Raising happy babies in South Africa

How beautiful it is to be a baby in South Africa. How I wish I had known how to be a mother like the mothers here. But I didn’t know.

That’s Anna, the grandmother, in the photo above. Her happy nine-month old grandson, Ayabonga, is content. Ayabonga means Thank you!

Below you will see three women and Ayabonga: Anna, the grandmother, Patience the mother holding Ayabonga, and Agnes, a good friend.

In Sacramento, California, where my daughter was born, she had a crib and playpen. She had a room of her own.

In South Africa, the baby sleeps with you.

In Sacramento, I had to go to my daughter’s room, open the door, and peek in in order to see her. If she cried, the word was that you were supposed to let her. I never did that. I always went to her, and at six weeks, she slept right through the night. Yes, at six weeks!

In South Africa, during the day, the baby is on your back, always close to you. You see that in the first photo. This is so lovely. When the baby makes sounds, you can make sounds back to the baby. The baby is not alone. He has the warmth of his mother’s body or his grandmother’s or a friend’s. Why would a baby cry?

In the U.S., this would be spoiling the baby. Not at all. This is loving the baby. This is enjoying the baby.

How I wish I had known more of this when my daughter was little.

When my daughter was little, I thought I had to put her down to sleep. I thought it was supposed to be this way. Apologies, Lauren.

And this is a photo of Agnes. She has a three-month old baby who was home with Agnes’ mother on the day I took these photos. Agnes’ baby is lucky too, always on someone’s back, someone happy to have a baby there. How content these babies are. I think babies here grow up to be calm settled people, content, comfortable and secure.

Posted by Gloria on January 18th, 2012 under these topics
Travel, Personal Development, Godwriting Journal

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3 Replies

Reply from Jack van Raders on January 19, 2012

Dear Gloria, You did nothing wrong you did something differend. I do read you blog and how often have I read about you and Lauren. Out of the communications between you there I read a huge amount of LOve and respect for each other, so please do not apologize. you both are comfortable in your relationship.in your time you had Luren in a sling as in your photos I do not think that would have gone down well in the society you lived in then so do look forward and have ne refrets Love Jack

Reply from Normand Bourque on January 19, 2012

I agree totally with you Jack.
Raising a baby in America, Australia, Iran or anywhere else is a different experience leading to different views of the world. Any perspective on Earth is a perspective based on an experience. Which is better? All of them on this planet. Experiences are but experiences. They will never change an unchangeable reality.

Reply from Berit on January 19, 2012

thanks for sharing dear, this is wonderful !! when my sons were small, I too often said to those “around” me that to me it was more important to love them then to be worried if I spoilt them, after all, to me the lack of love is the cause of all that afflicts us.
loving you all so much !!

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