NICOLE JEAN WILLIAMS

Nicole Jean Williams

Kelcee N Taylor
Salt Lake Community College

NICOLE JEAN WILLIAMS

This is the life story of a young woman named Nicole. Her parents, Roger and Cynthia,
had met when Cynthia was twenty-five years old and Roger was thirty. Cynthia is a Greek
woman who had graduated from college with her masters degree in teaching and just found a job
at a local elementary school as a fourth grade teacher. Roger, on the other hand, is an English
man who had been working as a construction worker since he graduated from high school. After
only three months of dating, the two got married, found a house in a middle-class area of Greer,
South Carolina. They decided on this location because they each had a short commute to work
and Cynthias parents and siblings lived close by. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 1, pg. 11) They wanted
a baby from the day that they got married and continually tried to conceive a child, but Cynthia
wasn't getting pregnant. She went in to the doctor and they told her that she wasnt very fertile
and that she could potentially get pregnant, but it wouldn't be easy. The couple continued trying
for a child for the next couple of years. They eventually stopped stressing about the issue and
decided to focus on their careers, their friends, and each other. Cynthia goes for a jog every
evening after work to stay fit and also tries to cook almost all of their meals at home. Rogers job
also kept him at an average weight, but the task of working as a construction working was taking
its tole. He was developing arthritis in his knees, elbows, and hands.
After ten years of trying to get pregnant, Cynthia started to feel nauseous every morning
for the last few days. She finally went in to the doctor and found out that she has had a little baby
on the way for six weeks. Although, Cynthia was thrilled to finally have this dream become a
reality, Roger wasn't completely sure that he wanted to bring a baby in to this world at such a late
age. His body was hurting from his arthritis and he was stressed about all of the preparations to

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bring another life in to the house so suddenly. Although, Cynthia was healthy and excited about
having the baby. However, Roger was putting an extreme amount of stress on her since he wasn't
helping with getting things ready, he started working extra hours, and he wasn't communicating
well with her. Roger even started gaining weight and experiencing indigestion. Due to the stress,
Cynthia wasn't resting, taking her adequate vitamins, or achieving a normal pregnancy weight.
The doctor warned her about the consequences of having a very low-birth weight child. The
child could later smile, hold a bottle, walk and talk if the child is lucky enough to survive at all.
It could also cry more, disobey, and experience language problems. As the child grows, they are
more likely to develop diseases and diabetes. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 2, pg. 80). Despite what the
doctor told Cynthia, she still had a hard time following her instructions to take her vitamins and
get a lot of rest. At thirty-four weeks pregnant, Cynthia started experiencing contractions. Roger
drove Cynthia to the hospital and the doctor decided to go ahead and deliver the baby girl
vaginally despite the potential complications. Nicole Jean Williams was born at only three
pounds, five ounces, a very-low birthweight. Regardless of her low-birth weight, Nicole was as
healthy as possible and stable. After the birth, Cynthia couldn't sleep. She was constantly worried
about the health of Nicole. When Cynthia and Roger took Nicole home, Roger noticed that
Cynthia treated all of Nicoles care as a burden and she still wasn't sleeping well. Roger stepped
in and took care of all of Nicoles needs. Later, Cynthia was diagnosed with postpartum
depression. The doctor said it could be due to the marital issues that she was experiencing before
Nicole was born. Luckily, it was noticed and treated quickly due to Roger. Cynthia slowly got
back to her normal self with the help of a counselor. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 2, pg. 69).
Over the next two years, baby Nicole would grow very quickly. Cynthia was a stay at
home mom and Roger continued to work. Nicole payed close attention to the sights and sounds

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around her, including the arguing between her parents. Mom cuddled her tons and dad loved to
make funny faces at her. Without even knowing it, Cynthia and Roger were allowing her brain to
grow and develop normally. When she was first brought home and for her first month, Nicole
sucked, grasped, stared, and listened. She also was crying more than three hours a day, for more
than three days in a row, for more than three weeks. When she got up to four months, Nicole was
able to grasp on the the bottle herself and at six months, she was socially smiling. As Nicole
approached twelve months old, she was able to respond to people and began uttering her first
words instead of babbling. Nicole could say Mama and Dada. She began fearing strangers,
unexpected sights and sounds. She loved clapping and playing patty-cake, but she still cried
more than what Cynthia and Roger thought was normal. They called Nicoles doctor and the
doctor told them that it is a very common behavior for very-low birthweight babies and she
included that she was surprised that Nicole has been developing normally (talking, walking,
grasping, etc.). After Nicole was 1 year, she began experimentation. She even managed to grab
her mothers favorite necklace and put it down the sink. Nicole acts first and thinks later. She
does not comprehend how her parents will react to things and does not think about them before
she does something. Nicole also decided to turn the shampoo upside down until it was all in her
lap and throw her dads new watch against the wall. Nicole was acting as a little scientist.
(Berger, 2014, Chapter 3, pg. 114-119). By the time Nicole was almost two years old, her
scientist days were gone, but her imagination and self-awareness is just beginning. She finally
notices herself in the mirror and loves to serve fake food to her dad since she watched her mother
do it everyday. Nicole is picking up on behaviors from her parents. She watches her dad throw
his arms up in the air and yell when he couldn't find the car keys so Nicole throws her arms up in

