Week 4 - Childhood stress

I would like to share a story. I do not remember this story first hand my mother has told it to me throughout my life.

When I was in preschool, I came one day very upset. Another kid told me they weren't allowed to play with "black" people. This boggled my mind. I kept insisting to my mother "I am not black. I am brown. I have brown skin" My mother likes to tell this story to demonstrate my attention to details.

As you all know, I am adopted. I was adopted when i was a baby. I was born in India but i have lived in Virginia my whole life.

I do not feel like racism infiltrated my mind until i was much older and could reflect on it. My parents did an amazing job of protecting me from that. They also promoted being adopted as an awesome, wonderful gift from God. One of my favorite book growing up (I still have it on my bookshelf) was Adopted and Loved Forever by Annetta E. Dellinger. Looking back on my life I feel like I was loved through the potential stress. I never felt it.  I Thank The Lord for My Family everyday.

Mom, Me, and Dad 

I spent time in the library and on google looking up global childhood stress. I found an interesting article about Greece and their preschool policy change. Basically Greece was changing from a central control of preschool and daycare to a more local approach and the article was about parental expectations.  I know it is not typically what we think of as childhood stress but I kept thinking about it. I think that going to preschool can be a stressor in a child's life as it is a major change. Then I thought if a parent is worried about the change as well, what kind of services will they provide, how will i leave my child in the care of someone else, will i be able to pay etc., the child will pick up on it thus creating more stress. Hopefully the family and the teachers will work together (that was a concern) and the child will be successful.

Laloumi-Vidali, E. (1998). Parental Expectations of Early Childhood Services for Preschool Children: The case of policy change in Greece. International Journal of Early Years Education,6(1), 19-30. 

Personal Thought

ok so our class discussion this week was about the media influencing children. OH MY GOSH! I was so excited. I could talk and learn about this for EVER. I talked about Disney (of course;) ) and some other things. but seriously I did my senior seminar on the sexualization of young girls and i read a whole lot about the media.

Its funny to me because until I was in college I didn't think I was influenced by the media. (I know, I know I hear you laughing) I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, stay up late, fight with my parents, date around....I was happy to be a "goody two shoes" so i didn't think i was under the thumb of the media. Then one day. I remembered a not so shining moment in my past that made me realize just how influenced i was.
When I was in middle school I was mean to a girl in my class. I had gotten the message that being mean was cool and it got you power and made you popular and blah blah blah. I am so embarrassed by this now. As i was remembering this moment I was thinking "where did I get that idea"? I know I didn't get it from my family. I remembered the tv shows i watched and other things of that nature and it was like the light bulb went off. I got this idea from the outside world ~ the media. Oh I laughed and cried at myself for that one.

Now that I have a niece and nephew on the way I am very aware of the world around me, knowing they are in the same world. As i mentioned I studied young (elementary school to about 14 years old) girls for my senior year seminar as a result I am on HYPER ALERT for the way girls dress. I don't buy my niece pink clothes If i can help it. Sometimes I have to because i like pink and its super cute in moderation. I make sure the clothes I buy her look like little girls clothes and not shrunken versions of adult clothes. Sometimes I buy her boy shirts because they are so much cooler than girl shirts. Women wear t-shirts and jeans all the time, why can't a little girl. I bought a Beatles shirt, a Ninja Turtles one, a vintage Back to the Future one, a Run DMC shirt ~ all from the boys section. I don't care.

Ok well I'm out of steam here on my soapbox. Thanks for listening ;)

Me and My Niece

Week 1 A Birth Experience

I have no experience with birth. I, obviously, don't remember my own. I only have one older brother.
I do have a niece. She was received excellent pre natal care both from doctors and her parents. She was born in a hospital and her whole family was there. both sets of grandparents and great grandparents, her cousin, her aunts. it was a cool day.  ANYWAYS.....

I read a book called The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down about the culture clash between the Hmong people and the California community. The beginning of the book is about a birth experience of a woman. She is in Laos in a hut. It is a silence birth because she believes noise will "thwart the birth"(Fadiman 1997). The mom delivered her babies herself. She saves the placenta and buries it. The book explains how the spiritual faith of the Hmong people are completely integrated with their lives. It was a great example of how the separation of faith from daily live is not always the best.

I also thought about how being born must be a CRAZY shock. to go from a temper controlled, perfect environment into a place that has bright light and lots of sounds and air conditioning must be unbelievable. Thank goodness we don't remember it.

Fadiman, A. (1997). The spirit catches you and you fall down. New York, New York : Farrar, Straus,
              and  Giroux

New Blog

Hello. This is my second Masters blog. My old one was starting to get weird.....anyways..... I hope this journey to my Masters Degree is full of good things. Even though its hard.