Comments on: Civil Rights Through the Eyes of a Five-Year-Old http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/ embracing the wild heart of parenting Thu, 17 May 2012 15:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rosa Parks Story, Explained by My Kid — ChildWild http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1558 Rosa Parks Story, Explained by My Kid — ChildWild Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:54:20 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1558 [...] has been learning about civil rights in kindergarten for awhile now, so I shouldn’t be surprised that she knows who Rosa Parks was. Sort [...] [...] has been learning about civil rights in kindergarten for awhile now, so I shouldn’t be surprised that she knows who Rosa Parks was. Sort [...]

]]> By: Sierra http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-2095 Sierra Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:02:26 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-2095 That's an *awesome* story. Rio has been throbbing with big questions lately. Thanks for the resource tip on how to deal with some of these ones! That's an *awesome* story. Rio has been throbbing with big questions lately. Thanks for the resource tip on how to deal with some of these ones!

]]> By: Sarah http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-2094 Sarah Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:00:07 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-2094 Try also Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. I talk to Charlie about all he loses a white boy when people are treated unfairly but I also explain that if he messes around when he's with his non-white friends, there is a good chance that they'll get in more trouble than he will and it's his responsibility to be aware of that, act accordingly and call out things that aren't fair. Witness his first day of kindergarten when he came home and asked me "Why do all the brown kids get sent to the principal's office and the rest of the kids just get told to be quiet?"<br><br>I told him that was an excellent question for him to share with his teacher and the principal! We're in for a great ride in this public school adventure. Try also Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. I talk to Charlie about all he loses a white boy when people are treated unfairly but I also explain that if he messes around when he's with his non-white friends, there is a good chance that they'll get in more trouble than he will and it's his responsibility to be aware of that, act accordingly and call out things that aren't fair. Witness his first day of kindergarten when he came home and asked me “Why do all the brown kids get sent to the principal's office and the rest of the kids just get told to be quiet?”

I told him that was an excellent question for him to share with his teacher and the principal! We're in for a great ride in this public school adventure.

]]> By: Sierra http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1389 Sierra Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:02:26 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1389 That's an *awesome* story. Rio has been throbbing with big questions lately. Thanks for the resource tip on how to deal with some of these ones! That's an *awesome* story. Rio has been throbbing with big questions lately. Thanks for the resource tip on how to deal with some of these ones!

]]> By: Sarah http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1388 Sarah Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:07 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1388 Try also Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. I talk to Charlie about all he loses a white boy when people are treated unfairly but I also explain that if he messes around when he's with his non-white friends, there is a good chance that they'll get in more trouble than he will and it's his responsibility to be aware of that, act accordingly and call out things that aren't fair. Witness his first day of kindergarten when he came home and asked me "Why do all the brown kids get sent to the principal's office and the rest of the kids just get told to be quiet?"<br><br>I told him that was an excellent question for him to share with his teacher and the principal! We're in for a great ride in this public school adventure. Try also Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. I talk to Charlie about all he loses a white boy when people are treated unfairly but I also explain that if he messes around when he's with his non-white friends, there is a good chance that they'll get in more trouble than he will and it's his responsibility to be aware of that, act accordingly and call out things that aren't fair. Witness his first day of kindergarten when he came home and asked me “Why do all the brown kids get sent to the principal's office and the rest of the kids just get told to be quiet?”

I told him that was an excellent question for him to share with his teacher and the principal! We're in for a great ride in this public school adventure.

]]> By: Sierra http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1061 Sierra Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:02:26 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1061 That's an *awesome* story. Rio has been throbbing with big questions lately. Thanks for the resource tip on how to deal with some of these ones! That's an *awesome* story. Rio has been throbbing with big questions lately. Thanks for the resource tip on how to deal with some of these ones!

]]> By: Sarah http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1060 Sarah Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:00:07 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1060 Try also Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. I talk to Charlie about all he loses a white boy when people are treated unfairly but I also explain that if he messes around when he's with his non-white friends, there is a good chance that they'll get in more trouble than he will and it's his responsibility to be aware of that, act accordingly and call out things that aren't fair. Witness his first day of kindergarten when he came home and asked me "Why do all the brown kids get sent to the principal's office and the rest of the kids just get told to be quiet?"<br><br>I told him that was an excellent question for him to share with his teacher and the principal! We're in for a great ride in this public school adventure. Try also Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. I talk to Charlie about all he loses a white boy when people are treated unfairly but I also explain that if he messes around when he's with his non-white friends, there is a good chance that they'll get in more trouble than he will and it's his responsibility to be aware of that, act accordingly and call out things that aren't fair. Witness his first day of kindergarten when he came home and asked me “Why do all the brown kids get sent to the principal's office and the rest of the kids just get told to be quiet?”

