Three issues that stuck out to me were the parents perceptions on life, that those perceptions were re-enforced by the parents to the children, and that the children were picking up on the queues of their parents and other influential adults in their lives. My mother holds a degree in sociology. She used to tell me the statistical ages of children when their identity was perceived as being formed. The research was a bit dated but for the most part really close to the research done in this film.
Watching the parents interact and place their own ideology into raising their kids at times was frustrating as well as refreshing. As a parent you are on the front lines of guiding your children and showing them what to do and not to do. Unfortunately for some parents the task is combating the prejudices that society will greet them with as they become older.
We live in a time where the media forms perceptions and portrays ideals that our children believe are true. I think in the last few years with programs like Dora the Explorer, and Little Bill there has been some injection of ethnic representation for our kids to identify with but if you’re a minority it’s not substantial or inclusive. There are many ethnicities not represented and not any shows that come to mind that depict a positive example of a single parent household living in poverty.
Depending on the values of the parents, the children were raised with ideals or expectations that mirrored those dimensions. For the mother that wanted to impart a degree of ethnic pride that pride had to exist within herself. With that being said that mother had decided that she needed to guard her child from the social prejudices her son would face because of his race. She became proactive teaching him to love his identity. For the mother who was concerned with her daughter’s body type she was in fact concerned with her own. She had decided that her daughter would be overweight and short because that is how she as the mother perceived herself (Identity Crisis: Self-Image in Childhood, 2005).
The documentary discussed gender perception and utilized dolls by placing female doll clothes on the male doll and male clothing on the female doll. It was eye opening to watch the children respond to the researcher when asked if the doll was now perceived to be male or female. The children did not see the dolls as their gender based on the previous experience. They viewed the gender through the clothing choices (Identity Crisis: Self-Image in Childhood, 2005).
My first year at Arizona State University I did a research interview with two transgender participants. Speaking with the male to female participant in the interview, one of the things she said was that when she was young she would dress in girls clothing and pray to an imaginary pink fairy to make her a girl. She believed that a pink fairy represented everything feminine. She said that it was a lot easier to come to terms with being female as a male prepubescent youth. When puberty hit and her body developed through the increase of testosterone she became very confused and felt that her body betrayed her. I wonder that if society decided to accept and understand children when they say they are a gender other than how they were born at birth if during these early years it would be easier for them to be accept among their childhood peers.
If we want a society that accepts others, that breeds peace, that holds the ideals we wish to be fundamental then I believe that this research cannot just focus on the children. The children are vessels that hold pieces of the people that have raised them. I couldn’t determine what will cause a child to turn to crime based on the documentary, but there is a level of culpability that the parent’s need to own up to.
If we want a society that accepts others, that breeds peace, that holds the ideals we wish to be fundamental then I believe that this research cannot just focus on the children. The children are vessels that hold pieces of the people that have raised them. I couldn’t determine what will cause a child to turn to crime based on the documentary, but there is a level of culpability that the parent’s need to own up to.
Overtime children grow into adults, and have the ability to affect change in their own lives. One can become a different person than that of your mother or father. That may be a positive outcome and can also be a negative one. It opened my eyes to understanding how words and actions affect kids for the rest of their lives. I don’t believe we have unlocked the reasons why 2 kids can grow up in the same household and have totally different perceptions of life, nevertheless I do believe that whether you live in poverty or in great wealth you as a parent can impart love, courage, and ethics into your child through daily interaction and reinforcement of your own moral character and choices.
BBC/Open University Co-production. "Identity Crisis: Self-Image in Childhood" 2005. Online video clip. Arizona Universities Library Consortium. FMG Video On Demand. Accessed on 13 July 2009.http://digital.films.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/play/D6XDBV
Great post this week! You provided clear examples from the film to illustrate your points about the difficulties parents face in raising kids, and you clearly cited the course materials as well. I also appreciated that you made connections with the examples you brought in from your field work experiences.
ReplyDeleteOne minor issue is with the rubric. You started out identifying the three major points in the triangle portion, but it wasn't clear which areas were your square or circle. I would suggest labeling the sections for future posts as this can help you keep track of the rubric more clearly.
Excellent improvement! I look forward to reading more!