Culture
Culture plays a big part in the development of a child. It affects almost every aspect of a child’s life from the way they are brought into this world (home birth, hospital birth, ceremonies practiced during labor) to the food they eat growing up. Culture even influences the way a child’s emotions develop. According to a study done by the department of Psychology at NCSU, ” cultural frames affect parents’ beliefs systems and socialization behaviors; which lead to demonstrated effects on developing infants’ emotional experience, expression, and understanding.” Depending on the type of society and what is valued, certain emotions and practices are dominant. For example, Indonesian mothers rarely show strong positive emotion to their children, as the culture values emotional control and strong positive emotions can be seen as disruptive. How does your culture express emotions?
Nutrition
Nutrition is highly important when discussing development, in particular physical development. Doctor’s often use the phrase “you are what you eat”, and for good reason. In the U.S. after a child is born, they visit the doctor every couple months, so their weight, nutrition, and accomplishment of milestones can be assessed. According to the Handbook of Developmental Economics, hundreds of millions of children in less developed countries suffer from poor health and nutrition. There are often less government-funded resources and programs to combat the lack of affordability for nutritious food. This is one reason why I chose to focus on WIC in my previous blog post, because nutrition is so vital especially in the younger years of a child’s life when they are learning and physically growing/developing so much every day.
Environment
As previously mentioned, birthing methods vary widely depending on where you are in the world. For example, “Birth in North America more than anywhere else in the world is a medically monitored and controlled event”. Whereas in contrast, it is not uncommon for a mother in Bolivia to deliver her own baby with a crowd of women close by to keep her company. C- sections are also very common in the United States, more than in other countries. It is important to do your own research and fine the birthing method that it the best for you. Although home births, water births etc., are less common in the U.S., it can be a positive and fulfilling experience for both you and your child.