The Growth and Development of
Conor Mata N332 California State University San Marcos
Coraline Jones is an outgoing, curious, and adventurous 11 year-old girl who recently moved with her parents from Pontiac, Michigan to a rundown apartment complex called the Pink Palace in Ashland, Oregon. Having just moved, Coraline spends most of her time alone, exploring her new home and meeting the other tenants of the apartment complex. Her explorations often get her into trouble, however, as she almost fell into a well, got a rash from poison oak, and pressed a button that turned off the power in her apartment, causing her dad to lose a day’s worth of work. Coraline has short, cropped blue hair, brown eyes, and several freckles scattered across her cheeks. She often wears blue nail polish and a dragonfly hair clip. She boasts a well-varied wardrobe that includes a starred blue sweater, a yellow raincoat with yellow booties, and orange polka dotted pajamas, among other articles of clothing. • • • • • • •
Born: October 27, 1998 Age: 11 Height: 152 cm Weight: 35.0 kg Lives: Ashland, Oregon School: Ashland Middle School Grade: 7th
Coraline tends to feel bored and neglected by her parents, who are often too busy working on their deadlines for a garden catalog to give her any attention. With their busy work load, Coraline’s parents generally have an uninvolved parenting style. As such, Coraline tends to rebel and be dramatic to try to get her parents’ attention. Her parents react to this behavior by dismissing her and telling her to go play outside or make a list of all the windows in the apartment, anything as long as she leaves them alone so they can work. As her mother says to Coraline after her daughter keeps asking her about a key to a locked door she found, “If I do this for you, will you leave me alone?” Coraline’s parents love her, but are often too busy to show it.
Having just moved to a new state, Coraline feels lonely without any of the friends she grew up with. She spends time talking to her neighbors Miss Spink, Miss Forcible, and Mr. Bobinsky, but they are all adults and like with her parents she feels that none of them take her seriously. Despite her initial distaste for him, Coraline has befriended Wybie Lovat, the landlady’s grandson, and she often spends her time exploring the grounds around the apartment complex with Wybie and a black cat that roams the surrounding woods.
As such, Coraline is easily aggravated by her parents and the adults in her life, who never take her seriously. After almost falling into a well, she tells her mother, “I could’ve died!” Her mom busy on her laptop and not paying attention replies, “That’s nice, dear.” Coraline expresses constant disappointment towards her parents saying they never keep their promises, care more about dirt than her, and that their cooking is awful.
Growth and Development Coraline is 11 years-old, placing her in the school age category for growth and development. At her age, children generally grow approximately 5 cm and 2 to 3 kg per year (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014). The average height for girls her age is 150.7 kg and the average weight is about 40.7 kg (World Health Organization, 2017). With a BMI of 17.3, Coraline is ranked in the 47thpercentile for her age group (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). All of Coraline’s permanent teeth have erupted, which coincides with her age group. Furthermore, she has begun showing signs of puberty with slight breast bud development, but she has not yet begun menstruation (Perry et al., 2014).
Fine and Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills Gross Motor Skills Fine motor skills for the school age group rely on eye-hand coordination, such as writing, sewing, and using utensils. (Perry et al., 2014). Coraline meets the milestones for these skills as she is able to effortlessly use utensils and likes writing in her notepad.
Gross motor skills for the school age group rely on increased balance, dexterity, jumping, and playing of competitive games (Perry et al., 2014). Coraline meets the milestones for these skills as she regularly enjoys balancing on rocks and ledges during her exploration outings. Coraline is adventurous and enjoys playing games.
At 11 years-old, Coraline falls into the Industry vs. Inferiority stage of psychosocial development. Industry is achieved through a sense of accomplishment acquired by personal development of one’s skills and knowledge. It is ability to exercise independence and manipulate one’s environment, as well as cooperate and compete with others (Perry et al., 2014). Coraline, however, appears to have developed a sense of inferiority, where nothing she does is ever good enough and all she ever does is make mistakes. Her parents ignore her when she tries to impress them and none of the adults around her ever take her seriously. Even when she goes exploring, Coraline finds a way to mess things up. Wybie points out that the stick she found in the woods was actually poison oak and then the spot she’s jumping on Is actually the entrance to a well and she could have fallen in. Living in a new place and without the encouragement of her parents or peers, Coraline has developed a sense of inferiority, where nothing she seems to do is right.
