Reaction Paper Day Four for Dr. Keith White

HCD 502 Chilhood in Cultural Context

Thursday, 21 June 2006

Reaction Paper:

1) Thank you so much for both the “The Stockholm Declaration” and your response to the Stockholm Document. I’m torn between both positions. In Compassion Bangladesh we have 63 projects with seven of them being “Orphanages.” I believe that children should be with their parents in the Compassion model but there is no doubt that in the Bangladesh context we need orphanages for very poor families that cannot even feed their children. I’m not happy with how the orphanages we support are managed. However, I must admit that the children seem very happy and exceeding in school and the arts. Your article helps me in accepting the orphanages but adds responsibility to how we (Compassion Bangladesh) help develop the church to take care of the orphanages we support. The key for me is making the orphanages the best place we can on the limited budget we have. Nevertheless, the most important thing for me is that the children (in our projects) are happy and loved!

2) Yesterday in my reaction paper I asked, “So why I agree with you that culture and childhood is very important I’m not sure what we are to do with it?” Well today, you answered my question, thank you! In fact, my wife and I have been doing it all along. My wife and I need to be “mediators” between our sons understanding of our family culture/beliefs/values and the “6 Important Aspects of Contemporary Cultural.” What a relief to know we have been doing this, maybe not the best but still working and praying on it. We need to continually mediate to help then understand, perceive and contemplate our values and the contemporary culture of media, global corporate bodies, consumerism, changes in family life & relations, rights & democracy, and global warming & environment. I have many examples of how we are doing it but not room to write here and you do a better job than we do (you’re a deep thinker).

3) Finally, thank you for letting us express ourselves and childhood through Art, Stories, Celebration, Games, Music and Food. There is so much to learn about children and childhood when you take these six categories and place them against your framework for exploring histories of childhood. Then placing that up against the Contemporary Global Context of Children and Childhood!