The childcare practices, which vary significantly for the four babies, can serve as a valuable insight into the nuances of their individual development. As different as each culture is I was able to see that each baby hit milestones within a few months of each other. Hattie is socially engaged with both her parents and is rarely left alone. The implications that it has had on people, especially with parents has now led to parents beginning to question what makes a good parent and keeps them from goes against societal norms. During the end of her infancy, it can be observed that Ponijao (as well as Hattie and Mari) have an easier time learning to walk and master their balance when compared to Bayar. Social interactions with caregivers and family members is another critical factor in shaping child development. Documentarian Thomas Balmès fans out to the grasslands of Namibia, the plains of Mongolia, the high rises of Tokyo and the busy streets of San Francisco in a study of culture, societal structure, geography and tradition, along with parental love and the impact all these elements have on … This causes her to get considerably upset and throw a full-fledged tantrum. Olga Khazan, author of No Spanking, No Time Out, No Problem, writes about her interview with child Psychologist, Alan Kazdin. Documentaries about birth and babies. Mari’s mother seems to be quite social as she has friends/family over frequently and throws a birthday party for Mari. One interaction that is seen between Bayar and his mother is when he is playing with the water in the dish bucket and spills all the water on the floor. The scene where Ponijao’s mother wipes Ponijao’s poop off her leg with an old corn cob as well as the scene where Ponijao crawls around on the ground and puts rocks or dirt in her mouth contrast with the scene where Hattie’s father meticulously cleans her clothes with a lint roller. shaped by the cultures, caregiving practices, social interactions and physical environments During the movie, I was fascinated by how I did not think of the interactions a baby has at first year of life could shape people behavior possibly throughout their life. Plot Summary | Add Synopsis. Storyline. “Babies” – Documentary Reflection October 17, 2019 Sabirah Shuaybi The film ​ Babies ​ is a 2010 french documentary by Thomas Balmes that follows four babies from different parts of the world as they grow and develop during the first stage of their life. It is, however, surprising how most foreign-accented characters are portrayed. the developmental history of these four babies is made even more remarkable when noting Parents must involve and act positively related to academic achievement of their children (Xitao & Michael, 2001). In short, to be more responsible and mature. So is privacy, a privilege to be earned. They know what will happen after, and it helps them grow properly. The way a child is raised can bring up ethical questions. It is therefore not surprising that a multitude of accents is used in such films. Now the feminist becomes a stay-at-home mother, who needs financial support, usually from the father. BABIES- the Movie, Video Response Questions. In comparing and contrasting these social interactions from baby to baby, the film sheds some light on how the personality and language development of these babies is uniquely shaped by the interactions they engage in (experience-dependent development). Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Additionally, American society often creates specific techniques for the development of one’s child. This style of parenting is believed to directly contribute to low cognitive and emotional empathy development (Aunola et. Chaput says his inspiration to share babies’ resilience and growth was a “dream of a movie theater audience that would applaud because a baby would stand on their own two feet. Powered by JustWatch "Babies” is the perfect film for anyone who has never had the opportunity to interact with humans at an early age. “B abies” is an accomplished documentary that focuses on exactly what the title suggests: babies. Both Khazan and Kazdin attempt to tap into the emotions of existing parents, or parents-to-be, by giving scenarios and examples of child behavior and personal experiences. They prefer a type of homeschooling called “unschooling,” in which parents act not only as teachers, but guide their children toward their own explorations. Edit them in the Widget section of the. At that time I thought it is a nice, cute movie about little kids and their everyday life routine, but now I know that is … … I felt we could show the commonalities as well as the differences among these babies.” When BABIES director Thomas Balmès was asked to describe the methodology behind capturing four babies from birth through their first year, he said, “I’m really trying to do documentaries where the viewer is observing an idea that he had himself and to understand something out of that.” One may definitely notice throughout the text that author, Khazan, attempts to manipulate with the way that she writes. “All My Babies” propelled Stoney’s career towards social documentary projects within different institu-tional contexts. The film follows Ponijao, a little girl from Namibia, Bayar, a little boy from Mongolia, Mari, a girl from Tokyo, and Hattie, a girl from San Francisco. To observe the parenting styles in this movie, I choose overlook the surrounding environment and focus on the interaction between the baby and the parents. This movie takes you along a journey of four different babies from four very different parts of the world from San Francisco, Tokyo, Namibia, and Mongolia. While each babies’ development is different, they have one thing in common, they nurtured by those around them. Nonetheless, all of them learned to walk in the end. These tiny things are huge adventures for them. Phuong Cao Nguyen Directed by award-winning filmmaker Thomas Balm`es, from an original idea by producer Alain Chabat, Babies simultaneously follows four babies around the world - from birth to first steps. Capturing the intimate portrait of each family at such a delicate time in their life was a major feat for. Ponijao is also has frequent social interactions with her mother, sibling as well as other members of the community. Amy Chua introduced the concept of “Tiger mom” in her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Chua, 2011). the movie. In “Radical “Unschooling” Moms are Changing the stay-at Home Landscape” Schenwar writes about homeschooling. MOVIE ‘BABIES’ REFLECTION Maya Schenwar, a 2005 graduate of Swarthmore College, is executive director of Truthout, a Web site whose purpose is to save humanity and the planet. While you might assume that the differences in the first experiences of each young human will be what's striking, it's actually the similarities that are so engaging, and in the end, life-affirming. However, for the most part, Ponijao was able to move her arms and legs freely as an infant. 