To be honest, I am like some of the staff members in the course media "Start Seeing Diversity - Sexual Orientation" who said discussing gender identity and presenting books and pictures of gay families with their class made them feel uncomfortable because that lifestyle went against their beliefs (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I also agreed with the staff members who said there was no need to discuss these things because none of the families in their preschool consisted of gay parents. However, I had to reconsider my thoughts when the teacher in the presentation said she realized it was her responsibility to support a positive identity development for the children in her care regardless of what her own beliefs were. In other words, preserving the child's identity development outweighed personal beliefs on the topic. I, also, thought the staff had a valid point when they decided that even though none of the children in their care came from families with gay parents, it was still their responsibility to prepare children to act respectfully if and when they encounter such families. However, I would probably approach it by not specifically talking about gay parents, but in general say that not everyone has the same kind of family but we must show respect to everyone because it is not our job to judge others.
I was reflecting on observations made of children in my preschool room and how they interact in different centers with various toys and learning materials. I can say that boys and girls visit the block area and workbench as well as the home living area. They all try on different work hats and boys and girls experiment with the scarves available in the dress up area. I have noticed that boys and girls take care of the "babies" when they are playing house. Most have younger siblings and are familiar with caring for babies. I have tried to choose books that show males and females in different community helper roles and the children seem to be aware that jobs can be performed by either gender if they are trained for the job.
After listening to the broadcast of the two families dealing with their son's gender identity (Spiegel, 2008) I was reminded of a little boy we had at our preschool many years ago. He preferred playing in the kitchen, dress up (wanting to wear an apron) and brought his barbie dolls for show and tell. When he had his birthday party the mom sent out barbie invitations and the party was a barbie theme. At the time, I heard comments from parents that they were uncomfortable with that and thought it was strange. His teacher told me she kept encouaging him to play with the blocks and cars and trucks, but he didn't want to. I supported her in that and I realize I was more in the mindset of Dr. Zucker from the audiocast who wanted the parents to take away the dolls and encourage play with things like blocks and cars; whereas this little boy's mom seemed to be following the philosophy of the West Coast therapist who favored letting the boy act according to what made him feel comfortable and happy. I have lost touch with that family, but have often wondered how things went for him as he matured. Was he rejected by both genders as he got older as Dr. Zucker asserted or did he embrace the femine qualities and become comfortable with his own identity and let the rest of the world deal with their own feelings as the West Coast therapist suggested. It is a challenging situation where one answer may not be able to be applied to all cases. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the broadcast, I would encourage you to do so.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer, 2011). "Start Seeing Diversity: Gender" [Course media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer, 2011). "Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual Orientation" [Course media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons'gender identity: Pshychologist take radical approaches in therapy. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2008/05/07/90247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences
