Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a face-to face class by asking questions and stating your point of view.

I'm surprised in chapter 9 when it talked about childhood obesity that it didn't mention the emotional toll it can take on children as well, particularly from bullying in school (Erford, 2017). There was mention of bullying about the kid with cancer, which was horrible, but I'm just surprised it didn't say anything about potential bullying for obesity as well. Children can be… such jerks and so relentless. I did, however, appreciate the part where it talked about the kid with cancer and the effects of him being bullied. He was made fun of for being bald and weak from chemo, which, again, is horrible and horrifying, but then he ended up becoming a bully himself because of the anger he experienced with his bullying. I don't condone bullying by any means, but I know there are a myriad of reasons a person can become one and often it's a cry for help. 

The pruning process the chapter talked about was really interesting to read about and made me wish my brain would go through a pruning process again to get rid of all the old phone numbers I don't want to remember from 8-years-old to make room for important information, ha. It's interesting getting older and realizing that your ability to engage in cognitive abilities aren't quite as you remember them being from when you were a kid. I used to be sharp and now I feel like it takes me so much longer to learn something. It makes me wish I had done more as a kid or kept up with certain activities. The part about trauma affecting the brain was also really interesting. I would definitely be more interested in learning more about how trauma and neglect can alter the normal process of brain development for children. I've read that trauma can cause symptoms in children that are often mistaken as other issues like ADHD and that it can often be difficult to diagnose a child correctly, which makes me sad for all the children who have been forced to take medication for alleged ADHD when they were experiencing traumatic situations at home. I've also read about the effects trauma and stress have on the amygdala and pre-frontal cortex, but it would be really fascinating to take a class or find a lecture on the connections between all the parts of the brain!