2. As their psychological needs are not met, children start to have a low self-esteem and low. (Available for streaming on Netflix) After watching the film “Babies” by Thomas Balmer, I feel as though I have been given a greater insight into the differences in child rearing practices cross culturally. Reflection Of The Movie Babies. grinding the stone into a fine powder). The film Babies, gives insight into the numerous ways cultures deem acceptable to raise their infants. The babies introduced in this film are Ponijao from Opuwo, Namibia, Mari from Tokyo, Japan, Bayar from Bayanchandmachi, Mongolia and Hattie from San Francisco, California. ‘Babies’ is a documentary film which chronicles the first year of life of four babies spanning the globe. The movie Babies is a documentary that follows four newborns from different regions of the world. Western society has created an ethnocentric approach to the development and socialization of infants in various cultures. Nevertheless, as they reach the end of their infancy period, all the babies, show a progression of language development from cooing and babbling in the beginning to the intentionally formation of sounds and words, a powerful portrayal of the universality of child development (experience-expectant development). The documentary Babies by Thomas Balmès is a film that takes place in four very different locations around the world. Over the next six decades, he worked as a filmmaker, writer, teacher, and activist, always exploring ways to expand the progressive po-tential of documentary and engage new audiences. Balmès’s documentary, Babies, attempts to provide a glimpse into the first year of life in four children throughout the world. The documentary follows four babies and their families from when they are first born as they grow up and are able to walk. As such, he cannot offer her his undivided attention and she plays by herself in the room. The way for your teen to earn more privacy and freedom is by building trust. November 15th The film ​Babies​ is a 2010 french documentary by Thomas Balmes that follows four babies from different parts of the world as they grow and develop during the first stage of their life. This steady progression of motor skills reiterates the universality of development across different parts of the world. Baby Mama is a film that presents something as serious as reproduction and the technologies involved in that, and make it hilarious and understandable to your average audience. While these differences illustrate the impact of childcare practices on the rate of development, the similarities in the babies overall development regardless of what techniques were used to raise them is prominent a theme that persists throughout the film. A real, live date, to a movie theater. al., 2000). Depending on class length and time constraints, the video may be broken up into sections for viewing. Her father takes her to the park and to earth/yoga baby sessions (which Hattie does not seem to be too invested in), her mother reads books to her and engages daily with her through language. in common. On the other hand, Ponijao and Bayar primarily interacted with their natural environment such as rocks, sticks, livestock and other basic objects in nature. ( Log Out /  Ponijao lives amid the straw huts of Namibia Permissive parents take orders and instructions from their children, are passive, endow children with power (Gonzalez-Mena 1993; Garbarino and Abramowitz 1992), have low expectations, use minimal discipline, and do not feel responsible for how their children turn out. The routine meets their needs in a predictable and safe environment. For example, despite the lack of sophisticated toys, baby walkers and parent/baby play groups, Ponijao seemed just as content and satisfied as Hattie with her environment. At one point, Bayar’s brother whacks him repeatedly with a cloth that causes him to cry. Khazan dives deep into one side of the psychology of children and the effects that discipline may have on children. A clear and definite answer has not been stated yet, as it depends on the child, her temperament, and their parents. Later on, Bayar displays some aggression towards the goats by hitting them and pulling their fur roughly as well as towards another little girl by pulling/pushing her until she begins to cry. Furthermore, the differences in the temperaments of the babies seem quite independent of the quality of their material environment. An award-winning filmmaker documents the birth and first year of life of four babies across the world. During the interview, Kazdin really goes into child psychology, and how typical and popular parenting methods may not prove effective on children anymore. It cuts between the four babies over the course of that year, showing different activities, like feeding, play, bathing, interactions with animals, and learning to walk. She described the hyper-parenting style she used with her daughters, analyzing it and comparing it to the Western parenting styles. A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo. This can be observed in the scene where the Mari’s father is trying to work at home on his computer and simultaneously babysit Mari. Chronicling the day-to-day lives of four babies in four far-flung locations around the world -- Mongolia, Namibia, Japan, and California -- the … His mother scolds him sternly, takes the bucket away and leaves. Hattie is in San Francisco. The society in general and educators in particular have agreed that parental involvements are one of the important ingredients which accounted for many problems in education. Not great odds. Without pretension or dialogue 'Babies' documents the first year of life of four babies in four different cultures - Mongolia, Japan, Namibia and California. Winner of Grand