What is parenting like in other continents? - An interview with Eva - Children and Books PodCast

00:00:00: Hello and welcome to the children and books podcast today we're going to talk about multicultural childhood with

00:00:12: Rachel and thank you thank you thank you so much branko for inviting me and.

00:00:20: Of course for me is a very interesting topic multi multicultural because for the past.

00:00:29: Sorry yes also a bit longer than 30 years I lived in Cassius which are not my culture originally so because I lived in me and

00:00:43: yeah it's where a race my three children so I.

00:00:49: I noticed that there are differences but those differences

00:00:54: open mind open heart can always be met and cover

00:00:59: this was a beautiful beginning thank you I'm so happy that you are with us today and maybe maybe you would like a little bit to introduce yourself.

00:01:11: Eva Chloe in my channel that's my last name you can.

00:01:17: I feel it is non European name from Tanzania and I was born and raised at the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro

00:01:29: in Tanzania and their I went to school until my junior.

00:01:36: Education and then I left I went to college in the Netherlands.

00:01:43: And when we look back to your child fortin Africa it is now long time ago.

00:01:51: I think it was different to the experience which many of us listen to you now her head.

00:02:01: Yes I

00:02:04: I think there are some similarities in every Society you are bringing up children normally the parents play a big role.

00:02:18: Did the place or the role of the children in the English Society in the family is a bit different in Africa because

00:02:28: in Africa you have all this children growing up on the countryside and there

00:02:37: is again different from children growing up in big cities in towns they are children growing up in towns have many more

00:02:50: advantages which you could compare to children growing up in Europe but children growing up on the countryside is very different and.

00:03:03: Children in Africa I must say they grow up in the countryside because 70% of the population

00:03:11: they live on the countryside are small farms and they live on the countryside so if I talk about childhood of the children or the countryside is really a big the of the children

00:03:25: and this children have also it's children more

00:03:32: responsibilities I could put it that way if I compare to the children who grow up in big cities because in the very early age learn

00:03:44: contribute to the well-being of the family and this contribution is.

00:03:51: Only helping to create to keeping the place clean doing dishes and things like that but the other children the older they are they grow they more

00:04:07: disabilities that they can even be trusted by the parents to take care of the younger ones so that they parents they can go away a letter

00:04:19: which is a way of life and the older children have to take care of the younger ones they have to feed them to wash them to see that they go to bed and all these things so it's different

00:04:33: growing up I must say.

00:04:39: I was just going to ask how how that Compares in your experience of bringing up your own children in Europe.

00:04:49: In terms of

00:04:52: what are your thoughts about that because I'm sure there are advantages and disadvantages for both you know parents and children

00:05:01: oh yes definitely that's a very good question because yeah I was in Europe and with my sweet children.

00:05:10: Of course back in my mind I knew what I did as a child where I where I grew up.

00:05:19: Bringing up children as you all know it's not only the family you have this around exam the neighbourhood you have later the school and Country so I could not.

00:05:34: Ring my children up like my parents brought me up in Tanzania I had to give them

00:05:43: this freedom in brackets which other children have in Euro and I.

00:05:51: Broughton up the pursuit.

00:05:56: Helpful that contribute more in the activities and family activities I managed another thing is that.

00:06:09: 12 maybe just to leave just like any other children outside

00:06:15: and I had to give them also this freedom but with some concessions

00:06:22: extreme then had to take care of certain responsibility jobs

00:06:34: in the household as well my children of cos they complained but later on the school because they could very

00:06:44: well learn how to prepare simple meals how to keep the rooms clean something

00:06:52: with some of their girlfriends and friends it didn't learn as children and yesterday you told something that Court to see.

00:07:01: Is plays a big role in your culture yes.

00:07:06: Oh yes courtesy and politeness and you can put it in a package respect that is very very strong in my until today.

00:07:19: I was my second home in Tanzania the whole of december-january until February February come back and I know what is the

00:07:32: again and again and I was so happy because in spite of all changes.

00:07:38: And even living in big cities like that it's alarm

00:07:43: my tongue in the northern part of Tanzania a courtesy and politeness is still there in the children

00:07:55: it's part of their lives especially being polite to older people respect for older people and helping older people.

00:08:08: One of the aspects I must say of growing up in in Tanzania.