In the Concrete Operations stage of cognitive development, children transition to conceptual thinking, where they are able to recognize symbols, read, tell time, recognize history and geography, solve problems, and retain a concept in their mind while also making decisions derived from that concept (Perry et al., 2014). Coraline exhibits concrete operational thinking in her reading of signs , letters, and various texts as she reminisces about the home and friends she left behind in Michigan. Furthermore, she employs logical thinking and her growing concept of time as she talks to the various tenants of her apartment complex trying to uncover the mysterious history of her new home. Coraline solves the problems presented before her by employing quick wit, even beating the Beldam of her apartment complex in a game by viewing things from her perspective .
Conventional Morality is the moral adaptation of viewing rules from different points of view rather than as absolute judgments, where a child will judge the situation and intention of rules and acts before making a decision rather than just blindly follow them. At this stage, children are able to understand the concept of treating those around you as you would like to be treated (Perry et al., 2014). This stage of morality is apparent in Coraline as she apologizes to Wybie, whose full name is Wyborne, for calling him “Why were you born” and befriends him after she realizes that even though he’s weird, it’s because he is lonely just like her. Coraline also sticks up for her neighbor when her mother calls Mr. Bobinski a crazy drunk, saying he’s actually just eccentric and passionate about his work. Coraline does not view rules, actions, and perspectives as simply right or wrong, but instead evaluates them from different points of view and creates her own interpretation.
Dietary Recommendations For School Age Children According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 11- year-old girls should be consuming 1,600 kcal per day with total fats equaling 25% to 35% of that amount proportionally. In terms of serving size, the AHA recommends they consume 3 cups of milk/dairy, 5 oz of lean meat/beans, 1.5 cups of fruit, 2 cups of vegetables, and 5 oz of grains per day (American Heart Association, 2016). By this age, children should be consuming adult portions of food and require a balanced diet to promote the increased growth demands that will appear in adolescence. High caloric and high saturated fat foods, better known as “junk food”, should be avoided. It is important that this age group not skip meals and adhere to eating nutritious, balanced meals and snacks (Perry et al., 2014).
Coraline’s Actual Diet Coraline’s diet does not satisfy these nutritional guidelines and standards. Due to her parents’ busy work schedule, they tend to provide her with high calorie, high saturated fat, microwaveable food that is quick and easy to make. Coraline, for her part, does not enjoy eating this food and tends not to finish her meals, asking them to cook something better, but her parents always explain that they do not have time. Given Coraline’s readiness to change her diet, it is her parents who are in need of education concerning quick and easy healthy food alternatives that can fit their busy schedule, while still supplying Coraline with the nutrients she needs for proper growth and development. Her parents need to be taught the risks that such unhealthy food predisposes their daughter to and the benefits of providing her with a healthier diet, even if it costs them a little more time away from their work. With a height of 152 cm and a weight of 35.0 kg, Coraline has a BMI of 17.2.
Feelings Unmet: Coralline feels bored, neglected, and frustrated in her new home. She tries to express her frustrations to her parents, but they are often too busy with work and dismiss her feelings. Coraline tends to take out her frustrations by lashing out verbally at her neighbor Wylie and the cat in the woods, though she has apologized to them out of her own volition for making such outbursts.
Family and Friends Partially Met: Coraline has made friends in her new home whom she has grown to like and enjoy their company, but she still misses the friends she left behind in Michigan. She feels neglected by her parents, who are often too busy with work to give her the attention she needs.
Sex and Sexuality Met: Coraline has not shown any current romantic interest in boys. She is friends with her neighbor Wybie, but she does has not felt any romantic inclinations towards him. She is currently more interested in companionship than romance.
Drug or Alcohol Use Met: Coraline does not use alcohol or drugs. She is aware of their negative effects on health and none of her peers are using drugs or alcohol.
Body Image Met: Coraline has a positive view of her body and has no tattoos or piercings. She expresses her individuality through her blue hair and nail polish.
