A Tear Between Twins :: Personal Narrative Writing

A Tear Between Twins "Come on guys, we really shouldn't," I begged Shawn, the driver of our group date. "It is so rude of us to drive by and ruin this special moment for Janae and Bryce. We all know why they have gone up to the temple don't we? I mean it is their six month anniversary, and neither of them have had their first kiss yet! Hmmm..???" Even though I truly meant what I was saying, a part of me wanted to ruin this fairytale event in their relationship. Not that I disapproved of Janae and Bryce being together; I guess it was the fact that she was moving a step ahead of me for the first time in our lives. After all, I had a reason for this mean streak--Bryce had stolen my best friend. February 13th, 1979, Janae and I were born in Sunrise Hospital, four minutes apart, to two anxious, ecstatic, and not to mention exhausted parents. Immediately following the birth, the doctor glanced up at my mother and father and announced that they were the proud parents of identical twin girls. My sister Janae was born first weighing a mere four pounds 11 ounces and I swiftly followed, weighing a hefty seven pounds zero ounces (very large for the average twin). The doctor proceeded to tell my mother that identical twins automatically have a special bond that exists between them, and that she was to enjoy the many fun, challenging, yet exciting experiences to come. One of the most challenging experiences to come would be the dreadful day when the two of us would realize that we couldn't be together always. That memorable day we slept together, side by side, in our rectangular clear plastic hospital beds -- determined to be inseparable for the remainder of our lives. Several people are considerably fascinated with twins, but don't quite comprehend exactly what it is like to be one. Actually, being a twin really isn't that different than not being a twin. (Or at least I don't think it is. The truth is that I have never not been one.) I believe, however, there is one advantage to being an identical twin. Identical twins are basically made up of the same ingredients. There is a connection that exists right from birth. In our case, Janae and I have found that we enjoy the same books, the same sports, the same food, we love the rain, and lastly our taste in guys is nearly the same.

