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This is the first stage in Erikson's development and one of the most important elements a child will learn. This happens from around infancy/birth to 18 months.  I spoke with my dad about how I was as a young baby growing into a toddler, and he told me that I struggled to stay on a consistent routine at bedtime. I would fight my sleep almost every night. My dad told me that he came up with a special bedtime routine for me and every single night he would interact with me while I ate my dinner, he would then bathe me and then before putting me down for bed he would read me a book and sing me a song. He did this routine every night and I eventually was going to sleep at the same time without a fight. As stated in our text book "If trust predominates, as it should, children develop hope: the belief they can fulfill their needs and obtain their desires." This statement correlates with my dad's special bedtime routine for me and how I gained trust for him and formed a bond with him that gave me comfort as a young child.

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This is the second stage of Erikson's development and a time for toddlers to learn their own independence and test their boundaries. This happens from ages 18 months to 3 years. At this stage toddlers begin to learn what is right and wrong based on their trust that they develop for their caregivers and the advice/lessons given by them. My daughter is 2 1/2 years old currently and this time of development is exactly where she is at! My daughter wants to do things on her own, so I let her choose her clothes and food choices! She can pick out her own clothes as well as tell me what she is wanting to eat and help to prepare the food. Letting her have the ability to choose what she wants based off of her own desires helps her development and gives her sense of accomplishment. I give her positive and some corrective feedback, when it is needed while preparing food. She trusts that I know what is best for her and takes what I say seriously. As stated in our textbook, "Toddlers need adults to set appropriate limits, and shame and doubt help them recognize the need for those limits." We are able to finish tasks due to the relationship we have formed at a young age and continue to develop as she grows.

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This is the third stage of Erikson's development and a time for young children to learn their independence by using their own ideas and creativity to make decisions and complete tasks. This happens from ages 3 years to 5 years. My son is 5 years old, and I try to let him be in charge while planning activities. For example, he wanted to ride his bike without training wheels without practicing with an adult first. I first explained the risks and to help guide him into another option, but he was very adamant that he was right and could ride his bike alone. I let him have his way while still keeping him safe by following close behind. He learned very quickly that he was not able to ride without his training wheels and became very embarrassed and upset with himself. I explained to him that it is okay to be confident in yourself and your ideas, but sometimes you just have to think twice and practice before. As stated in our textbook, "This conflict marks a split between two parts of the personality: the part that remains a child, full of exuberance and a desire to test new powers, and the part that is becoming an adult, constantly examining the propriety of motives and actions. Children who learn how to regulate these opposing drives develop the virtue of purpose, the courage to envision and pursue goals without being unduly inhibited by guilt or fear of punishment." This shows that my son was able to try his own idea and even though he failed, he was determined to keep trying to reach his goal of riding his bike without training wheels.

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This is the fourth stage of Erikson's development and a time where students grow their self-esteem and accomplish their own goals by completing tasks and making and forming new relationships. This happens around ages 6 to 11 years old. After speaking with my father, he told me I was very nervous to transition from elementary school to middle school. I was a very shy child and had a close group of friends. I knew that we would be around many more students and was nervous about the change of scenery. He encouraged me to join a club or to try out for one of the sports teams. Once school started, I met new people by joining the cheerleading team! I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new and by doing so I met some of my lifelong friends that I still have to this day. I ended up making the spot of cheer captain for my team and my shy personality soon shifted into a very confident and outgoing personality. As stated in out textbook, "As with all of Erikson’s stages, there is an opportunity for growth represented by a sense of industry and a complementary risk represented by inferiority." My example shows that my feeling of inferiority to the other students around me helped push me into trying something new and helped me gain self-confidence.

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This is the fifth stage in Erikson's development and a time where adolescents explore themselves and develop of sense of self. This happens between the ages 12 and 18 years. I spoke with my dad about how I was during my teen years and the different phases I went through to eventually find "who I was." He told me that my friend group often changed depending on the new lifestyle I was pursuing or the attitude that came with that portion of my life. I often questioned what I enjoyed and what I envisioned myself doing as I got older and was nearing my adulthood years. I did not know exactly where I fit in at. Once I got my first job, I lost friends and made new ones, which also helped me figure out the direction I wanted to take. I started to learn things about myself that I did not know before! I learned the things I liked and disliked. I was enjoying the simpler things and eventually learned who I wanted to be and who I actually am were developing the same as I was. As stated in our textbook, "The effort to make sense of the self is part of a healthy process that builds on the achievements of earlier stages—on trust, autonomy, initiative, and industry—and lays the groundwork for coping with the challenges of adult life." My dad knew what friends were right for me and who wasn't, I trusted and respected his opinion and knew that what he was telling me was helpful to my character. I learned through time and experiences and found who I am today!

