*Please write a response of 200- 250 word count with one scholar reference using apa format in text citation.

Maribel

Middle Adulthood

“Middle adulthood which begins around age 40 and ends at about 65, is marked by narrowing life options and a shrinking future as children leave home and career paths become more determined.” (Berk, 2014 pg.502). I had the chance to observe my own mother Soledad, who is sixty three years old. During the observation I was able to observe all of her developmental stages as I told her a very hard situation I am currently in while also discussing upcoming plans.

Physical

“Physical development in middle adulthood is a continuation of the gradual changes under way in early adulthood.” (Berk, 2014, pg. 502). The very first thing i noticed about my mother is that it was very hard for her to see the bills she was paying at the time. She picked up her spectacles about four times before she gave up and asked me to tell her what company and the amount she was making the check out to. I also noticed when I was asking her questions about our families Christmas she asked me to repeat myself various times.

Emotional

Although I know my mother very well and I know she has the tendency to overreact to just about anything she kept very calm during the observation and seemed to handle herself very well. “Middle aged individuals are more likely to identify the positive side of difficult situations, postpone action to permit evaluation of alternatives anticipate and plan ways to handle future discomforts, and use humor to express ideas and feelings without offending others.” Berk, 2014, pg. 539). At this specific observation period I thought it was time to tell my mother news about my upcoming surgery and my battle with cancer I had kept to myself for quite some time. Of course I expected her to cry or something but she kept rather calm and actually comforted me like she always has.

Cognitive

“Although declines occur in some areas, most people display cognitive competence, especially in familiar contexts, and some attain outstanding accomplishment.” Berk, 2014, pg. 517). She seemed to handle everything very well. Despite her hearing problem she answered every question about our family and she was able to understand everything I have gone through and why I chose to tell her one week before my surgery. She was also able to give me very good feedback and like stated earlier comforted me when I thought I didn’t have anyone. She was able to remind me of why I chose the career path I chose and why it was I went back to school.

Social

My mother has always been a very social person. She has never had trouble with talking to anyone and as I recall she has not one shy bone in her body. The day I did the observation she received about six different calls from multiple people. And this I know happens on a daily basis. So it was pretty normal to me. Partly because they have ties to older and younger generations in their families and partly because their friendships are well established, people tend to have larger number of close relationships during midlife than at any other period.” (Berk, 2014, pg. 543). I also got the sense that day that my mother just loves to socialize and clearly has no shame in doing it either.

Fowler’s Faith Development

This day was actually very hard for me to come out and tell my mother about but she manged to remind me of my faith and how important it is and to never let go of hope. She reminded me of all the things she has been through in her life and how having faith and hope for the future has kept her strong and that I need to do the same for my kids sake as well. According to Fowler, my mother would likely be in stage five of his faith development, conjunctive faith (Fowler, 2019). As my mother spoke of her personal experiences it was very clear how much she is ready for a deeper and stronger relationship with God as she ages.