We finish today the publication of this series of interviews in which, the anthropologist María José GarridoHe has reviewed for us as interesting as the influence of parenting the degree of violence in a society, the importance of physical contact and constant attention, parenting models as ways of modeling individuals for an ideal community and many other issues in which his science, Anthropology, has helped us to better understand the human being and especially children.
We can talk to her about some final questions: sexual repression, accompanied sleep, learning-related disorders and school education in our culture analyzing it objectively taking into account the general characteristics of humans.
Is there a relationship between repression of mother-child contact, sexual repression and violence?
Among the ache, for example, they accept polygyny (several wives with a husband) and polyandria (several husbands with a wife), as well as successive marriages. Among the mundugumor, investigated by Malinowsky and Margaret Mead, it was found that the suicide rate and the degree of violence were very high. Breastfeeding developed with contempt and body contact with children and babies was minimal. Even weaning was accompanied by insults. The group systematically repressed child sexuality and showed no attitudes of affection in sexual relations between adults, even violent behaviors being habitual.
Have babies and children always slept with their mothers?
Nowadays, in three quarters of the world it is still usual to sleep in company. Until about 200 years ago there were no houses with more than one bedroom. The history of mankind has been characterized because children have never slept alone, as they have shown, in different intercultural studies, anthropologists such as James McKenna, Carol Wortham or Melvin Konner, among others.
And where do they come from, then, those ideas that children have to sleep alone?
Ideas about children's sleep constitute a cultural construction away from children's biological and emotional needs. The reasons for the dream to become a private sphere lie in the underlying cultural values, such as the independence and intimacy of the parents (characteristic of patriarchy) in the face of the attachment and collective attitude of traditional societies. Let the baby cry to sleep alone, has negative consequences in terms of its development. Neurobiological investigations have shown that an excess of cortisol (stress hormone) at an early age decreases neuronal growth and has direct effects on the immune system, so it can predispose to certain diseases. Currently, the AEPED (Spanish Association of Pediatrics) recommends practicing colecho (sleeping with the baby), with due precautions, as a way to promote the necessary emotional bond, to allow adequate neuronal development, maintain breastfeeding and, in addition , protect against sudden death of the infant.
Many of the problems that are now diagnosed to children have no importance in other cultures or are considered natural variations of human normality, are there hyperactive, inattentive or dyslexic children in other cultures?
Given that diversity is accepted in many traditional cultures, and that the concept of normality is more flexible and less conditioned, such questions may not arise, and as you say, it must be natural. Hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, autism, anorexia, bulimia, stress, anxiety or depression only exist in our culture. They constitute a phenomenon that continues to increase and appear at increasingly younger ages, even in babies. We should reflect whether the increase in these disorders, syndromes and diseases in childhood is not associated with our way of life and upbringing. It would also be convenient to analyze the values we enhance in children and the consequences they have on their childhood and their future.
The tendency of our culture to label, diagnose and measure children has turned the natural process of childhood evolution into something under strict control.
Is it natural for the human being a school model that separates by age, separates from parents and keeps children quiet and seated to learn?
I do not think that it is, from a biological or cultural point of view, neither healthy nor positive for its development.
Previous generations have had the possibility of growing up in an open environment, children played together in the street and channeled their energy. However, now it is intended that they are sitting and still at school, at home, in restaurants ... and at the same time, we fill up with activities including their leisure time.
In many cases, children do not have any non-adult-directed play time and have an agenda of activities that exceeds the legal working day of adults. Learning is an internal process that the current educational system alters by trying to teach uniformly and at the same time, issues that, in many cases, are not part of the lives or interests of children.
Regulated education privileges the cognitive to the detriment of the emotional, which is essential for meaningful learning.
I, who graduated in History and expanded my training with studies in Anthropology, have always considered this science as the one that can best guide me to understand human beings, so complex, and better serve children without violating their nature by cultural patterns.
This interview, for which I am greatly grateful to the anthropologist María José Garrido, has reinforced me in this opinion. What do you think?
