(Pictures: From the birthday party- Grace & the kids, Megan & one of our nice neighbors, Cake time)
Yesterday was Ababu’s (our little neighbor’s) birthday. He turned one year old. In just the last few weeks he has learned to walk, and his new found independence has meant that he has been a frequent visitor to our home. Grace finds him far more exciting now since the two of them can now run up and down the hallway together, pushing buckets and chasing balls.
The birthday was a small affair by island standards: mostly kids and moms. (Sometimes children’s birthdays are excuses for adults to get together and have a party.) There were no games, but there was dancing and lots of snacks: chips, candy bars, mango juice, lollipops and cake. Balloons were blown up and popped. Happy Birthday was sung in three languages, and lots of pictures were taken. After about two hours everyone headed home.
Going to the party got us to thinking about the lives of children here. We haven’t done a careful study, but we can tell you some of the things we’ve noticed. It appears that most children are given a wide range of freedom to do as they wish. The main requirements for children seem to be education, which consists of shioni (religious school) and private or public schooling. For schooling they are required to be clean, dressed nicely, and ready to go on time. But other than school and running the occasional errand, as soon as children are able to walk and talk a bit, they are given freedom to wander and do as they please with almost no direct adult supervision.
It seems like a lot of fun to be a kid here. There are all sorts of things to see and do. Children go swimming in the ocean, get very dirty, wander the neighborhoods, and play sports like soccer. They are also very creative in their play. They create toys out of trash, make up dances, parade like soldiers, and do other imaginative things. Children are free here—free from supervision and responsibility, and they make the most of it.
On the other hand, we have witnessed children throwing rocks at one another, getting into fights, little ones playing with knives, etc. But for the most part, the community holds such dangers in check. Generally, older children supervise younger children and all children are under the supervision of any adult in the area. This is something that is really wonderful to see. In a sense, all children are supervised because there is almost always an adult somewhere nearby. We have seen adults passing by admonish, and yell at children who are being bad and we have also seen strangers pick up and comfort neighborhood children who are crying or hurt.
As Grace gets bigger we wonder what sort of boundaries we should set for her. But whatever we decide, it is comforting to know, that all around, she has people who will look after her and take care of her.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
We thank God that it seems like our friend Sahara’s problems are working out, and he will not be leaving us any time soon. It’s been exciting to watch him trust in God during this time. Praise God that our refrigerator is finally fixed. The two guys who came over to fix it stayed late, but they were very friendly and Tom had a great time talking to them and learning about how refrigerators work. Grace is doing well learning to sleep without the pacifier. Last night she went down without crying at all. The next step will be to go without it during her daytime naps.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
