"Your baby is beautiful... like they all are" / How the French view babies

 

"Il est beau, comme tout"

When my kid was a tiny baby and had to be carried around often in our arms (or bags), admiring old French ladies would frequently come over to inspect and croon. The pride in me as a new Mum would burst outright to have produced such a beautiful cute baby!

However, it would annoy me slightly when they would say "Il est beau...comme tout!" ("He is beautiful...like they all are!") 

Ohh! Why couldn't they just stop at "He is beautiful?!" The effect seemed a bit spoilt for me to be reminded that my baby wasn't sweeter, cuter, smarter or more adorable than any other baby. "Your Baby is The Most Beautiful Baby in the Whole Wide World" is what I wanted to hear!

But why did the adamant French attitude of seeing all babies equally take me so by surprise? Didn't it tell me 'How shallow are my thoughts to compare kids?' 

Before having my own child, I rarely interacted with children, I would even run away from them. When faced with a child, I was uncomfortable, I had no idea what to speak to them about. Baby-talk was boring for me. My friends were all just like me, no one knew how to talk normally to a kid, they would either simper loudly or run away. Adults too would coo and baby-talk with kids who were much older than 10 years! A major confusion on how to show affection for kids. I saw only awkwardness around me and subconsciously, this is what I learnt too. A child of a celebrity star is openly and loudly favorited in India. And what happens to a lesser child?

I saw this book one day and I understood. I have worked with hundreds of immigrants and their children. Often I hear the same quote "Il/elle est beau, comme tout" from the French professionals to the immigrants. Never an iota of disrespect. Gentleness and regard both for child and parent. 

For the first time I observed something important: a child has an important place in Society, a child is heard and seen and most importantly, he/she has the right to be interacted with. 

An interesting extract from the book 'Sapiens' by Yuval Noah Harari:

"Throughout history, the upper classes always claimed to be smarter, stronger and generally better than the underclass. They were usually deluding themselves. A baby born to a poor peasant family was likely to be as intelligent as the Crown prince. With the help of new medical capabilities, the pretensions of the upper classes might soon become an objective reality."

 The picture below "Rights of children" it's practised in daily life here in France, I am happy to report.  As much as I am delighted with how the French treat children, there is no escaping from the fact that Roma children in France are ignored. This is a very big and hot topic, suitable for another post another day. However, I have read up a lot and I was relieved and happy to note that many French associations do take up the cause of the Romas and assist them. 

I hope this little insight of "Beautiful Babies" proved to be a thoughtful topic for you as well! See you in my next post! :)