Midlife (Ages Forty-Five to Sixty-Five)
If life is going well, this is a period of increased confidence, stability, and affluence. There
might be periods of crisis in any life. Men might enjoy more responsibility and more pres-
tige at work, or they might get bored. Women could have similar work experiences, or they
might go back to work during this period as children get more independent and leave home.
The ability to nurture others provides a sense of satisfaction and helps adults to be less self-
absorbed. There could be a need to care for aging parents. Both men and women probably
have increasing spare time and more disposable income during this period. Around age sixty
to sixty-five there is a reassessment of life and a preparation for retirement. Both men and
women might feel a push out the door in the workplace and strive to hold onto their careers.
Late Adulthood (Ages Sixty-Five to Eighty)
This is an age of reassessment of the life lived and either a decision to enjoy the remaining
years or one to make some use of the time that is left to give worth and meaning. How did
I do? What is life? Did mine have meaning? Did I measure up? This is a time of wisdom.
Illness and loss become more frequent.
Old Age (Ages Eighty and Up)
Chronic illness becomes more of a problem. The scope of life grows smaller. Involvement
with self becomes more complete.
Other Developmental Issues
Studies have also found that more than half of all children multitask as they watch TV. They
talk and eat primarily, but they also play and do homework. A few rarely look at the screen
at all. Of course, adults multitask as well, but children seem to be the multitask masters and
do more things at the same time.
Television program developers have discovered that children are growing out of spe-
cific television programming earlier than they did in the past.Sesame Street, for instance, has
an ever-younger audience. Children want to move on. Part of growing up and growing older
is rejecting what was prized in the past. Toys and programming suddenly, almost overnight,
become something for “babies.” Adolescents reject the ideas and advice they previously wel-
comed. Even adults may move suddenly into another stage of development.
The age of decision making has lowered increasingly as well. Children with working
parents become independent earlier and are probably making more decisions on their own
earlier.
Increased population in cities and multicultural influences around the world from
migrating people also change the way we think, as does our exposure to an international
community through the Internet. Children coming into a new culture must adjust, although
their parents might cling to the old. Each family member may adjust at a different rate.
56 Animation Writing and Development