Elaine Bell Kaplan examines ways in which young teenagers in dual earner families contribute to their families' cultures of care. Special attention is given to variations by race, ethnicity, and class. Elaine is especially interested in examining teenagers' and parents' use of food as a metaphor to address broad social issues such as work and family. The importance of building trust and creating an ease and establishing an informal atmosphere is key. Sometimes we suggest they pick a pseudonym, which conveys our respect for their secrets.
Children are bearers of family secrets, which causes anxiety for parents and for kids.
Informal conversations, through fieldwork, are a rich source of information and insights, both on and about children. I'm finding that some of my students are better child-interviewers than I am, maybe partly because in our fieldsite they are not only a lot younger but are defined relationally as my students, which builds rapport. We are finding that children are equally if not more diverse than adults because of the enormous age range, plus every other difference such as gender and ethnicity that cut across experiences.