Life Span Development of Nitya Miranda - Case Study Example

Life Span Development of Nitya Miranda PRE NATAL PERIOD Physical Development: A little over one year into our marriage, my wife developed the typical symptoms of pregnancy in nausea and vomiting. A visit to the doctor confirmed that she was pregnant. This was a first time experience for both of us and I was overjoyed to be a part of bringing a new life into this world. Pictures from the ultra scan showed the new life to be small curled up structure in the womb of my wife. Sex of the child was immaterial to us. It was our first child and we would be thankful for just a normal baby. I noticed the food intake of my wife increase and she started to fill out in a pleasant way. Nearly four months into her pregnancy my wife, reported feeling movements of the baby and the ultra sound scan confirmed that we were to have a girl child. Cognitive Development: The movements of the fetus in the womb of my wife became more and more pronounced, as the pregnancy progressed into the third trimester. Frequent kicks and shoves seemed to present themselves, which were lulled by wife reacting by attempting to soothe the fetus with her touch. Psychological Development: My wife she developed a practice of holding long conversations with fetus. The remarkable feeling was there appeared to be responses from the fetus to the voice of my wife. On July 6, 1981 Nitya Miranda emerged, as the most beautiful baby, I had ever seen. My wife and I were thankful that she was a normal baby. INFANCY AND TODDLERHOOD Physical Development: The first few months saw Nitya grow from a fragile baby into a tireless toddler. Her motor skills developed fast and she was quick to stand and walk and then run. That was when it became a merry hell for my wife and me to keep up with her antics. It was also the time when we discovered that she had inherited febrile fits from me and so needed extra care at times of illness in keeping the fever down. By then we had our second child, a son. I observed the protective nature of my wife, when she started to pay less attention to her younger child and became protective of the Nitya, to try as far as possible to prevent her from getting an infection. Cognitive Development: Nitya was an inquisitive child, opening any unlocked cupboards she could reach or climbing on to chairs and stools to reach things. She also recognized that her mother preferred to sleep with her, when she was ill and gradually made use of this opportunity to get out her bed and slowly creep into the bed next to her mother on a regular basis. Psychological Development: I was the bread winner of the family, while my wife tended to the children and the domestic chores. Mine was a marketing job, which required days away from home. In spite of all the attention my wife gave her, she developed an attachment to me, which was visible in the tears that she shed each time I left home on my marketing, knowing I would be away for a number of days. EARLY CHILDHOOD: Physical Development: The food habits of Nitya were typical of all children, preferring to eat what she liked in terms of fruits and snacks and had to be pressurized into having meals. My wife was worried that these food habits would effect her growth negatively, but she did fine and continued to demonstrate endless energy and loved playing outdoors with particular emphasis on climbing trees. My worry was more that she would injure herself from these antics. Cognitive Development: We had no problem with Nitya at pre-school. She loved the activities that took place there. She showed mental abilities above average, probably taking after me. At the same time she showed ability in dancing taking after her mother. Psychologically Development: She played with dolls like all girls do, but her favorite pastime was to coerce her younger brother to dress up like a girl and sit behind her on her tricycle, while she acted out going to the stores for home requirements, mimicking what she had seen in me taking my wife on my motorcycle to purchase things. She also started to show that she knew that there was something different between her and her brother and insisted that she not follow him into the toilet. Middle Childhood Physical Development: Nitya was showing signs that she would be on the shorter side, but this in no way hindered her prowess on the sports field. She was good at sprints and jumps, but she had seen tennis being played on the television and developed a love for the game. She slowly gravitated into playing tennis. The only issue was that she continued to show low resistance to infections, which made her miss many a game session. Cognitive Development: She had no difficulty in understanding her study subjects with hardly any difference between science and arts subjects. The issue was however to get her to apply herself. So much so, her performance in the school tests was average. She had a better I.Q by 5 points than her younger brother, who excelled at school because of his application. Psychological Development: Her shorter stature did appear to cause her concern. She had a good set of friends from school and her games activities. She did not differentiate between boys and girls in her games, for she could outrun and outplay many of them, but seemed to be conscious of the difference in social activities, where she tended remain her with her girl friends. Another feature that stood out at this time was that she started developing a little hair on her legs and was annoyed with this. ADOLESCENCE Physical Development: At the age of fourteen Nitya crossed the milestone of puberty. It was not as painful an episode as we expected. Probably all her physical activities and her mother’s guidance helped her understand