A Review of Your Nine-Year-Old
Author Louise Bates Ames’ Guide to the Nine-Year-Old Child
From age one through the teen years, Dr. Ames has covered the typical, expected behaviors of each age in separate, detailed books. In Your Nine-Year-Old: Thoughtful and Mysterious [Dell Publishing, 1990], she once again answers the important questions for parents that may be struggling with a child of this age or parents who just hope to better understand their nine-year-old son or daughter.
The Characteristics of a Nine-Year-Old Child
Dr. Ames maintains that a nine-year-old child’s behavior is often hard to predict. The way they behave one day may be the opposite the next day. Children of this age do, typically, start to become more independent. They are able to finish projects, such as reading chapter books, even when they get sidetracked or have been interrupted.
As a comparison, Dr. Ames describes how nine-year-old children are different from eight-year-old children. The parent is able to see just how much the child has grown and changed throughout the year. At age nine, a child’s individual personality is evident, more so than at previous ages.
Discipline and Age-Appropriate Behavior
In the chapter on discipline, Dr. Ames details an important reason for her books. She feels that it is crucial for parents to understand age-appropriate behavior. Knowing what a child is capable of should help a parent determine when and how to discipline.
Many parents expect children to behave at a more mature level than they are actually able. Dr. Ames’ books, including Your Nine-Year-Old, help a parent determine what reasonable and appropriate expectations are for a particular age.
Nine-Year-Old Children and School
School is a big part of most nine-year-old children’s lives. The typical nine-year-old is a fourth-grade student. Dr. Ames points out that this is the year that learning takes a huge leap forward, requiring more abstract thinking than in previous years.
She states that fourth grade is the year that children who have been placed in school too early will begin to struggle. Dr. Ames lists several signs that a nine-year-old fourth grader may be over placed at school, including a desire to play with third graders.
About the Authors
Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D. is a co-founder of the Gesell Institute of Child Development and has written several parenting books aimed at increasing the understanding of age-appropriate behavior. These books are valuable resources for many parents.
Carol Chase Haber, M.A. is a Gesell examiner and has co-authored several parenting books.
Your Nine-Year-Old: Thoughtful and Mysterious is an important book for parents to read. Dr. Ames describes the characteristics of this age in such a way that you will find yourself nodding your head in agreement at the astounding similarities to your own nine-year-old child. She offers suggestions for discipline, school and many other issues parents of nine-year-old children face.
Source:
Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D. and Carol Chase Haber, M.A.Your Nine-Year-Old: Thoughtful and Mysterious' Dell Publishing, New York:1990.
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