Sexualization of Children? Really?

I must revert to Freud on the argument of sexualization of small children.  I actually have not seen much sexualization of children.  I have watched a few shows, such as Teen Titans, and Steven Universe, and even some cartoons that are not meant for children like Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers.  I say that I agree with Freud, deep down, we are all sexualized beings and we work through our sexuality in subtle and overt ways.  There is nothing wrong with that; it is a natural part of life.

What I have noticed is that we do teach gender.  Pinks are for girls and Blues are for boys.  Dolls are for girls and trucks are for boys.  Actually, I don't see anything wrong with that either.  I think that our children are the best teachers and when they want to differentiate from the mold, they will do so. I think that we can overthink things  and try to protect children from things that they may or may not need protecting from.

In history, human kind has suffered because of POWER.  In the early days of our country, settlers that came to our country practiced taking POWER from others; this was done by horrendous means.  Children that grow up practicing such practices have learned this from their families and communities.  I think that the taking down of the confederate flag in South Carolina, the millions around the world that are joining hands around the #Blacklivesmatter movement, and even #sayhername movement, proves that human kind can pick out and preserve the better elements for the survival of human kind.  We are not that sick as human kind, or so I believe, that we can't let girls where pink without being hard on ourselves for not offering them a gender-neutral color.

I think that we are here to protect the innocence of our children.  They will work out there sexuality in a healthy matter if we support them.  We are here to not only teach them but support them in decisions that they make.  We support and champion all races, cultures, and sexual choices that they make.  Technology changes our world to a whole different world within five years, there are jobs that this generation is training for that have not been created yet, and cultures that have yet to be seen.  If we support and champion, our young ones will be fine.

I am Woman

One big shock for me upon moving to Nashville was how quickly demographics changed.  One minute an area would be mostly Caucasian and within a month that same area would be mostly Hispanic or Somalian.  This was refreshing because Nashville is really turning into a very diverse place with such a unique personality.

With these changes though, come their own set of challenges.  One of the biggest challenges that I faced was getting any kind of respect from males from different cultures.  Because in their native lands women's roles are quite different, it is very difficult to relate to men from a culture that does not see their role as different.  The boys are taught to disregard instructions and reprimand which makes classroom management a difficult task at times too.  Often male bus drivers have to reinforce what is communicated when there are males from particular backgrounds around, or what we say is disregarded or ignored.

It is infuriating to me as a woman and as a professional to have what I say totally looked over by someone else just because of my gender.  I think it absurd that you would not listen to someone who is charged with the care of your child while you are away for hours at a time and you refuse to acknowledge that I have any intelligence or really humanity?!  The children we teach are getting the message however. In a female dominated field, the boys have not choice but to listen to women, obey women, and respect women, they are all around. Although I understand the ideology behind the behavior; I will rejoice whe this kind of direspect ends.  It makes me want to make a muscle and shout to the heavens, "Who runs the world....GIRLS!"

Daddy's Girl

I have been using the Summer to catch up on a little television via Hulu and Netflix.  Well, I was watching an episode of Empire, America's current guilty pleasure while I was running on the treadmill.  Aside from the drama, there was one part that caught my eye.  One of the characters, who is struggling with his identity as a gay man, was trying to bond with the daughter he only recently learned he had.  The child, an adorable little girl, was dropped off at the father's place of business.  This situation leads to a tough adjustment period for both the man and his young daughter.

The scene that I am critiquing is the one where the man, is trying his best to entertain the little girl.  She does not want to do anything that he is suggesting and it is clearly frustrating him.  He is suggesting things in his language, in adult lingo such as, " whatever you want to do I 'm down".  She does not understand this kind of talk!  I remember thinking that when I was watching.  The little girl asked when he mother was coming back.  The young man then found a way to bond with them, by singing.  Their last names were the same.  He led her in singing, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".  He gave her part of the melody to sing and he sang the actual song.

What I learned is that body language is communicated to children and they can feel our vibes in a way that keeps us extremely honest. What I liked is that the father went to his comfort zone to find a way to communicated and found a way to include his daughter in his comfort.  He began building commonality based on their genes, their DNA, their last names, the fact that they were family, and the result was that we as an audience finally saw the two bond in a genuine way.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Persona dolls [DVD]. Strategies for working with diverse children. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pierce, J., & Johnson, C. (2010). Problem solving with young children using persona dolls. YC: Young Children, 65(6), 106-108. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=56561009&site=ehost-live&scope=site

All Done!

My hope for working with children in this field is that we have less humanity battles to fight.  My wish is for the newest little ones that I work with to know and feel that all facets of themselves are human, relevant, regular and allowable.  I want to make them feel as comfortable as possible and not feel the need to hide anything from anyone.

My goal is to make my students feel and see that their lives, and the lives of those around them can always be as happy as it is in Pre-K.  I want to give them the best launch possible and be as sensitive as possible to the needs of them and those around them.

Thank you to my professor, for the professor that filled in, my many classmates and my family for their dialogue, their professionalism, and their push this semester.  I am almost done, and its a struggle everytime, but we are almost there.  Thank you all!

new web page

Please check out my new web page to celebrate BIAS BASHING!

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Don't Stare!

As a child when we see something that is not the norm, we tend to stare at it until we figure it out.  I did it and, I can distinctly remember my children doing it.  When I caught it, I would scold them, and depending on how severe it was, snap, "Don't STARE!"  Staring is not a way to deal with difference but it is a go to for people who are trying to process differences.  The staring was at someone with a missing limb, burns on most of their body, or something that made them look physically different, move very differently, or even a disorder that made them act very different.  My children, and admittedly myself when I was younger, tried to figure it out by visual processing.  This on the outside, looks harmful, rude, and like the child has not been trained, but they are just processing.

As an early childhood professional, I would calmly explain to the child that it is not nice to stare at people however, instead of leaving the issue at that, I would explain that staring makes people uncomfortable and can sometimes even make  the person feel insignificant and less than a person.  I think that a child could understand if the right wording was used. 

I would also address why the child felt the need to stare, address the difference that was seen and help the child understand why the person is different.  I think that people just snap at children out of their own embarrassment, and their won lack of prepardness in addressing the issue that stems from the incident.
Being open, being prepared for a child's curiosity, and unintentional rude behavior can lead to learning possibilities and the opportunity for a child to walk away more exposed, more understanding, and a whole lot less likely to stare if handled correctly. 

Slanders Anyone?

• I think it is befitting to talk about the LGBT community as next month is gay pride month. I think that most people born before about 1970 had a bit of readjusting to do with the openness in which gay love and lifestyle was thrust into the spotlight and negotiated.  It did not matter whether you identified with gay or straight... talking about sexual orientation was always so taboo....not so anymore...it is now so commonplace.  Many of my peers had to adjust to having two mothers coming to pick up their child.  It was not that we were so much opposed, it was just different....I made the adjustment with my coworkers.  We all adjusted together. It was a natural adjustment. We helped each other and each other...especially when the kids began to ask each other why certain kids had two mothers. We helped them to understand that there were many different types of families.  It was eye opening and beautiful for all involved.

   Preschoolers don't seem to engage in name calling when it comes to sexual orientation....my daughters high school students do however....she must constantly remind them that being"gay" is not an insult or an insultary adjective, but a lifestyle....

  Transgender has even made its way to a soap that I watch called Bold and the Beautiful. I think its good, people should live themselves outloud and proud.  We are all better for it.