24 Mar 2010 Vrindavan, India
Category: Parenting
I was writing about the laws that prohibit that doctors tell pregnant patients whether it is a boy or a girl. As it is forbidden in India, many people anyway don’t think about it if they would like to know or not - they get to know at the time of the birth. When I talk with people in Germany about this however, I get to hear a very different attitude. Nearly everyone with whom I talked until now wanted to know the gender before and one woman asked me ‘Otherwise how will I pick the name? And then how will I register the child, not knowing if it is a boy or a girl?’ I had to laugh then because it is a typical German attitude. There are no surprises coming and everything, all papers and registrations, can be done before. The room will be painted in the right colour, clothes are bought not only for the first weeks but for the first year in all sizes that the baby will grow into, toys and the baby seat for the car, the stroller and the cradle and of course many packets of diapers and that also in different sizes. I had to ask myself what people there did before ultrasound was invented.
It is funny also in comparison to India because children here sometimes don’t have a name until very late. But maybe that is another cultural difference – the German stereotype being very correct and the Indians always taking it easy and doing it a little bit later. Additionally in India families don’t really need all of these things for their children. You will not see any stroller on the streets here, children are carried. Clothes are anyway colourful and there are no restrictions to which gender should wear which colour. Babies usually sleep in bed with their parents, so there is no need for a cradle and it is not at all normal that a child has his or her own room. For me this seems so much easier. It is nice to see all of these differences!
It is very hot here already during the day with a maximum of 40 degrees centigrade. This is how we had a water-fight in the afternoon and enjoyed to get a refreshing shower outside.
Tags:: Children, Indian culture, Western culture, Parenting, Attitude
4 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
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It is so interesting to hear about different cultures in this topic - having children. It is obviously very different in different places, how a baby is brought up, lives and plays. I wonder how children who move around a lot when they are young, feel being moved from culture to culture.
Reply By Adriana on April 30, 2012 11:11
Wow, the Indian way sounds much nicer and better for the child! I think having a cradle, a separate room, and a stroller just separate the baby from human contact with its parents. It's much more simple this way and I think it's better for the baby to be in close contact. Plus, colors shouldn't be different for each gender!
Reply By Emily on October 20, 2011 03:44
Nice article...i think having a baby in Inida compared to US would be similar like Germany...however, there are still people like myself who think that a baby is a blessing and you take whatever you get and all you hope and pray is that your child is born healthy and happy and well. The only thing a baby needs the moment it is born is the arms of ... See Moreits parents, a warm blanket, and milk from its mothers breast..."having a baby" has been so commercialized like so many other special things in our life...it really is a shame because it takes the focus from the life growing inside the womb and shifts the focus to keeping up with the Jones'...thank you for sharing...xo Have a Beautiful Day!!!
Reply By Tania Lynne Greener on July 20, 2010 07:24
Today was the last day of the school year 11/12. The children got their report cards, the olde...
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