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the air and screams when she couldn't find her teddy bear. She mirrors what she sees her parents
doing, good and bad. Nicole is social learning behaviors from her parents. She is also displaying
insecure-avoidant attachment due to her parents being highly stressed out over their marriage and
financial issues. She plays happily alone and will continue playing even when her parents leave
or return. Nicole doesn't welcome either one of her parents to play and doesn't look for their
facial expressions or body language to detect what they are feeling. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 4, pg.
145)
Nicole is now three years old and growing faster than ever. Her parents are still arguing
constantly about who does more and who spends more. They are beginning to get so caught up in
their own problems that Nicole seems less important to them. Cynthia feeds her whatever she
asks for. Breakfast is gooey cinnamon rolls, lunch is a cheeseburger from a fast food chain, and
dinner is a box of mac and cheese with chocolate ice cream for dessert. Not to mention all the
sugary snacks in between. Meanwhile, Nicole continues to develop her brain by practicing her
drawing, learning to skip, using scissors, brushing her teeth, and singing in rhythm. Nicole goes
to preschool for a few hours in the afternoon in a teacher-directed program. Cynthia and Roger
chose teacher-directed instead of child-centered because they believe that it will better prepare
her for elementary school. Nicole gets frustrated when her mom puts cheese on her ham
sandwich and insists that her mom make her an entirely new sandwich and throw the old one
away. She also gets upset when her friend gets a larger cup for juice than her even when there is
the same amount of juice in each up. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 5, pg. 183). One day, Cynthia
decided to take Nicole to the pool just down the street from their house. They arrived, set all of
their things down, and changed in to their swimming suits when Cynthia remembered that she
left the sunscreen in the car. Leaving three year old Nicole alone next to the pool, Cynthia

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decided to run back to the car to grab it. While she was gone, Nicole walked over to the water
and leaned over the edge to see if it was cold when she fell in. Nicole swung her arms around
and cried as she tried to keep herself on the surface of the water. Cynthia got back to the pool and
saw Nicole in the water, immediately pulled her out, and tapped her on the back to get all the
water out of her lungs. Cynthia comforted Nicole the best she could, but neither of them felt like
swimming anymore so they went straight back home. Now that Nicole is six years old, she loves
to ask her mom and dad questions, especially about human behavior. Why does that man walk
funny? and Why are you arguing?. Unfortunately, her nutrition has not gotten any better, she is
larger than the average six year old girl. She starts kindergarten this year where her mom used to
work as a teacher. When Nicole got to school on her first day, the little girl next to her got a
larger folder to put her crafts in than her, but instead of exploding with anger, Nicole was able to
regulate her emotions and keep it to herself. She prefers to wear pink and play with Barbies
because she is a girl. Cynthia and Roger are still having marital problems and have gotten in
the routine of constantly giving Nicole what she wants, never giving her any chores, and rarely
disciplining her because they feel guilty about their marriage. They are falling in to the style of
permissive parenting. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 6, pg. 217).
Entering middle childhood at age seven, Nicole is in the early stages of childhood
obesity. Both her parents have continued to feed her foods that are quick and convenient. They
also let her eat whenever and whatever she wants to try and make up for their failing marriage.
Nicole gets exercise in school, but rarely plays outside with the neighborhood kids. She prefers
to sit inside and watch television. Nicole is growing more independent and now needs little help
from her parents to do everyday tasks like bathing and eating. She is using her personal

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experiences to differentiate right from wrong. Nicole wants to be as similar as she can to her best
friend in school and doesn't tell her parents what is happening in school or when she is with her
friends. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 8, pg. 311). Little did Nicole know, during this time in her life,
she would begin to remember things that take place, like her parents fighting or kids that tease
her about her weight. Her longterm memory is storing these ideas and images indefinitely. As she
grows, Nicole begins to think more logically than egocentrically and she brings home specific
knowledge from school to share with her parents. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 7 pg. 257)
Now that Nicole is fourteen years old, things are beginning to change even more,
physically and psychologically. Nicole is still overweight, but she is now more self-conscious
about it and makes an effort to exercise more outside of school. All of her friends have started
their periods, meanwhile, Nicole has not. Cynthia told her that she didn't begin puberty until she
was sixteen years old since she was extremely infertile and she thought that Nicole would be the
same. Nicole reached menarche at age fifteen. This is due to the mix of her genes and her weight.
Her body fat sped up the process while her genes slowed it down. Now that she has started
puberty, she is experiencing extremely greasy hair and skin, resulting in acne. Nicole is now
eighteen years old and she has grown six inches and decreased her body fat. She is not as mature
or happy as her friends around her. Nicole has a hard time regulating her emotions and it is
keeping her from having a large group of friends at school. She often cries or yells when
confronted with a dramatic issue. Nicole believes that these emotions are due to her hormones,
but it is because her parents continue to give her anything she wants and rarely follow through
with punishment. Nicole believes that she is invincible and that the world revolves around her.
She doesn't wear her seat belt in her car when she drives and doesn't worry about how her mother
feels about it. (Berger, 2014, Chapter 9, pg. 333) Nicole has a long life ahead of her and has

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already faced many challenges in her short life. These challenges and events have shaped the
kind she has become and will continue to mold her in to adulthood.
References
Berger, K. (2014). Invitation to the lifespan (2nd ed., pp. 11, 69, 80, 114-119, 145, 183, 217, 257,
311, 333). New York, New York: Worth Pub.