Child Rearing in the Us and Colombia Essay

Early care-giving is a major factor for a child to feel secure to explore the world around them (Carbonell, Alzate, Bustamente & Quiceno , 2002). How different is this early care-giving between two cultures such as the United States and Colombia? This is a look at the differences and similiaries of raising girls, both born in 1988, in Colombia and the United States. Both girls were raised in nuclear families, with one older sibling, close enough in age to be a major part of each girl’s daily life. One was raised in Colombia, although she moved to the United States at the age of eleven, while the other was raised completely in the United States. Both parents of each girl were interviewed as well as the girl herself. The basic stepping stones, the times that parents love to videotape, the â€Å"baby’s first† moments all seem to happen relatively similarly in both girls. Self-reported by Paulina, was that she walked around the age of ten months. Similarly, Jane walked at the age of ten months. Both were somewhat delayed in speech, enough so to be taken to doctors. In each case, the parents were told that the child would speak if the family stopped following the non-verbal directions from the child. Paulina’s first words were â€Å"eso,† Spanish for â€Å"that,† and â€Å"Ma. † Jane’s first word was â€Å"Ah-yah† which was meant to be â€Å"Alex,† her brother’s name. Paulina stood alone at the age of eight months (personal communication with subject), as did Jane (personal communication with subject). Punishment is something all parents must figure out. Hispanics tend to mollify children and be more lenient (Figueroa-Moseley, Ramey, Keltner & Lanzi, 2006). Hispanic parents tend to try to calm their child rather than work towards developmental goals, which tend to be more valued in the United States. Neither girl was punished in the form of â€Å"grounding,† but both were warned with simple looks from their parents, such as glaring and both girls were yelled at as well. Corporal punishment was used for each girl as well. Paulina was â€Å"smacked,† and Jane was occasionally spanked. Jane would be sent to her room or made to sit in a chair as in a â€Å"Time Out,† however Paulina never experienced a â€Å"Time Out† and recollects that such a thing was not common in Colombia. Both girls were raised to speak their mind, and not wait to be spoken to, as long as what was said was respectful. Questions were welcomed by both families, but the girls were expected to know the time and place in which to ask questions. Each girl was also allowed to pick out her own clothes, which has been shown to be good for children, as children see it is important for them to make some of their own decisions, and identify with the choices (Ardila-Rey, Killen, 2001). Paulina’s mother tried to teach her what matched, but eventually gave up trying when it, although Colombian mothers tend to worry about the outward appearance of their children (Carbonell et al, 2002). When asked what Jane would choose to wear, Jane’s mother replied, â€Å"Anything that didn’t match,† although she, too, tried to teach her daughter matching. No major restrictions were set upon either girl, except to be respectful. Respect was emphasized in both situations. As respect was emphasized from child to adult, so was it shown from adult to child. Both children were kept informed of what was happening in the family. Children were expected to be a part of dinner conversation and were allowed to participate in the adults’ lives. Also, both children were given reasoning behind decisions and had things explained? â€Å"because I said so† was used only when the situation would be later explained, and the consequences of an action were described rather than a mere â€Å"don’t do it. † Chores were a part of each girl’s life as well. Both were expected to do what was asked of them to help around the house– dusting, vacuuming, clearing the table, etc. Jane was expected to help with dinner, which included getting food from the refrigerator, carrying things to the table, loading the dishwasher, setting the table, and occasionally stirring. Jane was given an allowance of approximately five dollars a week, but this was never in exchange for doing her chores. Paulina, too, was not paid for doing her chores. She states, â€Å"I was part of the family and therefore I was expected to work in the house without any sort of reward (personal communication, April 10, 2007). † Colombia tends to be a collective society that looks to the benefit of the group, rather than the individual (Pilgrim, Reuda-Riedle, 2002), which applies to this situation in that Paulina was expected to help keep the house in order, without ? payment’ because it was for the greater good of the family, being part of the group is an important aspects of a collective culture. Family relationships and interdependence? a common bond between family members, working together for the benefit of the family? tend to be much more emphasized in Hispanic cultures (Carbonell et al, 2002). A major part of any culture is food and dining, and children are a part of that. Children often lose some of their appetite between ages two and six, and because parents worry, bad food habits are put into place. Sugary foods are offered if a child finishes a meal, and many foods have vitamins and nutrients added. However iron, zinc, and calcium are seen to be deficient because juices and sodas are replacing milk, and cereals and processed foods replace fresh fruits and vegetables (Berger, 2006). It is also hard to maintain good eating habits during this age, because children often need meals to be â€Å"just right. † Children have very determined ideas for what should be eaten, how it should be eaten, and the entire situation surrounding the meal. Often times the food â€Å"required† is not healthy food, but rather sugary or similar to fast-food, like chicken nuggets or French fries. Paulina ate dinner together with her family every night, generally at eight o’clock, as is customary in Colombia. Her mother did most of the cooking, and after dinner, either her mom would not clean up, or her mother would, but with the help of her daughters, while her father did other household things. On weekends, most meals were eaten together. Breakfast was generally around ten o’clock in the morning and lunch was around three o’clock in the afternoon. Very few times, her father would cook, although he cooks more now that they live in the United States. Food was as healthy and fresh as possible. Snacks were fresh fruits, and there were never packaged foods in the house. Jane would eat dinner with her family as well, often around seven o’clock in the evening, when her father came home. She would eat breakfast and lunch with her brother until this was no longer possible because of school. Jane’s mother did most of the cooking, and the children were expected to help. Snacks were often dry cereal like Cheerios, apples, crackers, or cheese. Paulina started learning numbers and how to read and write at the age of four, when she went to preschool. The debate of how children should be taught to read can be broken into two sides; phonetics and whole language (Berger, 2006). Phonetics looks at each sound of each letter, while whole language, encouraged by Piaget, says that concentrating on the goal of fluency and communication is more important than individual words (Berger, 2006). Jane also attended a preschool at the age of four, but it was not as much structured, formal schooling. Both were taken to a part-day day-care or nursery school for the opportunity to socialize with other children. While at nursery school, Paulina was mostly made to play with toys. Jane attended a Co-op nursery school at a Unitarian Universalist church. In a Co-op nursery school parents take turns coming into the school to help supervise stations and participate in the nursery school experience. Stations were set up, such as a Reading Corner, Snacks, and a daily feature, such as tracing bodies on large sheets of paper or crafts. Co-op nursery schools are not typical in the United States, but Jane’s parents thought it was important to be involved with their children when possible and for their children to have the socialization experience. Both were read to everyday. Jane was read to a two to three times a day, for about fifteen minutes each time, but also had labels, signs, and anything printed read to her during everyday life. Jane was occasionally, but not often spoken to in â€Å"Baby Talk,† while Paulina was never spoken to in â€Å"Baby Talk,† as her parents thought speaking to her regularly would help her learn to understand. Both parents acknowledge that their children were not raised in a way that is typical to their individual cultures, and that is evident looking at the two girls in adolescence and early adulthood. Both girls realize that because their parents were stricter when they were young, that as the girls grew older; their parents didn’t need to be as strict. Each girl knew what was expected of her and was therefore given more freedom as she matured. Many times this appeared to friends as though the girl could do what she pleased, although this was not the case. The girls knew the limits of what they could do without being told. Both sets of parents relied more on their trust in their daughter than blatantly telling her what she could or could not do. Obviously, there are some differences and some similarities between raising children in Colombia versus the United States. Developmentally, the children seem to be similar, and most of the parenting is more alike than different. References Ardila-Rey, A. & Killen, M. (2001). Middle class Colombian children’s evaluations of personal, moral, and social-conventional interactions in the classroom. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 25 (3), 246-255 Berger, K. (2006). The Developing Person: Through Childhood and Adolescence (7th ed. ). New York: Worth Publishers. Figueroa, C. , Ramey, C. , Keltner, B. , & Lanzi, R. (2006). Variations in Latino Parenting Practices and Their Effects on Child Cognitive Developmental Outcomes. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 28, 102-114. Pilgram, C. & Rueda-Riedle, A. (2002). The importance of social context in cross-cultural comparisions: First graders in Colombia and the United States. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 163 (3), 283- 296. Posada, G. , Jacobs, A. , Richmond, M. , Carbonell, O. , Alzate, G. , Bustamante, M. , & Quiceno, J. (2002). Maternal Caregiving and Infant Security in Two Cultures. Developmental Psychology, 38 (1), 67-78.

