Even little kids are stigmatized. As an educated south-end moniyaw (non-indigenous person), I try to use my privilege in good ways. My 19-year-old son and I look after the Bannock Ladys littlest three on Sundays while she goes out to feed people. When were out together, people often assume the kids are in our care via CFS. I enjoy the reactions when I challenge that stereotype, smiling and responding, Oh, Im just the babysitter! A couple of weeks ago I got to use the line in the ER at Childrens. Altheas little man had a swollen finger after getting it pinched in a door a week earlier. I was elected to take him to childrens emergency to get it checked while Althea Got Bannock ready for the street. The elderly paediatrician greeted us, This is J___, and you are? The babysitter, I replied. He looked puzzled, so I explained, J___s mum is out feeding homeless people on Main Street for the next hour - Im just babysitting until shes through. So he lives with Mum, then? Of course. I thought perhaps you were the worker, or the foster mom. Just the babysitter, I said, But we suspect thats what the neighbours think, too. So he looked at the nasty swollen finger, then turned to me and said, You wanna big word? Sub-ungual haematoma. Say that three times fast. Know what that means? I answered, Sub-ungual haematoma: blood clot under the nail. Astonished, he asked, You must have trained somewhere, where did you learn medical terminology? To which I smiled and answered, You wouldnt believe what the Bannock Lady expects from her babysitters!
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:58:45 +0000
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