Some of the aspects that were discussed as part of culture were religion, family values, respect for elders, views on parenting, education, the way we dress, food preferences, and political affiliations. Then we looked at the iceberg model of culture.
This led to more discussion of culture, and how some did not realize how we look at and view individuals with special needs. One person shared how he was always told that he needed to be tough and not to cry when he was hurt. He said that this was how it was for all of the boys in his family. He struggled when he had his son and wanted him to be sensitive and be able to express emotion, but felt pressure from his family to not caudal him and "make him tough".
As I listens to the discussion, I though about how my value system is shaped by culture. This includes how I approach problems and thoughts on illness. As an early childhood educator it is important to understand how families view illness. For some families there is the belief that being cold can cause illness and bundle their children up. It is important to respect the differences of all families and in order to do that we need to understand our cultural beliefs and biases.
Tamara,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post about your discussion with colleagues. I often struggle with family opinion in the raising of my children. I often try to do things very different than what my parents did and they usually have something to say about how I choose to do things. I try to tell them that there way is not better or worse, just different but they get angry and often say that I think poorly of them because I do things differently.
Tamera,
ReplyDeleteI was very intrigued about your conversation with your colleague about boys and men, in my case, being tough and not crying or even showing any emotion. I can identify with this in that we were always told that big boys do not cry. In my case though it became a whole family thing. Even my mother and sisters followed this approach. Emotions such as crying or showing emotion at all was not really done when I was growing up. It was not until after I went to college that I felt somewhat ok about showing emotions to my family and even then it was not a lot. Even now it takes a lot for me to be able to show someone my emotions. I have found that this can hinder a relationship whether it be a wife, a colleague, or even just a good friend. I find myself trying to tell people how I feel and then all of a sudden I can just clam up and stop communicating at all.