Self Feeding Assignment

When considering the scenario about a parent requesting their toddler be fed instead of feeding himself because of their cultural beliefs my initial response would be to try to understand why the parent feels this way. Being empathetic to the parent’s wishes and putting myself in their shoes will help me to understand them better. I do not want to approach this situation like I know more than do or I am better qualified than they are. They are the family and the primary caretakers of the child so with any request they come to me with about their child, as a professional, I must approach the matter with care and respect. However, I want to understand why they made this request. What is behind their thoughts, are they fearful of something, do

My intent is to not persuade them to see the situation my way, however, I would want them to understand the principle behind self-feeding. Self- feeding is more than building independence in the child, which still is very important, however self-feeding also helps the child with their hand-eye coordination and fine motor development. As I gather my information, I would consult with my director and other professionals to get their feedback about this type of situation. Once I collected my research I would then arrange to share in some way with the family through a newsletter or hand-outs, email, even a parent board that other parents could see the information as well. My number one priority with this type of interaction with the family is to not embarrass them or treat them like they are not being practical but to show them support. According to Ideals 2.2 of NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct, I must develop a relationship with the family that is built on mutual trust to build a healthy partnership with them(NAEYC,

By considering all the stakeholders in the scenario, inclusive of myself and classroom, I determined that the best course of action would be to comply with the wishes of the family at least for the time being. I must ask the question, are there more stakeholders helped by this outcome then hurt by it (Feeney, Freeman, 2012)? This supports the Utilitarianism theory by seeking out a resolution that would help the greatest amount of people involved. Next, is my resolution moral, or right? Rightness of Action is a theory that emphasizes the moral conscience of an individual and not on the consequences (Feeney, Freeman, 2012). While seeking a resolution to this dilemma, I attempted to resolve considering all parties involved in the scenario. This can be duplicated by other early childhood educators as they go through their own ethical dilemmas. Then finally I must reflect if my resolution reflects how I would want others to treat me. Ethic of Care theory refers to the principle do unto others as you want others to do unto you (Feeney, Freeman, 2012). And again yes, if I was a parent requesting something like this, whether or not it made sense to my child’s teacher or caretaker I