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In another Exchange article posted for your free access at www.ChildCareExchange.com, Renatta Cooper addresses the challenges teachers face when the values of parents on issues such as independence and gender roles differ from those of the center (or from other parents in the center). In "Child Care as Shared Socialization," she observes...

"If you ask most parents in the United States to list the traits that they hope their children will exhibit, independence would be in the top ten. Placement within the list will depend on a variety of factors, including the cultural and ethnic background of the parents. Members of acculturated ethnic groups value independence more than recent immigrants.

"The reasons for this difference are quite varied and are based on cultural norms and traditions that may be rooted in safety issues. For purposes of this article reasons for the difference don't matter as much as the fact that there is a difference, and, as a result, children who are cared for by caregivers who are from other cultures may receive very mixed messages and responses which may create less than optimum conditions for growth and exploration.

"Safety is a primary reason for parents in many cultures to keep their children close and to emphasize independent behavior. Convenience and the nature of socialization are other reasons. Breast feeding access at will and appropriate toileting behaviors also require physical closeness.

"From a cultural perspective, family closeness, loyalty, and filial responsibility are highly valued in many cultures. I can recall a conversation I had with a Mexican-American student about a disabled sibling. The siblings in the family play a larger role for the care of this brother, as the parents are aging, but Anna did not see this as a hardship. 'He keeps the family together. He keeps us connected and strong.' This conversation made me very aware of how a situation that could be viewed as a negative was a positive in a cultural paradigm that values family closeness and contact."

Contributed by Exchange, The Early Childhood Leaders' Magazine Since 1978

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