The other night while I was reading, I stopped for a moment to listen to the noise outside drifting in from the window next to me. Suddenly, I became aware that what I was hearing is a rarity in the states. Here I was, Friday night at 10:00pm and outside my window was the unfamiliar sound of laughing children playing in the street. I have heard the same yelling-laughing-sing-song sounds on many of the summer nights I have spent here in Morocco, but it had never struck me before in this way.
Children here are treating in such a different regard than those in America; they are given the freedom to be kids. However, the freedom children are given here doesn't stem from neglect or apathy on the parent's behalf, Rather, Moroccan society is in general, a less fearful society then America and children are not treated as the fragile creatures they are in the states. There are fears, rules and regulations at every turn of an American child's upbringing, that I wonder sometimes if they a robbed of the simple fun of being a kid that I see exists in Morocco. For example, playing in the street unsupervised or not being rushed to the doctor and babied at the first sight of blood if they fall. It is okay for kids to talk to strangers here, even *gasp* to accept candy from them. This may be hard for a Westerner to swallow, but believe me; I have seen more strangers be kind and generous with kids on the street here than I have ever witnessed before. Men and women alike play with kids and aren't afraid to be affectionate and playful even when they do not know the child.
Children are a part of life here and they are accepted as such by the public. On a crowded train, a screaming child is not resented and its mother made a scapegoat who is glared at and shamed for the noise her child is making. On the contrary, Moroccans seem to understands the nature of the child due to their own familiarity with children and their behaviors. I recall an instance on a flight where the baby of the woman sitting next began crying shortly after take-off. After many disapproving looks and grumbling from the surrounding passengers, not one, not two, but THREE people all asked the flight attendant if they could move, complaining to her about the noise like the mother wasn't even there. I can remember how embarrassed and ashamed she was and how she quietly apologized to me. Thinking back on this instance, I am the one that feels embarrassed for how our public treated this poor mother.
Of course there are times I witness things I am not comfortable seeing: Parents smacking their children in public, young children breathing in second-hand smoke from their parents or family members, kids being told not to cry when they are sad. However, these behaviors are not unique to Morocco and similar situations can be found in our own society.
The great majority of Moroccan children I have come in contact with have been extremely respectful and comply to the wishes of their parents and elders in general. In fact, the most spoiled children I have met have been either foreign or foreign educated (go figure). In a paradoxical way, Moroccan kids are very mature at a young age, yet at the same time seem to retain their childhood for a longer time than most American kids, delaying the rebellions of adolescence.
The importance of treating children like they are appreciated and as much a part of the family as anyone else is dire. Here I witness just this, and they are involved in conversation, religious activities, meal time, etc. These open social interactions that children receive here from men and women alike, shapes these children into the strong, assertive, and playful adults the Moroccan people are.
Of course I cannot say that one culture is better than the other. As I said before, there are problems involving parenting here just like there is everywhere. I simply find it beneficial to notice these differences and nuances and hopefully learn (and maybe teach?) something from them.
