How I was Socialized as a Child

In school I was socialized to care for the environment, through books, like The Giving Tree, and celebrations like Earth Day.

In elementary school I received awards for displaying certain character traits, like honesty or respect, and this taught me the traits that I was expected to have in order to be successful in my society.

I learned social skills through my interactions with teachers and fellow students, and I was socialized by my school into behaviors like practicing teamwork, following directions, and meeting deadlines.

I went to an islamic school as a kid, and i learned a lot of important values like being kind to others and being non-judgemental.

My religion has also helped me have faith through all the difficulties and hardship I’ve faced.

Being a muslim, Im also encouraged to dress in a more modest fashion.

One of the pilliars of islam is Zakah, which is a type of charity, so I’m expected to help the poor in my religion.

As the boy ages, he uses the tree for selfish reasons. After reading this book I realized that the boy was being unfair and asking the tree to give more than he is giving in return. This emphasized the importance of sharing fairly

As the boy ages, he begins to use the tree only for its resources. I saw this as abusing the environment. Through The Giving tree, I was taught to have greater respect for nature, and that has become a big part of who I am.

In his teenage years, the book implies he has a girlfriend. At middle-age, he wants to start a family. The book taught me the different stages in life I was expected to pass through.

Gender is indirectly addressed in this book, and it impacted me unconsciously.

The young boy engages in "male"-typed activities such as climbing the tree and swinging from the branches. As he grows older, he uses the tree to build a house for his family. This emphasizes that males are the providers in the family. So I associated the male gender with these roles.

The tree is referred to as female and being as this is the "giving" tree, there is a connection made between females and being, caring and nurturing. So, I associated these actions and roles with the female gender.

My favorite Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast taught me to be open-minded and to not judge a book by its cover. Also, Mulan taught me to value my family.

The Disney princess movies I watched typically had princesses that needed to be rescued by a man, and the happy ending they all searched for included marriage. This showed me what society expects of women.

My family expected me to be kind, respectful, and honest. They really valued responsibility and taught me it through giving me chores, and taking care of our environment.

This has helped me be environmentally conscious, be responsible for my actions, and gain a sort of independence.

My socialization has caused me to be very hard on myself when I don't achieve my goals. This has lead to me getting stressed out easily.

Pretty much all the toys I received as a kid were from my parents, and they helped me learn new skills and develop intellectually. I had a lot of Barbie and Bratz Dolls, which taught me about empathy and caring for others, which I still value to this day.

A lot of the clothing my parents bought me were pink and glittery, which conformed to the gender stereotypes of girls wearing only pink.