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This is the sixth stage of Erikson's development and a time where young adults enter adulthood and face new lessons in their emotional relationships with others. This happens between the ages of 19 to 40 years. For this stage I spoke to my dad about his personal experience dealing with divorce. He married very young and was not emotionally mature enough to maintain a healthy and stable marriage. He did not understand where things were going wrong or how to properly fix them. He was still trying to figure out who he was, what his career path was and battling every day struggles you face when you are starting adulthood. The marriage ended up in a divorce and he felt very poorly of himself to be in his early twenties and already divorced. As stated in our textbook, "According to Erikson, a man is not capable of real intimacy until after he has achieved a stable identity." My dad gave himself time to heal from the divorce and made himself more structured and stabled before deciding to get into another relationship. My examples show that my dad struggled to maintain a relationship before understanding who he truly was and was meant for.

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This is the seventh stage of Erikson's development and a very humbling and crucial part of life to adults. During this stage of their life, they question what they can do to help others such as their children or loved ones or how they can leave a helpful impact on the world. This happens between ages 40 to 65 years. For this example, I can use my father. As my sister and I got older, had children and started lives for ourselves he always worried about how he could make life easier for us and a way to make sure we were always taken care of, even when he was gone. My dad spent years of his life putting away money to save to buy property in Florida to leave in my sister's and I's name to have when he was no longer with us. He knew this specific property would hold its value and even would go up over the years, especially with love and care put into it. He wants to make sure this property is passed down from one generation to the next, so we always have something to rely on. As stated in our textbook, "Mature adult is concerned with establishing and guiding the next generation or feels personal impoverishment." This statement directly reflects my dad's generous and enormous gift of kindness to make sure my sister and myself are taken care of.

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This is the eighth and final stage of Erikson's development. This is a time where seniors reflect back on their life and form an opinion, did they do enough? Did they live a meaningful life? Do they feel at peace? For this stage I talked to my grandmother. My grandmother fell very ill from her Lupus and was in the ICU for a little over two weeks, then went into an assisted living home for a month afterwards. I talked to her about her experience and asked her how she felt during the entire time. She told me that she knew if her time was nearing that she was surrounded by her family that loved her very much and that was all she could ever want at the end of the day! She was happy, peaceful and nothing could make her feel better than knowing that she was a part of my life growing up, met my children and was loved by all and many. As stated in our textbook, "Elderly person achieves acceptance of own life, allowing acceptance of death." My grandma did not think she would make it, let alone make it another few years! She was content with what she thought was going to happen and looked back to nothing but a life full of happiness and love.

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Questionnaire

1.  When my daughter was an infant, I was exclusively breastfeeding her. She only wanted me and did not trust anyone else to hold her. Eventually I needed the help and for her to learn to trust others. We would start by letting others bottle feed her and rock her to sleep. I would tell her that she was safe and that I was still here if she needed me. She learned who to be comfortable with and who else she could trust beside me, her mother. This shows stage 1 of Erikson's development stages of "Trust Vs Mistrust." This tells me that I formed a trusting and secure bond with my daughter and that she was able to form those with others as well.

2.

