Babies: a Documentary Film Essay Example

to function within their society. In the opening scene of ‘Babies’, we see an older Ponijao seated beside a younger infant grinding rocks on a larger boulder.

This process is repeated immediately afterwards in a flashback of the very pregnant mother of Ponijao making some sort of clay paste to rub on her belly. In this society, little clothing is worn and women’s bare breasts are exposed perhaps simply because of societal norm but it also serves to make breast feeding convenient. It is not uncommon for a woman to feed two infants at a time. Genitalia are covered by loin cloth but infants are seen wearing only beads around their hips. In one scene of ‘Babies’, Ponijao’s mother holds the infant while she has a bowel movement and wipes her butt on er leg, promptly using a corn cob to remove the waste. To bathe Ponijao, her mother cleans her dirty face by licking her skin and spitting out the dirt. She also shaves the infant’s head with a straight knife followed by a rub down with some type of oil. There is no running water but at one point in the film, Ponijao sits in a body of water and drinks directly from the source. Women are routinely seen in groups socializing as they perform tasks and infants move about interacting with their mothers or each other. Groups of women or children eat meals from the same pot or bowl.

Ponijao is observed experiencing the world through her mouth as she tastes rocks, sticks and animal bones. Domestic animals and cattle roam freely, at times interacting with Ponijao. She plays with

a dog by grabbing at its mouth and the dog returns the favor by licking Ponijao in her face and mouth under the gaze of Ponijao’s mother. While her mother cleans and skins a goat, Ponijao sits at her side touching the dead animal. This is a simple society where families don’t possess material goods; they make due with things they find or make from items in their world.

Prior to Bayar’s entry into the world, his mother is seen practicing some form of structured exercise or ritual, perhaps for relaxation, and in preparation of his birth. In the hospital the infant Bayar is swaddled very tightly for his trip on the family motorcycle to his home in the grassy plains outside of Bayanchandmani, Mongolia. Bayar’s family resides in a dome shaped home where carpets cover most of the floor, walls and the bed where Bayar rests. There doesn’t appear to be much life in the land surrounding the family home, with the exception of herds of cows, goats and chickens.

This is precisely the life of individuals in pastoral societies where food is obtained by raising and taking care of domesticated animals. An important element in Bayar’s upbringing is the fact that for the most part, he remains tightly swaddled in a blanket resting atop a carpet covered bed. His older brother sleeps on the floor beneath. For what seems like a good portion of Bayar’s first year, he is left to observe family life going on around him. Again, the mother is the primary caregiver for the children even though she is also involved in the upkeep of the animals on

the farm.

The father is documented in sparse interactions like when he sits over Bayar on the bed and waves a rattle in his face. And while the hut the family resides in appears to be hand crafted, the home does contain furniture, cooking devices, electricity and there is also a large satellite out front. Bayar is bathed in a pail in the living room and at one point; the mother squirts breast milk in his face and wipes him down with a cloth. As Bayar begins to crawl and subsequently walk, he and his older sibling have free reign of the hut and the land surrounding.

Domesticated animals share the same freedom as a chicken wanders inside the home and hops up on the bed with Bayar, stepping just over the baby’s head. In another scene, a goat comes to the entry way of the home where Bayar is being bathed and takes a drink of bath water. At another point in ‘Babies’, Bayar is observed crawling among a small herd of cows and is almost stepped on by a cow. It appears, however, that the herd was very aware of the baby and in a strange sense is protective of the toddler Bayar. There is a good dose of sibling rivalry as the older child seems to take pleasure in taunting the baby.

He attempts to force feed him a biscuit in a teasing manner and in another scene is captured hitting Bayar in the face with a piece of clothing, careful to make sure no one sees him. There is a family gathering where guests arrive on horseback but

it seems this type of contact is rare. There is also interaction with other children as Bayar is gets older and spends more time outside the hut. In Mongolia, Bayar and his family have few modern conveniences but seem to enjoy a happy sustainable life. The third baby featured is Mari in the metropolis of Tokyo, Japan.

This is a modern society with busy streets and people moving about freely. Although Mari’s mother is the primary caregiver, the father plays a role in Mari’s infancy albeit distracted at times. In a scene from ‘Babies’, the father stands over Mari on the bed and ferociously shakes a rattle in her face while talking on the phone and in another, he allows her to crawl about his office while he is completely distracted by his work on the computer. It seems in a sense he acts as more of a babysitter than a significant caregiver. Nevertheless, Mari is the focus of family life and there are many conveniences available to the infant.

Mari has the benefit of growing up with many developmental toys at her disposal. Her mother takes her on outings to the park and she is at times accompanied by other mothers and their babies. Mari’s mother takes her to what appears to be mommy and me classes where music is played and she is allowed to socialize with other babies. Mari’s parents take her out in the city, often riding trams or in a stroller shopping in busy department stores. Her mother is also shown taking the baby to a daycare full of crying babies where she becomes agitated at being left

alone.

