Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Hopscotch Adoptions Attends Cultural Competency Workshop

Hopscotch Adoptions staff attended a workshop on Cultural Competency last week, presented by B. Todd Posey, M.Ed., LPCS, LCAS. This article seemed particularly relevant in how, as professionals we have daily opportunities to relate information to families regarding all aspects and considerations of international adoption that can be impacted by culture; customs, biases, language, belief systems , etc. Families often find it difficult to reconcile another's culture when attempting to super-impose our own culture over the other. We all have the best intentions, but work with a limited frame of reference. What makes sense in one family or country can be totally counter-intuitive in another, yet both are practical and reasonable within their own context. As parents to children from different cultures, I hope we are all working hard to respect the differences and foster a great appreciation for the "new" or "different" our children come from. How do you incorporate your child's original culture?

By Robin Sizemore, Executive Director of Hopscotch Adoptions, Inc

Culture Clash: When Should I Get My Foster Daughter's Ears Pierced?

By Rebecca from Fosterhood

clip_image001When should I get my infant foster daughter's ears pierced? It was the furthest thing on my mind until case workers, friends, and strangers who identify as black began asking me about it daily. That is, they were asking me about my black foster daughter's ears, but made no mention toward my similarly-aged, white-looking (she's 1/2 Jewish and 1/2 Hispanic) foster daughter.

In talking with friends, I expressed that I do want to get my 7-month-old black foster daughter's ears pierced now (with her mom's consent), but not my lighter-skinned 3-month-old daughter. Why is that? I started to ask around amongst my white friends who echoed my involuntary, visceral response to the topic. Earrings on a black baby are adorable, but on a white baby they look was described as "cheap" or "trashy." These descriptions are always whispered in shame. Where do these stereotypes arise? How do these biases come about? And do we need to talk about it in order to undo them?
I've spent several hours searching academic literature and even the internet for a break-down of the average age of ear piercing within different cultures, but I've come up empty. My unofficial poll of the age in which parents should get their child's ears pierced goes something like this:

African-American/Black = 4-6 months

Hispanic = soon after birth

Low-income whites = toddler age

High-income whites = between age 7-10

From a health and safety perspective, no major pediatric medical association takes a stand regarding appropriate age for ear piercing nor do they indicate that it's harmful. Parents are left to make the ear piercing decision based on culture and tradition, which includes factors like ethnic background and socio-economic status.

I'd love to hear what age you got your ears pierced and how you think (or don't think) skin color and income plays an unconscious part. Most importantly, I'd like for any discussion I've opened-up to be respectful of all people's differences.

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