I told him that was an excellent question for him to share with his teacher and the principal! We're in for a great ride in this public school adventure.

]]> By: Sierra http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1004 Sierra Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:26:21 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1004 woah - yes! I guess I wasn't clear enough in the post on this point, but I was not happy with the way this topic came up or how I responded to it. <br><br>She overheard an adult conversation and started asking questions. When she asks difficult questions about sex or gender, I can usually field them pretty well because I know where I stand on those issues and I have a pretty broad knowledge of them, plus a good grasp on what she can get her head around developmentally. <br><br>When it comes to race, I am clueless enough myself that I'm ill-equipped to respond gracefully to her questions. I hope I'll be able to handle it better next time it comes up after reading all the great resources the other commenters offered. woah – yes! I guess I wasn't clear enough in the post on this point, but I was not happy with the way this topic came up or how I responded to it.

She overheard an adult conversation and started asking questions. When she asks difficult questions about sex or gender, I can usually field them pretty well because I know where I stand on those issues and I have a pretty broad knowledge of them, plus a good grasp on what she can get her head around developmentally.

When it comes to race, I am clueless enough myself that I'm ill-equipped to respond gracefully to her questions. I hope I'll be able to handle it better next time it comes up after reading all the great resources the other commenters offered.

]]> By: malwart http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1003 malwart Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:53:20 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1003 While I commend your commitment to anti bias education, 5 seems awfully young to be discussing issues of Imperialism. Maybe you should just chill out on dealing with us and them issues until your daughter is a bit older. Let her be a child, with child like concerns. The enslavement of people is impossible for a 5 year old to cognitively compartmentalize into a safe place.<br>I believe that if you want your child to save the world, you have to teach them first that it is a place full of love and not fear. There are many, many years ahead for her to be politically active. While I commend your commitment to anti bias education, 5 seems awfully young to be discussing issues of Imperialism. Maybe you should just chill out on dealing with us and them issues until your daughter is a bit older. Let her be a child, with child like concerns. The enslavement of people is impossible for a 5 year old to cognitively compartmentalize into a safe place.
I believe that if you want your child to save the world, you have to teach them first that it is a place full of love and not fear. There are many, many years ahead for her to be politically active.

]]> By: msmsgirl http://childwild.com/2010/01/18/civil-rights-through-the-eyes-of-a-five-year-old/comment-page-1/#comment-1002 msmsgirl Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:57:56 +0000 http://childwild.com/?p=3015#comment-1002 Huh, I wrote you a long comment but I think it got lost. It basically said that one of my favorite blogs about race and family living is the personal blog of one of the other babble bloggers, Peter's Cross Station ('where the personal is still political') (<a href="http://www.lilysea.blogs.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.lilysea.blogs.com/</a>) - it's a really intelligent and compassionate blog about a family of two moms and two kids that formed through trans-racial open adoption, and I've found some of her takes on race and child socialization really eye-opening.<br><br>I also wrote that in the intro to Lisa Delpit's book, The Skin That We Speak, she lays out some great research into that Nurture Shock thing you mention, namely how fast white and black children often internalize white supremacy without any explicit info at all, in toddlerhood.<br><br>I second the Peggy McIntosh essay, "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" - it has long been a favorite but I never realized till I looked at it anew that it has several items about children and families.<br><br>I love this thread; great resources! Huh, I wrote you a long comment but I think it got lost. It basically said that one of my favorite blogs about race and family living is the personal blog of one of the other babble bloggers, Peter's Cross Station ('where the personal is still political') (http://www.lilysea.blogs.com/) – it's a really intelligent and compassionate blog about a family of two moms and two kids that formed through trans-racial open adoption, and I've found some of her takes on race and child socialization really eye-opening.

I also wrote that in the intro to Lisa Delpit's book, The Skin That We Speak, she lays out some great research into that Nurture Shock thing you mention, namely how fast white and black children often internalize white supremacy without any explicit info at all, in toddlerhood.

I second the Peggy McIntosh essay, “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” – it has long been a favorite but I never realized till I looked at it anew that it has several items about children and families.

I love this thread; great resources!

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