There are a lot of things that you learn about our culture when you become a parent. People are obsessed with the gender of your child. It’s the first question people ask about your child, and the vast majority of baby products are gendered. Men have to meet far lower expectations to be considered a great parent. Some people consider a man a great parent simply because he does laundry and spend time with his children. Isn’t’ this the bare minimum. And we as a culture, and country do not prioritize the health, safety, and education of children.
If we prioritized children, women would have easy access to safe, clean, and sanitary places to nurse their children, and pump breast milk. If we prioritized children, we would provide financial assistance for parents of children who are younger than school age, who are in need and NOT require that they work and put their children in daycare. If we prioritized children in America, schools would have enough funding to provide anti-racist, quality, equitable education without having to do fund-raisers. Teachers would receive a wage that reflects their expertise and their responsibility, which is roughly twice what teachers make right now.
If all of this was not clear enough evidence that we do not prioritize children in America, look at what is happening right now as people try to figure out how to handle education this fall.
As a parent it is beyond aggravating that the problem of how to handle education this fall was ignored by many people in power for months. People in education, knew last spring that we would be in this situation that we are right now. I had discussions back in May with administrators and teachers about hybrid learning, distance learning, in-person instruction, spacing of desks, pods, temperature checks, funding, inequities and social-emotional issues. All of the concerns people have right now, and arguing about were present in minds of teachers and administrators last spring. So many people in power chose to do nothing to address these issues, because they prioritized so much over the children of America, and right now we are paying the price for this.
What are we supposed to do as parents? We have to make difficult decisions with not enough information, far too little support, while rolling the dice with our children’s education, health and the well-being of educators and their families. A couple things to keep in mind…
Listen to the experts. Trust doctors over random Facebook posts. Trust educators over people who have never worked in a school before, and do not give any credence to anything trump or devos says about schools.
Do what is best for your family. You know your children, and your family situation better than anyone else. What works for your friends or neighbors, may not work for you. Consider is what is best for your children educationally and what is best for your family’s needs.
Be kind. Save that email that is critical of a teacher for the next morning to make sure it’s written in a polite and supportive tone. Do not express negative judgments on the educational choices people in your life make. You likely do not know all that they are dealing with in their lives. Most of all, be kind to yourself. The best you can do right now may not feel like enough, and the choice you make for your child’s education probably will not feel completely “right.” That’s okay. Take a breath, hug your child, and trust yourself. The fact that this is hard decision is a sign that you care deeply for your child and are a great parent. The most important person that you show love to right now is yourself. So be nice to yourself, you deserve it.
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