Assignment Task: Autobiography assignment questions below:
Gender-Role. Think about the many ways in which your gender influenced how you were brought up. What types of toys did you have at home? What were your activities at home and school, and how were those early activities related to your gender? What/who were your biggest influences in learning stereotypical and/or non-stereotypical gender-role behaviors? What did your parents and siblings model for you, in terms of these behaviors? Were your mother and father different or similar in their expectations for your gender role behavior? If you had opposite-sex siblings, were there differences or similarities in how you were treated related to chores, rules, expectations, activities, etc.?
Television, Video Games, and Computer Time. Did you watch television during your early childhood? Did your parents limit your TV watching? What were your favorite educational and/or non-educational television shows? Did you learn from educational programming? Additionally, did you have a computer in the home, or video games? How much time was spent in those activities, and were they beneficial or detrimental in any way?
Beliefs, Customs, and Values. Describe how your cultural, ethnic, geographical, or religious background shaped the caregiving you received as an infant. What unique customs or traditions were involved during your infancy? Describe any cultural, religious, or holiday rituals/traditions that were especially meaningful in your early environment. Also include any sayings or stories that you heard repeatedly from your caregivers as they tried to pass on their knowledge, values, and customs. In what ways do you think it was different from what you consider to be the "average" American childhood?
Conclusion. Imagine that you or your life companion has just become pregnant. What do you expect will be the most dynamic changes in your life? What would you look forward to about the pregnancy/ parenthood? If you were able to pass on any experience, wisdom, or trait to the children in your life (your own, your relatives' or friends' children, the children you teach, etc.), what would you want to teach them? What do you consider to be the most important experiences a parent can give to an infant? Share any personal experiences you find significant. With the course coming to an end, what significant aspects will you take away with you? What did you learn from this assignment? Did anything surprise you? Reflect on what you have learned about infants, and about yourself.