Prix Award at 2014 Life Sciences Film Festival. But a few days later, while Mikko was in school, we went all-out extravagant and saw a second movie in a theater: Babies. The physical environments each baby interacts with and is exposed to during the first year of life is another source of variation – one that is closely tied to the culture and region in which the baby is raised. You watch them as they are birthed, to milestones, to their first birthdays. Menu. Introduction to Cultural Psychology Babies, also known as Baby(ies) and Bébé(s), is a 2010 French documentary film by Thomas Balmès that follows four newborns through their first year after birth. She would achieve this by holding Ponijao in a specific position with legs pressed to the stomach to encourage bowel movement. Bayar shows fine motor development when he unrolls the tissue from the toilet paper roll (and then proceeds to eat it). Introduction It indicates that materialistic elements present in a babies environment that they interact with may not play a critical role in shaping or changing the babies’ temperament (which could be genetically determined but it is hard to make the nature vs. nurture distinction). The film showcases the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of these four babies during the infancy and early toddlerhood period. After birth, Bayar was kept tightly swaddled in a cloth blanket for the majority of the time. Abstract Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Mari engages in a lot of group activities whether is it mother and baby yoga sessions or walks outside with other mothers and their babies. Previous research has shown that the use of accents in children’s animated films teaches them how to discriminate (Lippi-Green 1997). The film also eloquently follows the progression of the motor skills leading up to the acquisition of these more coordinated, fine motor skills. Her apparent frustration with her inability to accomplish this task may provide a window into her social and emotional developmental level at this point. The fascinating and diverse nuances in Babies Analysis. that they experience in the first year of their lives. how these individual paths are closely tied together in a universal path of development that In conclusion, the film Babies provides an extraordinary and frankly, adorable insight A classic scene is when Bayar is taking a bath in a bucket and a goat comes in through the door to drink the water from the bucket. Permissive parenting that lack control and discipline over their children are negatively related with the academic achievement by the permissive parents (Dornbusch, Fraleigh, Lerderman, Ritter, & Robert , 1987). Copyright © 2020 IPL.org All rights reserved. Toys like Mr. - Mr. s, the hide and seek, are also useful as they learn your child to get used to the idea that what is left does not mean they disappeared forever. The French documentary Babies shows the first year of development of four different babies who live in four completely different environments. Reflection Of The Movie Babies. During this film, it can be observed how the varying degrees and qualities of social interaction with the babies may affect their ability to play with others, emotionally self-regulate and develop language. However, they may actually have some similarities eve if we can’t see it when we first glance at it. Many children’s animated films are set in mystical kingdoms or foreign places. These depictions illustrate the differences in childcare around the world when it comes to potty training, diapers and overall cleanliness. Mari's in Tokyo. Bayar pulling the tissue away from the roll is a coordination of secondary reactions as it is a “stringing together of a series of actions to achieve a desired effect” (Patterson, 2009, p. 172). These children are most likely to experience psychological problems, commit violence and engage in antisocial behavior. 130096 Over the course of two years more than 400 days of filming took place and 80% of that footage was captured directly by Balmès (Dawson, 2). You can use them to display text, links, images, HTML, or a combination of these. However, due to the busy work life, the quality of these social interactions with Mari are often diminished. Many studies have been conducted to determine which type of parenting is the best for their children best academic success, extracurricular activities performance, and social interaction among themselves and with adults. These techniques become a norm in American Culture. For instance, Hattie shows fine motor control when she peels a banana that she is eating. Despite such disparities in their environments, there remains undeniable similarities in the motor skill development of all the babies in the film. Lastly, Ponijao smashing the stone into a powder is an example of a tertiary circular reaction as it involves reaching a particular goal (ie. Ponijao did not wear diapers and it seems that her mother potty trained her early on as an infant by encouraging her to go after her feedings. Students will complete questions and write reflection. This demonstrates the power of universal development despite substantial variations in child-rearing techniques. Summary In the film Babies there are four babies from four different cultural backgrounds, languages and socioeconomic statuses. Samantha Pedersen SOC 150 Babies movie reflection 3/5/2016 Reflection: Babies There were four babies in the movie that we watched; that come from four total different worlds. Babies Reflection In class we watched a movie called babies and we saw the different styles of parenting from four different cultures, country, and nationality, we where given multiple questions in relation to this movie. Some years ago, I saw the documentary movie “Babies” (Bebes), released in 2010 by French director and producer Thomas Balmes. ( Log Out /  First off we will look at how materialistic of culture each baby lived in and was brought up in. director Thomas Balmès and producer Alain Chabat. Babies Documentary Analysis 1261 Words | 6 Pages. Bayar struggled a bit more than the others in maintaining his balance. The scene where he is hysterically crying while his mother attempts to breastfeed him may indicate that Bayar does not have a strong emotional connection with his caregivers due to a lack of time spent bonding. 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