Middle childhood development

Number: Middle childhood development The movie “ The Pursuit of Happyness” is a rag to riches tale about family, love and pursuing the American dream. The two main characters Will Smith who portrays Christopher Gardner a gardener who is struggling to make ends meet for his family. The second character is his son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith who is 8 years old. The family is facing financial crisis and as will smith tries to make ends meet, the wife abandons him and the son. Will smith as a character tries to make the son feel at home and lead a normal life even after the abandonment by the wife, though, he faces a lot of challenges even after being evicted from their home.
Reflection
The son is portrayed as so understanding when he ask his father if it was his fault that the mother left but he came to appreciate his father’s effort though he does not deserve the kind of treatment he undergoes as a child. The movie gives the emotional and physical connection between the father and the son even during hard times. The movie also highlights the meaning of happiness and love which most people have always taken for granted though searched by everyone around the world. It also shows that the dreams of the child come true no matter the situation. Chris realizes his error and encourages his son to pursue any dream after squashing his son’s dream of becoming a professional basketball player.
The child requires emotional, psychological and physical connections with everyone around them. When the going went hard and they get evicted from their home to stay in the streets of California, the child cried because he misses the home environment. The father is seen beyond being only a protector and a provider but he became the father that his child needed him to be. They did not give up and we realize that family is the strongest thing to have and with forgiveness you will always together. Based on these characters and all they went through, setting your heart and mind on something will definitely make you accomplish it (Riley, 2008).
Social development
The importance of social development is evident in all stages of child’s life and a child with strong social development foundation easily manages his personal feelings, understands others needs and feelings as well as positive interaction with others. The movie demonstrates the social development depicted between the father where the son understands the situation of the father after they had been abandoned by their mother, he understands the situation and appreciates the effort of his father, Christopher asks his dad whether it was his fault that his mom left, and then shows appreciation for his father’s efforts. A child with good social development gets to cope well with any kind of situation as shown by Christopher. There is improved self-esteem and understanding though he has been already been withdrawn from school and also evicted from home (Riley, 2008).
Emotional development
This involves learning how to behave and how to cope up well with others. It does not necessarily depends on the child’s IQ or school grades but rather the adequacy with which the child get along with other children, and those children who cannot establish themselves a place in the peer culture are seriously at risk. Christopher has been withdrawn from his school and can no longer associate with other children. He is seriously affected by the separation of his parents and now he cannot feel the mothers care and love, and the mother failing to pick his son up from day care, Chris’s wife decides to leave him, which causes Chris to ponder whether a life of happiness is actually attainable. The boy is affected emotionally by the reduced mother-child contact (Riley, 2008).
Conclusion
Social- emotional development involves the child’s expression, experience, ability to establish positive and rewarding relationship with others and also depends on the management of emotions. In childhood development they depend mostly on the environment of the child, both internal and external (Riley, 2008). Every child is therefore entitled to safe environment for their development to make them better people in the future.
Work cited
Riley, David A. Social and Emotional Development: Connecting Science and Practice in Early
Childhood Settings. St. Paul, Minn: Redleaf Press, 2008. Print.