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Hispanic Infant /Toddler Analysis

Children are one of the fastest growing populations not only in the United States, but also across most of the western countries. The Latinos, consisting of the Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, and other people with cultures ties to Latin America, are the fastest and largest growing group of children (Allison & Bencomo, 2015). However, despite their rapid growth, they also constitute 34 per cent of young children living in poverty (Cabrera et al., 2011). Additionally, they face other difficulties such as poor access to education and health services as well as a lack of language proficiency. Analyzing such children and their caregivers can lead to the determination of their needs and hence take appropriate actions to address them. This paper provides an analysis of the experience of interviewing an infant and her caregiver. In specific, a holistic description of the experience and a critical reflection of the interview of the toddler and his caregiver is provided.

Introduction of the Infant/Toddler and Caregiver

The infant was a five-year-old Hispanic from a single mother. His mother is a 32-year-old Hispanic woman. The child and its mother were in the living room with the child playing with toys. When he wanted to get a different toy, he would look at his mother for her approval. I could tell that he had respect for her. Also, the child seemed happy, and he wanted me to engage in playing. Based on the attachment theory, the two seemed to have an excellent emotional attachment (Fearon & Roisman, 2017). The mother was nice and caring and warm to the child. When the child said some words in Spanish, his mother only responded Spanish. Their English was not good, and they found it hard to say even the basic words. I was engaged in an interview with the infant and his caregiver to get to understand their culture and needs.

How Consent and Confidentiality were addressed

It was vital that consent to participate in the interview be obtained from both the toddler and her mother. In specific, in seeking the approval of the caregiver, a formal request was made with the caregiver being explained the reason for the interview. However, for the child who could not give informed consent because he was not of majority age, the permission was sought from her mother, who happens to be her caregiver. To ensure confidentiality, the caregiver was explained that any information they provided was to be used for academic purposes and shall not be revealed to any third party without their consent (Allison & Bencomo, 2015). Additionally, pseudonyms were used in the identification of the toddler and the caregiver, which ensured that their identities were not exposed. Moreover, to ensure confidentiality, the interviewer ensured that information collected did not have any elements which could lead to the identification of the interviewees. Such mechanisms ensured that the issues of consent and confidentiality were addressed.

Holistic Description of the Experience

Features of Hispanic Culture

My interaction with the caregiver and the toddler led me to have a firsthand experience of the Hispanic culture. One of the elements of the Hispanic culture is the Spanish dialect (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2018). In specific, both the toddler and his mother spoke the Spanish language fluently but did not have an understanding of the English language. The other feature that I noticed is that they were Christians. In specific, the caregiver was a Roman Catholic, and I could see her wearing some of the Catholic faith symbols such as the cross. Additionally, although their first names were English, the middle names of the child and his caregiver were Spanish. Moreover, I could watch them prepare a meal where I realized that they used a mix of indigenous ingredients as well as European ingredients.

Environment Cultural Contexts and Interactions

One of the environmental, cultural contexts is that the Hispanics do not live in wealthy and affluent neighbourhoods like the Caucasian Americans. In specific, the home of the interviewees was a simple place with the house not having the affluent reminiscent of other Americans. Additionally, the households of the caregiver and the toddler were large as apart from them; they had relatives living in the same house. Additionally, children constitute a big part of the Hispanic culture. Based on the interview, I established that an average family has at least three children. Moreover, the Hispanic culture interacts with that of other Latinos. The Hispanic seemed to have collectivism values which make them tend to look to others a source of help and guide in decision making.

Protective Factors and Challenges

The experience revealed that there are various protective factors and challenges among the Hispanics. One of these protective factors is parental resilience. From the confidence and hope in the caregiver, I realized that; as a single mother, she was resilient and did not give up. The other factor is that of social connections. Based on the fact the caregiver and her child lived with relatives, then there are social connections which exist among people of Hispanic origins. Moreover, concrete support in times of need existed. For instance, the interview revealed that in the event that they have various physical and emotional needs, they could turn to their neighbours and friends who will be ready and willing to help. Moreover, knowledge, parenting, and child development is another protective factor which enabled the Hispanics to bring up wholesome children.

Organizations and Systems

The Hispanics have various organizations and culture systems which ensure that they maintain social value systems. For instance, they have a value system which forbids disobedience to parents which ensure that children show respect to their parents. Additionally, the Hispanics are mostly affiliated to religious organizations such as the churches and other religious and faith-based groups. For instance, the caregiver stated that they have a faith group from their church where they meet every Sunday and discuss matters to do with their families. Children also meet during Sunday schools and in local clubs where they play football.

Critical Reflection

Assumptions Going into the Assignment

Going into the assignment, I assumed that Hispanic children enjoy the same opportunities as those of other Americans. In specific, I assumed that it is only the African American children who faced various disadvantages. Additionally, I thought that Hispanic children had been acculturated into the mainstream American culture. Moreover, I assumed that the Hispanic culture respects family values such as those of respect for the parents (Ayón et al., 2015). Some of the hypotheses were proved during the interview. For instance, the values of Hispanic families were demonstrated during the interview. However, some of them were disapproved. One of those is that Hispanic children face various disadvantages, such as those to do with access to quality education and health.

Insight into My Cultural Lens

My cultural lens enables me to perceive the diverse cultures which exist in society. My culture lens is pegged on the social aspect. In specific, the view on a given culture is affected by the practices, race, and religions as well as the economic status of such people. I tend to view the Hispanic culture as different and inferior to the mainstream American culture. Additionally, my cultural lens is pegged on the fact that I am more accustomed to the Caucasian culture as opposed to the Hispanic one. As such, the view of another culture is affected by my beliefs in the specific community and my prejudices on the same.

Any Impacts it had on my Ability to Conduct the Observation

                 My ability to conduct the observation on the Hispanic toddler and caregiver was affected by my cultural lens. For instance, my prejudice towards the Hispanic culture enabled me to go there with specific assumptions in my mind, which I sought to prove. Additionally, my preference for the mainstream American culture had the impact of diminishing my objectivity in the observation of the Hispanic culture. Moreover, my dislike for some of the Hispanic practices and behaviours made me approach the observations with a preset mind. However, I was able to overcome such prejudices. I deserted my biases and made an objective observation of the toddler and her caregiver to get to understand their culture.