Age | Stage | Reasoning
Birth to 18 months |  I spoke with my dad about how I was as a young baby growing into a toddler, and he told me that I struggled to stay on a consistent routine at bedtime. I would fight my sleep almost every night. My dad told me that he came up with a special bedtime routine for me and every single night he would interact with me while I ate my dinner, he would then bathe me and then before putting me down for bed he would read me a book and sing me a song. He did this routine every night and I eventually was going to sleep at the same time without a fight.  | The reasoning for this was my dad needing to establish a stable bond and relationship with me as an infant and by doing so he was able to soothe and comfort me. This is “Trust Vs. Mistrust”
2 to 3 years |  My daughter wants to do things on her own, so I let her choose her clothes and food choices! She can pick out her own clothes as well as tell me what she is wanting to eat and help to prepare the food. Letting her have the ability to choose what she wants based on her own desires helps her development and gives her a sense of accomplishment. I give her positive and some corrective feedback, when it is needed while preparing food. She trusts that I know what is best for her and takes what I say seriously. | By letting my daughter be in control she is able to use her own sense of style and ideas to pick her own ideas out. This helps her brain development and helps keep her happy as well. This is “Autonomy Vs. Shame”
3 to 5 years | My son is 5 years old, and I try to let him be in charge while planning activities. For example, he wanted to ride his bike without training wheels without practicing with an adult first. I first explained the risks and to help guide him into another option, but he was very adamant that he was right and could ride his bike alone. I let him have his way while still keeping him safe by following close behind. He learned very quickly that he was not able to ride without his training wheels and became very embarrassed and upset with himself. I explained to him that it is okay to be confident in yourself and your ideas, but sometimes you just have to think twice and practice beforehand.  | By letting my son have his way and try out what he believed in it helped him learn that he is capable of achieving his goals, but sometimes may need guidance and help to do so. He was more than willing to take the extra time to learn and practice and is now more careful and patient when it comes to learning and completing new tasks. This is “Initiative Vs. Guilt”
6 to 11 years | After speaking with my father, he told me I was very nervous to transition from elementary school to middle school. I was a very shy child and had a close group of friends. I knew that we would be around many more students and was nervous about the change of scenery. He encouraged me to join a club or to try out for one of the sports teams. Once school started, I met new people by joining the cheerleading team! I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new and by doing so I met some of my lifelong friends that I still have to this day. I ended up making the spot of cheer captain for my team and my shy personality soon shifted into a very confident and outgoing personality. | My dad encouraging me to try something new had more positive results than I could have imagined at the young age of 10. I made lifelong friends and by listening to my dad it helped shape me into the person I am today. This is “Industry Vs. Inferiority”
12 to 18 years | I spoke with my dad about how I was during my teen years and the different phases I went through to eventually find "who I was." He told me that my friend group often changed depending on the new lifestyle I was pursuing or the attitude that came with that portion of my life. I often questioned what I enjoyed and what I envisioned myself doing as I got older and was nearing my adulthood years. I did not know exactly where I fit in. Once I got my first job, I lost friends and made new ones, which also helped me figure out the direction I wanted to take. I started to learn things about myself that I did not know before! I learned the things I liked and disliked. I was enjoying the simpler things and eventually learned who I wanted to be and who I actually am were developing the same as I was. | Teenage years are hard for most trying to learn who you truly are, who you are meant to be and where you belong. Getting my first job really helped guide me towards where I am in life right now. It taught me things about myself that I did not know before exploring different parts of the world. This is “Identity Vs. Confusion”
18 to 40 years | For this stage I spoke to my dad about his personal experience dealing with divorce. He married very young and was not emotionally mature enough to maintain a healthy and stable marriage. He did not understand where things were going wrong or how to properly fix them. He was still trying to figure out who he was, what his career path was and battling everyday struggles you face when you are starting adulthood. The marriage ended up in a divorce and he felt very poorly of himself to be in his early twenties and already divorced. My dad gave himself time to heal from the divorce and made himself more structured and stabled before deciding to get into another relationship.  | This stage of life is very crucial to forming and maintaining relationships. You must be in a good place with yourself to be in a good place with others. My dad struggled to learn that and went through trial and errors until he was able to finally be in a good place with himself, which made his relationships with others stronger and healthier. This is “Intimacy Vs. Isolation”
40 to 65 years |  For this example, I can use my father. As my sister and I got older, had children and started lives for ourselves he always worried about how he could make life easier for us and a way to make sure we were always taken care of, even when he was gone. My dad spent years of his life putting away money to save to buy property in Florida to leave in my sister's and I's name to have when he was no longer with us. He knew this specific property would hold its value and even would go up over the years, especially with love and care put into it. He wants to make sure this property is passed down from one generation to the next, so we always have something to rely on. | My dad did not want to leave this world leaving his children behind with nothing, so he made it a goal for himself to be able to leave something that would hold its value and even increase as the years passed so that we would always have something to rely on. This is “Generativity Vs. Stagnation”
65 years to death | For this stage I talked to my grandmother. My grandmother fell very ill from her Lupus and was in the ICU for a little over two weeks, then went into an assisted living home for a month afterwards. I talked to her about her experience and asked her how she felt during the entire time. She told me that she knew if her time was nearing that she was surrounded by her family that loved her very much and that was all she could ever want at the end of the day! She was happy, peaceful and nothing could make her feel better than knowing that she was a part of my life growing up, met my children and was loved by all and many. | My grandmother was nearing the end of her life and was at peace with her past self and the decisions she made all throughout. She did not have any regrets or remorse, just a lot of advice and happy memories. She was full of love. This is “Integrity Vs Despair”

3. I have learned that all of us as we grow through our lives we are all sharing the same developments and the same timeline. We are reaching goals and milestones together and learning things about ourselves while our friends and families are doing the same. There is something to look forward to in every new stage of life.

4. The future I imagine for myself is to finish my degree in elementary education and to hopefully teach in the same school district as my children. My son has autism and he is so important to me. I do what I do so I can give him the very best help he needs. My daughter is my best friend and I want her to be able to have the experiences that she wants! I want to be able to provide a stable and peaceful life for my family.

5. I want to be able to give my children something to have when I am older. I want to continue to add to their college funds and to their “experience” funds so that when they come of age they never have to worry about paying for those things on their own. If I were to continue to live and freely spend money I would not be able to provide that for them which would lead me to stagnation and that is not something that I envision for myself.