One "-ism" I experienced was with a male parent. Every day he would drop off his infant in our room. My coworker and I have asked him multiple times to put his child's bottles directly into the fridge rather than on the counter. That particular day, he also brought his child with a dirty diaper. When we asked him to change the diaper before dropping his child off, he looked at me and said: "Why? You are the woman and you get paid to change my child and place his bottles in the fridge."
I was at first surprised, then disappointed. He had a son and was raising him with the stereotype that women are responsible for raising children. I realized that even though tried to just shrug it off as an unpleasant parent, I began to realize that his child will grow up to think men are nor part of raising children. He may also grow up to believe that women are substandard since the dad did not show any regard for us when he talked to us.
Anna, That is horrible. How demoralizing is that? Is he a single parent, (not that that is an excuse)? Don't you wish you could have told him there were other kids on a waiting list and he was being uncooperative. If his behavior continued, he wouldn't be welcomed back. Sometimes I just wish that could be done.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a such a horrible representation that child is receiving. How do you handle that so that he says that his behavior is not approriate. He is also showing that child that he or she does not have to follow rules. So sad, I hope that you will be able to turn that situation around.