not lived through this period in my life I think I can speculate about my life. I have in good health. My body weight is normal for my height. I do not drink or smoke cigarettes. According to my doctor I am in excellent health. I have always said that I see myself living to 100 years old. My great aunt's and uncles lived well into their 90's. God willing I will live a long and healthy life to see my grandkids. -
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Biosocial Development
I can see myself using the elderspeak described in the book. I may have cardiovascular disease when I get older, because even though I was always healthy I can see myself ot cooking on a daily basis once my kids are grown and move out. I wear glasses now so I can see my eyes getting worse as I age. I am on feet during work for 12 hours at a time, so that will probably put wear and tear on my knees, I will use a walker in my 90's. -
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Cognitive Development
I think my mind will be intact in my 90's. Of course it might be hard for me because I am stubborn and want to do everything and because my body will slow down I might get frustrated. I have Alzheimer Disease on either side of my family. I don't have high blood pressure and I don't take medications now but as I get older I will need Vitamin D and Iron. -
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Psychosocial Development
I can see myself sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch with my husband into my 80's. But my husband is overweight and does not eat the best food so I don't see him being around in my 90's. I will be playing cards with people in their 80's and 90's. I like being around people so I will be help the red cross as a volunteer. I can even see my self like "The Golden Girls", living with a bunch of women after our husbands pass away. I will swim in my pool until I can't swim anymore. -
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Death and Dying
I can see myself not really believing that I am going to die at 100 but to live longer. I know my kids will be sad. I think that my heart will give out and just stop beating in my sleep. I think I will lose a lot of loved ones as I get older. I will not want to have a feeding tube, or ventilation. I will only want comfort measures, but will be afraid to take pain meds for fear of dying in my sleep, even though that is how I think I will go. My advance directives are in place.