Reaction to "Growing Up Poor in America" documentary:
I found this documentary very interesting and it led me to think about many things. I thought about the people I know personally and professionally (through volunteer and field placement work) who have experienced similar circumstances to the youth in the video. I also paralleled my own life and perceptions during the height of the pandemic to that of the youth and their families in the documentary. Something that stood out to me about all 3 of the children in this film is that they all expressed fond and protective sentiments towards their mothers, all of whom were single mothers of more than one child. The children held the tension between having negative feelings about their circumstances (and would mention how they acknowledged that it wasn’t their responsibility to feel the way they did because they are children), but desired to express themselves to their mothers in a way that would not overwhelm them, as they could perceive their mothers were already stressed. This speaks to the protective nature young children tend to have towards their caregivers, and it is thought-provoking to consider how this plays out when it results in the child burdening themselves in an effort to protect someone else.
Reaction to NYT Article "Teenagers Are Telling Us That Something Is Wrong With America":
The quote from this article that "Our identity isn't grounded in accrued cultural sensibilities but rather the unstable ideal of being able to choose in any direction, at any moment" (Webster 2022, para. 4), really stood out to me. It reminded me of something a professor once told me in undergrad, that sometimes the greatest freedom is one that comes with constraints. He was speaking to the fact that at times, people can marvel at the freedom to choose because the possibilities are endless. But I believe that what is discussed less is the discomfort that can come with endless possibilities. That can be an overwhelming process for adults, and in the context of children, those overwhelming feelings can still apply. At my field placement last year, I was at a progressive school where the culture was similar to that of a Montessori school. The autonomy the children sought and experienced was primarily perceived well by them and the adults at the school. However, I remember instances where the ability to choose overwhelmed the children, and in certain situations, they were making decisions they felt were best, but there was room for growth. And what the children at the school made clear in these situations is that they didn’t feel the adults around them (being teachers and staff) were doing enough when the children needed support. The school was so focused on fostering positive autonomy in the youth, that they overlooked the ways in which these were still children, who still looked to adults for support and guidance. In relation to this article, I don't recall it being mentioned much if at all, but I wonder to what degree adolescents hold adults responsible for tending to their needs and caring for them.