and manage what was happening to her. Her active sports participation had caused her to be well tanned and the calves and thighs of her legs were well proportioned and muscular. She was proud not just the way her legs looked, but the strength and power in them that helped her in her games. Playing was her only love and so there were no drug and alcohol worries. Cognitive Development: Her average performance at school continued, but her prowess at tennis got her a full scholarship for her college studies. She opted for a course in accountancy. I was worried if she would cope with both studies and games at this level, but she surprised me by performing well at both. She was starting to demonstrate signs that she was practical in her outlook and not an idealist. Playing games, watching television or reading fiction were her pastimes. Psychological Development: Nitya showed no inclination for drugs or alcohol. Dating was down to the minimum and she went out with boys from time to time for dances, as she could dance well and loved dancing. When her mother discussed sex and the need for protection, she told her that she was aware of it, but she wouldn’t need it till she found a partner for life. The most significant worry of my wife and me went out of the window that day. YOUNG ADULTHOOD Physical Development: Nitya had no difficulties in keeping herself physically fit. She loved tennis and played in competitively at college, and continued to play tennis at club levels, even when she started working and subsequently when she was a mother too. Her abstinence from drinks and smoking continued, while her nagging me to stop both increased. She had grown into a beautiful woman, but kept marriage at bay till, she was twenty-eight, using the excuse of not finding the right person. She married a tennis playmate, who appeared to have kept waiting for her to make up her mind. Cognitive Development: I was surprised at the perseverance she showed for academics, a trait that was missing in her early life. She completed her masters in accountancy and then went on to do her CFM. She received job offers from big and small companies, but chose to work as an accounts manager in a small company, where she would be setting up the accounts department. Queried on this she said that she preferred working for an organization, where she could have her way, showing her penchant for being her own master. Psychological Development: Nitya had observed that the domestic spats between me and wife occurred only due to the intrusion of the family members from both sides. This was a lesson well learnt and she insisted and saw to it that there was no intrusion into her family life by her family members or her husband’s family members. Her family decisions were made by her and her husband leading to greater harmony in their lives. MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Physical Development: Nitya enjoyed parties and the passage of years had not dimmed this in any way even as we celebrated her passing into middle age. Her eyesight was weak, like me, which saw her having to use bifocals. At fifty, just like her mother, menopause stepped into her life. My wife started leaning her to take precautions for osteoporosis and heart conditions, as by then I was heart patient. She shrugged it off saying that her physical activities from a young age had given her strong bones and her abstinence from smoking would prevent heart conditions. Cognitive Development: Nitya continued be active both at work and in her chores at home, though my wife and I wondered how she managed this, for she showed no signs of such responsibility as a child. She probably recognized the need for it, as she wanted minimal assistance from any family member. To add to this my heart condition worsened, making things tough for my wife. Nitya reduced her social engagements and stepped in to support my wife in these trying times. Psychological Development: Two events through her late forties and fifties were to change Nitya’s life. Her children moved to college and then gradually into their own lives creating a void for her that simply could not be filled. She would talk nostalgically of the by gone times when her children were smaller. The second incident was demise. It must have hurt her deeply, for we were very close, but she put that aside and proved to be a rock of support for my wife till her demise. This was surprising, for my wife always believed that it would be her younger brother, who would be a fountain of strength, but it was Nitya that was there, when the time came. LATE ADULTHOOD Physical Development: Signs of aging were showing. Creases had developed on her facial skin and hands. Her hair was streaked with grey. Her movements had become slower because of pain in her knees. Less physical activity had reduced her appetite, as her metabolism was slowing. Cold winters were no longer forward by Nitya. She retired from the company, where she was employed for so many years. She developed a heart condition on her husband passing away, when she was seventy-six and not too longer, succumbed to it. Cognitive Development: The passing away of her husband was what speeded the demise of Nitya. The will to live was no longer existent, for barring her children all her loved ones of husband, brother, mother, and father were no more. She fell prey to a heart condition and gradually slipped away refusing to fight it. Psychological Development: The loneliness in Nitya’s life, after her husband’s death made Nitya turn even more to religion. Her mother was a devout Catholic, who instilled strong religious thought in her children. Death seemed to be a welcome though for it raised the possibility of being with her loved ones once more in Heaven. Read More