The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) is a project focused on preparing future nurses with the competencies to provide safe and quality healthcare. It states that the level of healthcare can be improved via possessing competency in six areas: safety, patientcentered care, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, informatics, and teamwork and collaboration. The concepts of QSEN can be applied to Coraline’s patient care to encourage the optimal results of such care. QSEN emphasizes the importance of respecting the patient and treating her as a full partner in coordinating care. This is especially important in Coraline’s case as she feels that no one takes her seriously. Furthermore, QSEN emphasizes the integration of evidence-based practice and patient/family values, thereby providing the best research driven care. (Kelly , Vottero, & Christie-McAuliffe, 2014) Application of QSEN is crucial in the provision of the best patient care possible for Coraline Jones.
Nutrition Problem: Despite Coraline’s normal BMI of 17.3, her diet consists mainly of processed food that are high in calories and saturated fats. Her parents’ busy work schedule is the main reason for this diet. Interventions: Coraline’s parents should be educated about the importance of a balanced diet for the proper promotion of their daughter’s growth development. Coraline and her parents can be educated on the use of choosemyplate.gov, which can show them other food alternatives that provide a wholesome diet while still being quick and easy to make, as not to significantly interfere with their busy work schedule (Perry et al., 2014).
Physical Development Problem: As Coraline is reaching puberty and has begun breast development, she will soon become more aware of her body’s changes and body image. Interventions: Both Coraline and her parents should be educated on the process of sexual maturation and puberty. Coraline’s parents should be educated to be open and available in terms of discussion and answering questions their daughter may have about puberty and her sexuality. Such discussions should be normalized and open as to help reduce Coraline’s potential for feeling uncertain and embarrassed as she enters puberty. Positive body image should be encouraged (Perry et al., 2014).
Social Development Problem: At Coraline’s age, her peers and peer relations take on a larger impact in her life, becoming even more influential than her parents. Moving to a new town away from all of her friends and getting ready to join a new school places Coraline in a vulnerable position for social development. Interventions: Coraline’s parents should be encouraged to improve their interaction and involvement with Coraline as she goes through this social transition. Her parents need to be educated to provide a stable, secure, loving base that Coraline can turn to for support during times of troubled relationships with her peers. Coraline should be educated on effective strategies for dealing with peer pressure as she enters her new school and tries to make new friends (Perry et al., 2014).
Safety Teaching Problem: Coraline is often exploring the woods surrounding her apartment complex without parental supervision and is either alone or with Wybie, a boy her age. She is constantly getting herself in dangerous situations. These include when she almost fell into a well, was attacked by a strange creature, and played with a stick that turned out to be poison oak, leaving her with a bad rash. Interventions: Coraline and her parents should be educated that most injuries occur in or near a child’s home. Coraline should be taught about the hazards of risk taking and be encouraged to play in safe places, rather than out alone in the woods. Furthermore, her parents should be educated on the need for supervision of Coraline during these activities. Emphasis should be placed on discouraging them from sending her out on her own so they can get work done because she can get hurt and has gotten hurt from such practice. Also, Coraline’s parents should always listen to their daughter’s concerns and take her seriously when she says things like, “I almost died” (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017).
References American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017). Bright Futures Guidelines and Pocket Guide. Retrieved from https://brightfutures.aap.org/ American Heat Association. (2016). Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/Dietary-Recommendations-for-HealthyChildren_UCM_303886_Article.jsp#.WdV8vPkrK9L Center for Disease Control and Prevention . (2017). BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen . Retrieved from https://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/ResultGraph.aspx?age=132&gender=2&ht=154&wt=41&method=1&dob=10/27/199 8&dom=10/1/2009&inchtext=&wttext=&pagetype=graph Kelly, P., Vottero, B., & Christie-McAuliffe, C. (2014). Introduction to Quality and Safety Education for Nurses: Core Competencies. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Lowdermilk, D. L., & Wilson, D. (2014). Maternal Child Nursing Care (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby: Elsevier. World Health Organization . (2017). Growth reference data for 5-19 years. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/growthref/en/
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