ekb

EKB is doctoral student in clinical psych in NYC. She is a white, cis anti-racist, queer feminist whose research focuses on the neoliberalisms of reproductive technoscientific medicine, and aims to expand the possibilities of human subjectivity.

Posts Written by ekb

Playground Violence

reposted from kidsandgender.tumblr.com

I’ve spent most of my summer mornings in Riverside Park; a haven for nannies in the Upper West Side. In the small playgrounds that line the park, strollers congregate under the hundred-year-old trees while the morning air slowly fills with toddler babble that only the respective nannies can decipher.

The playground with the sandbox is the best. Children play in the shaded sand while you pretend you’re at a beach somewhere building sandcastles. The sand is usually damp and the kids share their toys, so there is a lot of quality castle-building and castle-smashing going on.

Like clockwork, around 11:30, preschool groups arrive. They’re usually groups of around ten 4 year olds and, since their teachers remind them to “watch the little ones”, they’re generally respectful of the toddlers.

Today’s group was a bit larger, and they had all the makings of Upper West Side preschoolers: summer-y dresses, sparkly flats, Keens, and car t-shirts. While the class had one teacher for every four children, things seemed more chaotic than usual.

The 2 year old I was watching for the day was playing contentedly in the sandbox. She had spent the last hour shoveling sand onto her legs with a Dixie cup. When the ‘big kids’ entered, she stayed seated as usual, watching them find their respective playgroups.

“Are you going to walk in there crying like a little girl?”

I was on a high after a nice run in the park when I heard it. The family was dressed up, walking by Riverside Church, where I assume they were headed to some event: father, mother, 4-ish year old boy holding her hand, and another -6 years old or so- walking about 5 feet behind. My headphones were on but luckily only one side was working, so I had the pleasure of hearing this little gem of parenting happening in the middle of a public sidewalk:

The little boy was lagging behind, tears running down his cheeks. His mom turned around and yelled at him, “Stop crying! What, are you going to walk ...

I was on a high after a nice run in the park when I heard it. The family was dressed up, walking by Riverside Church, where I assume they were headed to some event: father, ...

Kids, their bodies, and learning gender.

I’m a babysitter.  I watch a 1 year old and his 3 year old brother when he’s not at daycare.  I’m constantly watching their training in gender and sexuality.  Neither has yet noticed (or verbalized in the 3 year old’s case) much about race or class.  Luckily their parents are sociologists, so maybe they’re better off than other kids on the block.  But the 1 year old is always playing with his penis when his diaper’s off and the 3 year old is constantly in dialogue about who’s a girl and who’s a boy because the kids in his class are 4 and have already been taught that it matters.

About a month ago, he told me that his friend at ...

I’m a babysitter.  I watch a 1 year old and his 3 year old brother when he’s not at daycare.  I’m constantly watching their training in gender and sexuality.  Neither has yet noticed (or verbalized in the ...