Description

Z and Me

Adults fear for the safety of children is a central theme of Don Reneau’s “Z and Me,” an excursion into the author’s relationship with his two-year-old son. Bewitched by a society in which children’s perceptions and abilities (especially those under five, six, or seven) are vastly underrated, we adults have become accustomed to projecting our own observations, attitudes, values, desires, and fears onto our youngsters. Of course, these observations and attitudes are heavily conditioned by the media. This article juxtaposes the bright, uncluttered observations of a young child with the seasoned reflections of a sensitive scholar to raise disturbing questions about our own fear for our children’s safety and the reality of their experience.

child development, child rearing, parent-child relations, play

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 24, No. 3 (1997): 125-138