Blog Post #6

In the interview assignment, I learned the similarities and differences between my generation of adolescents and my grandma's generation of adolescents. She was in her teens during the 1950s. The stories she told and the way she described her life made it seem like more fun than today. She really enjoyed school and loved to go to it. She said that she didn't have nearly as much homework as children do today. Her adolescence was the same because people still cared about what they look like and would get together in a group to have fun. My grandma grew up in Mosinee and they have an ice rink there. What suprised me was that the ice rink was a popular place to hang out in her day and it still is today. A major difference between our lives is the price of everything. She sold tickets at a movie theater, and they only cost 10 cents. I think I would have liked growing up in her time period. It seemed like a lot of fun and school wasn't as big of a deal. That is currently my biggest stress but it wouldn't have been so stressful back then. Some people didn't even graduate high school. Although I would like her time period, I think I like mine better. I probably wouldn't be able to live without the technology we have today.



I thought the video was kind of interesting. I thought the information that was given was pretty accurate and useful to help deal with adolescents. My sister is 11 right now and she is distancing herself like all the examples in the movie. My time as an adolescent was pretty normal. I wanted to be alone more and spent more time in my room. I also fought more with my parents. Even though we fought, we kept a strong relationship. Since we kept a strong relationship, I think I've become and will continue to become a good and responsible person with strong morals.



In chapter four, I learned about identical twins versus fraternal twins. I find the differences really interesting. There are a lot of twins on my dad's side of the family and that makes me wonder if they're identical or fraternal. The only way I can tell them apart is their hair styles so i think they may be identical but the Olsen twins also look the same and they aren't identical. Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two and they are genetically identical. Fraternal twins develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are no more alike that ordinary brothers and sisters. That is very interesting. You'd think they would at least be a little more alike from sharing the fetal environment, but they're not.

In chapter five, I learned about prenatal development. After a sperm fertilizes an ovum, a zygote forms. A zygote is a fertilized egg that enters a a period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo. It is suprising that fewer than half of zygotes actually survive beyond the first two weeks. An embryo is the developing human from about two weeks after fertilization through the second month. When a baby is in the embryo stage, organs begin to form and function and the heart starts to beat. The stage after embryo is fetus. A fetus is the developing human from 9 weeks after conception to birth. By the time a baby gets to this stage it will start to look human. The organs such as stomachs are developed by the 6 month which allows premature babies to have a chance at life. At this time, the fetus is also responsive to sound and can recognize its mother's voice. It is really interesting to see the stages of development. It is amazing how a baby can be produced from two tiny cells.