Children

This week we look at many challenges to the norm of the archetype of the middle class nuclear family, from same sex parents, to the role of children themselves. While all of the articles acknowledge the importance of recognizing differences and obstacles they give little to the discussion of the achievement of this restructuring. This week stresses the raising of children, and the different involvement of parents, and I wanted to bring up the Harlem Children’s Zone as an interesting example of an organization that is set on challenging and changing the divisions caused by socioeconomic class, race, and gender especially with regard to parenting and education. The organization was started by a man who grew up in Harlem, NY and managed to work his way to a middle class lifestyle. He said that when his wife became pregnant, he realized that one of the biggest differences between the parents in his suburb and those in Harlem was access to literature and ideas on “correct” parenting, ie predominantly middle class ideas on raising children, which I don’t say as a bad thing. He realized however, that education, for children and parents, had to be reconfigured at a structural level to have an effect. The group now works within a 97 block radius in New York, providing social services, “training” parents, and providing educational services from day care through college to strengthen individuals, family units and the community.

Obviously providing educational, after school, and health services is extremely important, but I found their emphasis on parenting really interesting and pertinent to this week. They provide a way to essentially “distill and distribute” the writing and ideas on the “best parenting” to those who do not have time or resources. By emphasizing involvement in children’s lives, broader communication, investment in education, and changing ideas of discipline, or just telling parents to use positive words with their children, the organization provides means of implementation for ideological change concerning parental involvement. However, the difficult part of this process is having parents realize that their life may not change; the work they are doing is for their children’s future which in a culture of individualism may not be fair. Of course, their methods are not perfect, but rising literacy and graduation rates from both high school and college attest to its effectiveness.

1. Do you think it is right for an organization to stress and provide means of implementation of “middle class values”?

2. Different kinds of communication are stressed in these articles. What are the class differences in techniques of communication- both in day-to-day life, and extended relationships with family members?

3. Can a parent control what is heard in eavesdropping? Does it take a complete change in attitudes to ensure it will not garner negative consequences?