Post 4: Babies

On December 5 while Aaron was at work, I decided to watch Babies without him. I was surprised that there was no narration or discussion during the movie, but also understand that there was no need for it. Ponijao from Namibia was actually my favorite of the four babies. He was the most interactive child of the bunch, and was in the "worst" conditions. He was so happy and energetic. His curiosity was contagious, and his mother was incredibly beautiful. It taught me that we are such germaphobic people here in America. It told me that I need to let my children play in the mud and get dirty from time to time.

Mari from Japan was an incredibly cute (and quiet) child. The most interesting thing I saw was the classes that her mother took her to and the groups of mothers that met up to go to the zoo and have play dates. It was interesting to see how alike we were in that respect.

Bayar from Mongolia was probably the most mischievous of the babies. It was hilarious to watch his brother respond to him. In fact, one of the first few things you see is Bayar being bundled up and his family putting him on a motorcycle to move. Later, it shows his brother bothering him and the sibling rivalry that came along with being a little brother.

Hattie from California was the American viewpoint shown in the movie. She was born into somewhat of a hippie family from what I could tell. I have to admit that whether it was supposed to be filmed this way or not, the American baby seemed to be the least interesting in my point of view. Everything was quiet and somewhat withdrawn. Overall, I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would, and felt compelled to rewind it and show Aaron some scenes once he got home. Having it filmed without narration was actually a very interesting and atypical way of doing things, but somehow it made sense. I can't imagine having a voiceover after watching it. It taught me to watch my kids more closely, to see how their lips quiver in their sleep and how focused they are when facing a problem. I have noticed how smart my children really are, which is more than I could've ever hoped or imagined.