Too often we look at parenting practices and our judgment of them in absolute terms. I know I myself have been guilty of this. Sometimes it's warranted, but sometimes the judgments and the repercussions become a way that we disenfranchise and marginalize already marginalized groups in our society. When we think about the experiences of families facing involvement from government systems - many of which are founded on principles that are racist in nature - we can start to understand how the systems mean to support children may end up doing the opposite. This week I am joined by Dr. Paul Adjei, a scholar focusing on social justice, racism, critical race theory, and more, as we discuss the parenting experiences of marginalized families in Canada - and by extension other Western nations - today. This is a conversation that may be uncomfortable for some and I can say it certainly led me to think about things I had held as absolute truths in ways I hadn't before. If nothing else, it should challenge us to think harder about how we think of parenting.

Dr. Paul Adjei: https://www.mun.ca/socialwork/about/people/faculty/pbanaheneadjei.php

Relevant Articles:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740918303761

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15548732.2017.1401575