Observing Communication

My observation took place in a Walmart store near where I live.  I watched a mother interact with her son that appeared to be about three years old.  The mother and her little boy were in the produce section of the store.  They passed the bananas and the little boy expressed that he wanted a banana.  The mother picked up a bunch of bananas and placed them in the grocery cart.  The little boy started to cry and the mother had a blank stare on her face.  The little boy then yelled that he wanted his banana right now.  The mother tried to explain to the son that the bananas needed to be weighed first and then he could have one after they paid the cashier.  The little boy continued to scream that he wanted the banana and the mother kept reinerating that they had to wait to pay the cashier first.  The little boy looked at his mother and said, "Now!".  The mother then picked the little boy up out of the grocery cart and exited the store.

I noticed that the mother used  a very patient soft tone in the beginning.  After her son kept screaming, I could tell that she was becoming unsure of what to do or say.  Her tone turned somewhat firm after her son continued to scream.  I learned that young children have no understanding of what it means to wait due to the fact that fruit needs to be weighed.  I feel that maybe the mother should have told the little boy that his screaming hurt her ears as well as the other people in the store.  I felt  like she did the appropriate thing by taking him out the store instead of allowing him to continue his temper tantrum.  The mother did not use a humiliating tone or mean tone.  She gently removed him from the grocery cart and carried him out the store.    She was very firm, but her son obviously just wanted his banana right then!

 I believe I would have probably handled the situation just as this mother did.  When dealing with two and young three year old children, it is imperative to understand that they do have the patience and understanding of older children.  My own son has the same issue when we go into the grocery store, therefore I have to pack snacks to take with us.  Needless to say, this was defintely a short observation!  

Creating Affirming Environments

As the owner of my own Family Child Care Home, I would incorporate many components in order to ensure that every child and family feel welcomed and respected in my early childhood setting.  An anti-bias rich environment is vital for chilldren to develop a strong and positive self concept and empathy for others through healthy intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and moral development (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

In my Family Child Care Home, I would have many anti-bias materials for the children to have direct assess to.  I will ensure that there are a variety of anti-bias, multi-cultural books, ranging from board books for Infants to Preschool children.  The books will focus around multi-cultural foods, traditions, and celebrations. There will be a variety of multi-cultural puzzles, pictures and posters.  The posters that will be placed on the wall will include all types of families ranging from  all races and ages, reflecting the family base in my facility.  

In my dramatic play area, I will have multi-cultural dolls of all races and genders.  I will also include dress up clothes from all cultures and families that are not stereotypical.  I feel that cultures should be respected but not stereotyped.  I would include music from all cultures such as classical, jazz, music sung in many languages.   I would also encourage families to share some of their cultural traditions with us in order to make strong home/school connections.  I would have a parent communication board posted in plan sight for parents for be informed of important upcoming events and information that they need to be aware of.  

Every child will have space for their personal belongings and also family connections will be evident in my facility.  A family connection board will consist of pictures that families bring in of all family members so the children can feel secure and there is a constant reminder of their family culture while the children are in my care. Personal space is also essential in children feeling comfortable.  I will ensure that there is plenty of soft material for a child to be able to go to if needed in order to sooth themselves if needed.   

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).