There are other examples of exposure to individuals outside her primary group such as when Mari’s father takes her to a public bath house, when her mom takes her to the zoo or when family comes over for dinner. As Mari grows, she is allowed more exposure to her physical environment. Her mother sets her in a bouncer in the window of their high rise flat to observe the busy city movement below. She has her own room where she is left alone among a plethora of toys and after repeated attempts to insert a stick into a small hole of one her toys, she becomes frustrated and has a tantrum.

Mari’s “firsts” are celebrated and she enjoys baby babble with her mother. Mari’s environment is very controlled and it is evident her parents make a concerted effort to expose her to activities and customs that aid in her development. The final baby observed in ‘Babies’ is Hattie from San Francisco in the USA. Hattie’s environment is stimulating. At every point Hattie’s parents provide human touch or contact, whether it’s allowing the baby to sleep in the bed with them or showers with dad while he introduces her to the stimulus of a flow of water.

Hattie’s father rocks her to sleep and her mother begins reading to her as a baby, while teaching her the sounds of various animals. Even during household chores, Hattie is present and involved. While her mother cooks, Hattie is suspended in a bouncer observing or when her father is vacuuming the floor she is at his foot. Hattie’s introduction to the world continues outside the

home. She is taken on bike rides with her parents and on errands to the grocery store. Hattie also attends mommy and me classes where she is exposed to other mothers and their babies.

She is observed at a doctor visit and her mother inquires about S. I. D. S. in an effort to remain educated. As she ages, Hattie continues with exercise and development classes and plays at an outside playground among other children. During snack time, Hattie is seated in a high chair where she very neatly peals and eats a banana. She seems never to be left alone or unattended by one of her parents. As she develops, Hattie’s father quizzes her on the sounds of different animals and later when her mother tries to get Hattie to sit and read with her, she refuses and hits her mother in the face.

In response to this inappropriate touching, Hattie’s mother retrieves a book from the bookcase entitled, ‘No Hitting’. Hattie’s western society places value in providing children with teachable learning moments from birth forward. This is demonstrated throughout the footage of Hattie as she is rarely allowed to just be. The push in this culture is towards overstimulation where every single minute appears to be filled with some content or music or activity. There are several cute moments, however, where she interacts with the family cat or when she spends time with a grandparent or when she negatively responds to being placed in the hot tub.

For all the differences in the four cultures and beliefs about child rearing, there are multiple common threads. First off, it appears all

the babies were breast fed. All four families provided exposure to animals even if it was only to a dog or cat. Mothers enjoyed alone time with their babies and engaged in baby babble. Each baby had access to extended family, siblings and outside individuals. In the cases of Ponijao and Bayar, sibling rivalry was displayed as jealousy is common in families with multiple children. As the babies aged, each was allowed to explore their environment and delighted in a sense of freedom.

Finally, each baby was subjected to the unconditional love and nurturing of their mothers. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the two babies from the undeveloped countrysides enjoyed an openness with nature and were often seen naked. These children make do with the simple things in their environment and generally don’t have elaborate educational toys. They are not adverse or prevented from placing objects in their mouths whether they are dirty or not. I found it interesting when Bayar’s mother placed what appeared to be a piece of meat in the infant’s mouth attached to a matchstick to prevent him from swallowing it.

They are also not prevented from interacting with farm animals and accompany their mothers as they go about chores. Mari and Hattie’s first year held remarkable similarities. Both girls grew up in very structured environments. They were surrounded by educational and developmental stimuli. Mommy and me exercise classes and regular play dates with other children were an important part of the girls first year of life. They both interacted with the larger society and were always neatly groomed. It seemed that the fathers of these two

infants were shown in more direct contact than in the undeveloped countries.

Theirs was definitely and environment where the parents seemed to believe that their children wouldn’t flourish properly without being exposed to opportunities to learn. Through my studies in sociology and general dealings in the world, I have learned not to judge other cultures for what may be right versus what I perceive as wrong. I find it fascinating that without modern conveniences, the mothers in Namibia and Mongolia care for their children the same as those in postindustrial societies. There is obviously a different way to go about day-to-day tasks such as bathing and collecting and preparing food.

When they must work outside the home, the children accompany them and are little distraction. The lack of clothing the children wear is of somewhat concern for me as they are exposed to dirt and animals that have the potential to carry disease. The simplicity of life outside of major cities, however, is appealing to me. These families know how to survive and in my opinion are better off than those of us that live in modern societies. The babies hailing from Japan and the USA are more akin to my personal experience.

This is due to exposure to modern conveniences that make life easier and to what some (not me) may term “civilized” existence. It is common to provide educational opportunities from birth but this is not necessarily how I was raised. Watching this film, I began to see that the desire to fill up every single moment of a child’s life with stimulus as overkill. I thought it was ridiculous

when Hattie’s mother pulled out and showed the toddler the ‘No Hitting’ book in response to slaps in the face. Once again, this is not how I was raised.

Moreover, it was funny when she tried to escape the room as the mommy and me class was singing a song relating to Native Americans. In Japan it seemed that the family was always attending to some type of activity and it appeared that true quality time was sacrificed in place of quantity. I realize that we are only shown a portion of these families’ lives but at the end of the movie, I thought that for the most part, the children from the undeveloped countries enjoyed a more rounded first year of life. In my opinion, they got to more fully enjoy the discovery of things and the world around them in an organic sense.