Hitlers Reasoning for his War on Jews Night by Elie Wiesel

Adolf Hitler, most widely known as the orchestrator of the Holocaust during World War II committed genocide across the nation, but his reasons for this mass murdering come down to one point; jealousy. As a young man Hitler had a yearning to succeed at anything he set his mind on, and being rejected by art academy’s and living as a homeless man for a part of his life began his envy for others who had succeeded, unlike himself. While Hitler was volunteering for the German army in World War I, he was temporarily blinded due to a gas attack and during this period he claimed to have received his calling, â€Å"He was to liberate Germany and make it free from what he saw as the ever-present source of decay within German racial purity; the Jew† (Dufner 15). From his point of view Jews were all he could see, and it disgusted him, so in order for him to fulfill what he believed he was meant to do, he must rid of Jews across Germany. The novel Night by Elie Wiesel and Adolf Hitl er are both complex and unimaginable, but they both express belief and their own knowledge of the same situation but from different point of views. Adolf Hitler, urged by his self-hatred began his own plan for the extermination of Jews and even as far as world domination. Like most people, the horrible feeling of failure sparked an urge in Hitler to have great success. For example, when Hitler was young, he aspired to be an artist and auditioned for many academies but was unfortunately denied access to all heShow MoreRelatedGenocide Throughout History Essay2576 Words   |  11 Pagesall time was committed by the Nazis against the Jews during World War II. After the Holocaust occurred, the nations of the world vowed to prevent another genocide. However, ethnic 2 cleansing and genocides still occur today in places like Bosnia and Kosovo. The portrayal of genocide in Elie Wiesels Night demonstrates the Nazis goal of annihilation, which parallels the goal of the Serbs in Kosovo. The Holocaust in Germany during World War II was one of the most horrific moments in humanRead MoreAnalysis Of The Hunger Games 2484 Words   |  10 Pagesthe victim this concept continues to be document in literature and the media. In short summation, The Hunger Games novel is a dystopian themed novel about a country called Panem who rose from the ashes of natural destruction. Cataclysmic events and wars have formed the nation, but these events have sadly birthed a nation at fault. Divided into twelve districts, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on these areas by forcing a reaping of one boy and one girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationallyRead MoreThe World s Most Dangerous Leaders1601 Words   |  7 Pagesafter childhood,but not as a kid.To figure out who is the worst we may go over who does what,when they did that and how. Throughout Adolf,Josef,and Benito’s Lives to become such a person that evil does not just come about or randomly,there has to be reasonings why a human being would be so angry and insane. Well maybe there is,in the beginnings of their early lives in childhood and early adulthood events and happenings that made them grow up to be some of the worst people ever in history. Growing up you