Free Play

In the first article, Thorne and Luria analyze the nature and social implications of children’s play. At a very young age, children are already taught what it means to be a ‘boy’ and what it means to be a ‘girl’. These lessons are taught in the classroom, at school, and on the playground. The genders are divided over what is appropriate and expected by them. These social implications are made by what games each gender plays, how they interact amongst friends, play sports versus playing house, how the children dress, and different expectations of each gender by the teacher. These social differences will later yield to sociological differences amongst gender-ized adults.

In the second article written by Goldscheider and Waite, they place more of their research and focus on the gender implications made in the household than school. The article implies that the amount of housework taken on by children varies on the regional location and population of the area, the socioeconomic status, and whether there is one or two parents in the home. When dividing housework, girls often get more tasks than boys. Also, the tasks for the girls more closely reflect the jobs of a homemaker. Their seemed to be some confusion in the article whether children should or should not be given household chores as children which will later prepare them for adulthood.

In the Lareau article, she wanted to see the spread and differences of housework amongst black and white families. She had specific families in different economic brackets with both races involved. The results yield that race did not play a factor in the social outcomes of these children. They both had similar household chores and similar activities outside the school. There were differences in what the families, by racial differences, in terms of what the families emphasized: culture, family, health, safety.

In the last article written by Schor, she discusses how much the advertising business is affecting America’s youth. At the age of 18 months, a child can recognize a brand name ad. Adveristing of brand names, commercials geared towards children, billboards, and so on, have taken on a great affect for children. Children then seem to think that they need these things, they must have these things, because these products are the one way ticket to the in crowd. It is only getting worse and worse. Children’s toys are only getting more and more technologically advanced and more expensive. Junk food geared towards kids is only getting less and less healthy.