00:08:14: Which I wish it was elsewhere that way at least this to be a bit more respectful

00:08:24: yes I was just I was just wondering ever you kind of talked about the importance of

00:08:32: the child's contribution to the family and the importance of respect and nurturing all that within the children and doing that as part of a community

00:08:44: Africa as well in Tanzania I'm just wondering what do you consider is the most important.

00:08:53: The most important things that parents can pass on or teach their children in terms of their hand of.

00:09:04: Development of Curiosity and creativity

00:09:08: and I'm just thinking about you you know being brave enough to go to the Netherlands when you were so young you know and leaving your country and so that it's so you must have had

00:09:21: strong kind of security within you to be able to to go to a new country and so I was just wondering whether there is something that we can actually kind of dog down into to find what it is

00:09:35: after your thoughts.

00:09:39: Well I know this is a difficult question because some parents.

00:09:48: And I must say it's very critically nowadays also in Tanzania they.

00:09:57: Children grow up on their own they love their children but this.

00:10:06: Holding onto the child and maybe

00:10:10: doing things for them is good on one hand but on the other hand it's good to let the children.

00:10:19: Try let the children give you one example and I just thought of it now is I came to Germany.

00:10:34: I was leaving with the my mother-in-law

00:10:40: and I had my two children Where the Light four.

00:10:47: NDS second one was

00:10:50: one-and-a-half years old three years old the children are curious they want to eat.

00:10:58: Und table they want to use the fork the knife just like the parents too and in Germany there is.

00:11:08: It is it's not a lot but is repeated over and over again and now I must say it in German.

00:11:18: Mesa dauphin climate Kinder.

00:11:28: Children young children are not allowed to work with a knife and a fork Caesars in light.

00:11:40: And Beckett home children of 1 1/2 to 2 years if they wants to have a knife.

00:11:48: Is scissors to cut their given this scissors and with the instruction from the parents be careful.

00:11:58: It can hurt you but it to keep them away from this dangerous so-called dangerous articles or instruments

00:12:08: is it doesn't help them because they shouldn't want to to to learn very quickly what the grown-ups do

00:12:17: in this where I said.

00:12:21: I looked at my mother-in-law because she was very serious and I and my daughter wanted to have the knife so I gave her the life

00:12:32: mother did not like the idea that she came up with this you know she came up with.

00:12:38: The other day and then she came in I want to I want to cut myself

00:12:45: yeah you have a scissors but you can hurt yourself so look like Mamadou dad and then I guess them

00:12:52: it was not nice mother-in-law did not approve the differences to you trust the children.

00:13:04: You're not even in very young age you give them your Petula T2.

00:13:12: Be responsible for these so-called dangerous dangerous things which are in household and baby for me they're too.

00:13:23: In that moment I realise that how you bring a child up you can.

00:13:28: Through these too much caring and been very careful about everything that does not get the opportunity

00:13:37: to drive for themselves long until they are very old to be able to try

00:13:47: yeah I think that's really interesting I think there has been a culture you know in Europe and the UK.

00:13:55: Around can a safeguarding children

00:14:01: to the point where we limit there are opportunities of experience and it's really important isn't it because we learn so much more when we make a mistake.

00:14:15: We learn from that and say there's these different different schools of a parenting I guess about those parents who won't see we have a saying in England called mollycoddle

00:14:30: and it means two

00:14:32: kind of fuss around a child and not let them you know and I've just been BH22 close to them at all times just in case but I love the word the use of the word Trust because it is about trust as nets.

00:14:46: Fasting children 2

00:14:50: to try their best and if they make a mistake then they'll the learn from that mistake and trusting that they can do that and in so you know

00:15:00: development happens of Uno free thinking and independence and Curiosity and all those lovely things that we.

00:15:10: I guess we really want to nurture in children.

00:15:14: Ok then I say thank you thank you Avon that you was with us that you that you told that you opened that's a bit the world of Africa and the Childhood in Africa and multicultural

00:15:28: differences

00:15:29: to open our mind to bid for it and thank you Rachael for your really lovely questions because I never would have been able an English to

00:15:39: such a good question to go so deep to it yes and then I like to say to all of you.

00:15:48: Harry goodbye.

00:15:52: Music.