People in society spend a lot of time observing, whether we are intentionally aware of it or not. People observe through their environment and the daily activities that happen. Observations can be made by engaging in different environmental actions and contexts such as public transportation, restaurants, hospitals, work, and shopping, among others. As a social worker in training, it is important for me to observe competently to be able to effectively assess clients' safety and environment, which will strengthen my skills and help me determine what treatment options may be best for children and families. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The life stage used for this focal observation was middle childhood. The age of children in this stage (4) varies from five or six years and ends between ten and twelve years. I chose this stage of life because I believed I could gather more data through observation. The middle stage of childhood is typically when children begin to expand their roles and develop their identity in society. Many changes began to happen to them socially, cognitively, and ecologically. Hutchinson (2015) states, “During middle childhood, the child's social world begins to expand dramatically.” area on the 9th floor. The observation lasted almost twenty minutes. A hospital is an institution that provides medical care and treatment to sick or injured people and to which many children fear going. Children often associate the hospital with undesirable feelings based on their childhood experiences; how to receive required vaccinations in infancy and early childhood. Inside the hospital, I remember that the walk from the elevator to the waiting room was really long. The walls of the intensive care unit were taupe and the lights were dim, which made for a dull, lifeless feeling. In the waiting area there was a TV mounted on the wall, a patients' bill of rights hanging near the door, and two vending machines in front of the 8 chairs. One filled with unhealthy snacks and the other filled with sugary drinks like Pepsi, Sunkist and fruit punch. The smell in the hospital was reminiscent of the chemical smell found in most hospitals. In the pavilions there were medical equipment such as electrocardiogram machine and blood pressure monitor. Medical professionals moved and worked. The atmosphere in the hospital was very dark; sadness was conveyed through facial expressions and body language. Before starting this observation, I remember being emotional. I was in the hospital visiting a loved one who had become seriously ill and was in the operating room. I had no intention of actually conducting my observation there. I had planned to conduct it in a different environment, such as a supermarket or a cinema. However, when I arrived and settled in, I noticed that there was a baby in the waiting room, the only baby I have actually encountered in the last two weeks in the intensive care unit during my hospital visits. I began to think how difficult it must be for him. What emotions were running through his head? Was he nervous or scared? Did he even want to be here? For me, as an adult I was going through a lot of feelings and dealing with my own anxieties. It's difficult to go to the hospital to see your loved one who is sick and needs extra care, knowing that we can't make them feel better physically. For a child this experience can betraumatising and further impacting his cognitive abilities and functioning. The middle stage of childhood falls into Erikson's category 4, which is industry versus inferiority. This is the stage where children typically begin to do things on their own and gain a sense of independence. Even though their brains grow ninety percent of the size of adults in the early childhood stage. During middle childhood they began to build their own self-image, being able to make decisions and assert themselves. Most children started school during this phase (preoperational thinking). Increase their cognitive development, self-confidence, social skills and gain more independence when they come into contact with wider society. Such as teachers, churches, classmates, librarians, bus drivers, people who play sports, etc. During my observation I noticed that the child most likely went straight to the hospital from school, because he still had his book bag with him. The boy who appeared to be about eleven years old, was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, old sneakers and looked like he could use a haircut. Also, I noticed that he was overweight for his age. This was an indicator that he may not be physically active or that his family may be having financial problems. According to Hutchinson (2015) “the nature and rate of physical growth during this period is influenced by both genetic and environmental influences.” I watched the child play on an iPhone for about 5-8 minutes, until the mother asked. The child was also very curious, asking lots of questions on different topics ranging from school to his grandmother who was sick in hospital. He spoke articulately, showing his language development. According to Cohen (2016) “Language continues to develop and at the end of this stage children have an average vocabulary of 40,000 words”. However, the most obvious developmental skill shown during observation was emotional intelligence. The child was able to tune into his mother's feelings and sympathize with her, massaging her hand and showing affection and compassion. Present advanced skills to deal with this difficult time. According to Davidson, Tish, Am, and Michael Mazzei (2016) “Children ages 7 to 11 show a wider variety of self-regulatory skills. The sophistication in understanding and implementing cultural display rules increased dramatically at this stage. “On a cognitive level, he was able to visualize formal operations; showing the ability to understand people and circumstances taking place in his proximal environment. Family and peer groups are important systems of influence for children in the middle stage of childhood; they typically seek a desire to feel accepted while constantly comparing themselves to others in society. Positive peer and family relationships have a significant impact on their development a period in which children develop skills in interpersonal and social relationships. Children have an increasing peer orientation, but are strongly influenced by their family.” Based on my assessment, the child appeared to be from from a low socioeconomic background. The ability to walk home was mentioned, this was an indicator that they had to live within walking distance of the hospital. The South Bronx is the poorest county in New York City. Many Bronx families live below the poverty line. Hutchinson (2015) states that “limited income limits.”