I don't think any of the four parentings were better than the others because all the parents in the movies, especially the moms who we see a lot, care for their baby a lot. I just think that since they are in a different environment, they would receive different materials and resources that allow people to see that they have better parenting than the other babies, depending on the people's cultural perspective. At first, I thought the babies who lived in the city, Mari from Japan and Hattie from San Fransisco had a better parenting because of all the toys and books they have whereas Ponijao from Namibia and Bayarjargal from Mongolia had environments that seemed unclean and the parents were busy. However, I thought that the mothers took good care because they had a lot of kissing to the child, hugging and playing with them as much as the parents could. I think it is from the parents' culture's own perspective in raising the child and addition to their experience of being raised that that is how the parents are raising the four babies. Even though there were negligence, I thought that should also mean freedom and more self-exploring that the babies could do and it is not a bad thing to have the child to not stick to the parents too much or else independence won't grow. I don't really know which one had a better way of parenting because at the end of the movie, after two years, they all look wonderful and cute.
2. How did each family prepare the child to take its "place" in their society? Did communication, cuddling, supervision, discipline line up to "mold" the kid for that society? Or do you think that a kid from one society would have been able to transfer successfully/ easily at age 1 to one of the others?
In Namibia, Ponijao was raised quite funny and weird (to me). I think it is the environment that had me felt surprised because all the people were quite naked and they walked without shoes, which I thought is cool, since their feet would be strong but for a baby, how would he feel? The mother seemed to take care of him but then gives him to the siblings to take care of or have him tied to the mother's back while she works. But as the movie progresses, the mother and other children with other mothers were always there, which show love and I think there is a stronger connection build up there. I think it shows unity that Ponijao is being accepted into the society and he was eating with other children and playing with mothers, such as when the mother was playing music and he danced to it. With the same clothing with everyone else, the mother is molding the child to accept the way of dress that their culture has, and teaching Ponijao how to speak their language is another way of "molding". Other times, even though the mothers was there, Ponijao would go eat from the ground such as rock and bone, and then would beg the mother to drink her milk, which I thought was like having the mother not giving too much, too much spoiling on the child unless the child "beg" for it. I guess that is the discipline they had for the child at that age. Then as Ponijao begin to crawl, then walk, he takes more steps into his society and understanding how his place is in his culture and the surrounding because he would play with the dog, learn how to eat like the rest and being almost naked.
In Mongolia, Bayarjargal was born in a hospital and after that, the nurse tied him tightly, packed him like he was a present and then the mother was off to go, back to home. In many scenes of the early scenes of Bayar, I find that he is always tied up, around the knees or tied to the leg of the bed so he won't, I believe, hurt himself and go off somewhere. In such a vast plain, I thought the parents are just worrying about his safety but then as the movie goes on, he went to play with the animals, half-naked like Ponijao and did his own exploring like climbing up and down on the barrel and staring at the rooster. There was a lot of cuddling at first and with all the other babies but because the parents have to work, Bayar was either alone or with his brother. And sometimes, in the movie, the brother would tried to make him cry or make him get in trouble with his mother, which then Bayar got in trouble, and the mother had to yell at him. The mother discipline him by yelling and leaving him alone even though he wanted to go near the mother and I think the cuddling part is always at the beginning, after the mother and baby begin breastfeeding and bonding of the mother and baby. I think Bayar was a very independent child because he was mostly on his own, and I think he had a good connection with the animals. He was not scared even when cows and rooster was in front of him. I think he had the most free and self-exploring time than the other children and he get to crawl and walk around the large plain without much supervising. In a way, I do not think the parents molded Bayar for that society but molded him in the surrounding area he is living in. He got taught how to speak and go visit his relatives, but for him, the environment had more molding for him than his parents. I think that is why, he was shown in the end of how to walk whereas the other three babies walked fast with their mothers around but Bayar's mother was not around.
In Japan, I think Mari was molded a lot because she went to a lot of classes with her mother to improve Mari's skills. Her mother was there for her a lot and same for the other three babies. There was a lot of cuddling and the father had used a toy to get her attention, or by moving the toy to meet her eyes. I think he was trying to raise her awareness. I think her mother is trying to mold her child into the culture but I did not see much discipline from her mother. But I think Mari had a much self-independence better because when she was trying to match the blocks together, and playing with stickers, that is raising comprehension. And by getting frustrated, she was crying and thumping on the floor, but the parents didn't came. Additionally, when she was with her father, and taking out everything and throwing the CD around, the father didn't look her way either. I think the mother is trying to give as much love as possible to Mari but at the same time, to let her do things her way, and let her grow independently, thinking more comprehensively plus taking the classes to help her do that. And the classes make sense because Japan parents' have their children to go to many classes so they can become smarter. After watching Mari, I thought the culture was to raise their mental skills, and having to share with the other mothers and their babies on their way of parenting, and the babies can meet to build friendly bonds.
In San Francisco, Hattie was the baby that I felt sorry and worried because she had wires on her body when she was born. Then after she goes home, the scenery changes where the parents have read to her a lot. Even when Hattie smacked her mother, her mother was not angry or shocked, not sure if it is from the camera, but then she took out a book that said, "No Hitting". I think it is Hattie that she had scenes of her father the most, taking her out to eat pudding or ice cream and to singing exercises and reading to her. And watching her with her cat and other parts, she likes make faces like trying to figure things out, which is what parents want their babies to begin to do. There was not much discipline that I see from her parents either but mostly telling her to read books and they don't get angry at her much. I think the parents molded her into the society by cuddling, providing her books... quite a lot of books, and a lot of supervision, more than the other three babies. And so, she was able to say mom and dad earlier and able to differentiate the not tasty part of the banana when she peeled it, ate it, spit it out, re-ate it and then split it out again. I think this is a good way of parenting, to allow the child to experience the problem first before having the parents to tell them what they are doing.
I think the babies can transfer successfully to another environment but mostly if the parents are able to transfer successfully as well. Since the parents are the closest people to the babies when they are born, they would bond with them deeply and feel their emotions, and so, if the parents do not feel uncomfortable, then the babies would feel uncomfortable. The parents would have their own culture but since they moved, they would have to add the culture that is there to fit the babies into the society. This I think would have the babies split their culture in half, the half is from their parents, and the other half is from the environment/society that they are living in.
Two things that I noticed was that besides mainly focusing on the babies, they focused on the mom and babies a lot, and so when the babies learn to speak their words, like Ponijao's mom, she would tell him to say "mom" first, then other words. I think it is that the mother are closer to them that they want to have a first place in their babies' minds.
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