week 2 day 1 jan 15

Question 1

ECAP pp. 294-302
culture:
race:
ethnicity:
Three broad areas by which ethnicity can influence mental health in children and adolescents

Hymowitz
Main points/themes of article: parents aren’t being strict with their children, they would rather be their kids’ friends than parent
parents are supposed to feed+ shelter their kids but also teach them self-control, civility, understanding the world p.77
-this generation of parents grown up in a culture of worshiping youth p.79 AND grown up in a culture where it’s okay to question authority p.80
-parents don’t want to look like the “bad guys” or not “cool” p.80
Reasons author cites for parents not engaging in parenting: educators/teachers having difficulty in the classroom, no discipline at home, no collaborative relationship between parents and educators p.78
peer parent: “parents who reduce their role to exercising damage control over kids they assume ‘are going to do it anyway’” p.79
only value that parents are willing to fight for: safety
parent-advocate: “parents who rather than accepting their role as partners w/ educators in an effort to civilize the next generation come in with a “my-child-right-or-wrong”” p.78
ex: “i know my child and he wouldn’t do this”
not interested in teaching or following the rules
permissive, wanting to be child’s friend

Ditchek and Greenfield
(1) Unhealthy messages and (2) how to “counterprogram” them:
- money is everything
separate wants from needs, gather things unused and donate, teach compassion/understanding of less fortune than selves
- speed is of the essence
let children experience emotional power of real/unhurried human interaction, take time to write them little notes, let kids’ interests and passions dictate how fast/far they go,
- the good life revolves around junk foods
educate children on nutrition, deconstruct ad appeals by makers of junk food
- it’s cool to be negative and disrespectful of others
teach children to think more in solutions than problems, encourage children to treat ppl of all ages+backgrounds w/ respect, praise kindness
- looks are everything
expand definitions of beauty to include beauty of having a sharp mind/sweet voice/courageous spirit, value strength over beauty
- violent behavior is acceptable
choose tv shows/videos/computer games with children what they will engage with, pay attention to what children are hearing/watching, let other people know not to let your child watch certain things, teach children how to solve conflicts, anger is normal that can be controlled/channeled
- cigarettes, alcohol, and certain drugs are glamorous
educate short-long term effects of substance use, know children’s friends, protect children from peer pressure, let them know it’s okay to blame parent (my dad would be mad)
- winning is everything
sports are play and play is supposed to be fun, watch own behavior, praise good sportsmanship
- sex sells
help child retain innocence as long as possible by limiting what they are exposed to, buy clothes that suit the age and kind of behavior you want to encourage

Three ways exposure to violent images is psychologically damaging: overly fearful of the world, child more aggressive, desensitize a child p.130