Child Observation Paper

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The first interaction I observed was of a female child who looked to be about eight years of age. She was throwing a fit because she wanted a toy from the store. Screaming and holding the toy to her chest, the child said "I want this and I'm going to have it!" At that point, the mother told the child that she can't have the toy because she isn't acting in a good way to receive it. The child then tries to hit her mother in the face. The mother says "Did you just try to hit me?" and her temper is visibly starting to rise. The little girl continues to scream about how she wants the toy and with one hand clutching the toy, she uses her other hand to push her mother away from her. Her mother yells at her not to push her as the child becomes …show more content…

The child would cry but never screamed or said a word to her mother. Her mother tries to console her by saying they won't be long and that they just had to pick up a few things. The child is in the seat of a shopping cart and tries to hit her mother in her face. To this action, the mother says "Why would you try to hit me? That's not a good behavior." The child remains upset, but the mother continues their shopping trip. What the child wanted was to not be shopping in the store and her mother was trying to get her to not be upset about spending time in the store. From what I observed, the parent was trying to teach her child that her behavior was not a good choice. Throughout the situation, the mother stayed calm and never lost her temper with her daughter. I think that the parents method was effective because I saw them a few minutes later and the child looked to be over her tantrum and smiling. Therefore, the effect of the parents method on the child I think was a positive one for both the mother and daughter. From my observation, I think that the parenting style used was authoritative because the mother stayed calm, explained the child that her behavior wasn't a good choice, and if the child spoke I think that the mother would have listened as to why she didn't want to be

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