There’s a beauty in the uniqueness of family life. No two families are exactly the same. It’s interesting to see how each set of parents carries out their journey in the world. The habits or parenting traditions of some folks might reach beyond what we would call ”unique.” In fact, some are downright shocking!
You are about to read five parenting traditions that you may have never encountered. Then again, you might read this post and say, ”Oh, yeah! We did that!” If you or someone you know has these customs in their family, we’d like to hear about it, so leave a comment under this post on our Facebook page! Okay, let’s get to it—here are five parenting customs that might surprise you!
Some parenting traditions include lotus births
In various countries, such as Great Britain, Turkey, Australia, and right here in the USA, many women have lotus births. In this unique parenting tradition, a woman keeps her baby attached by the umbilical cord for four or five days after giving birth! You may have heard of another practice called ”delayed cord cutting,” here in the United States. This is typically carried out in the birthing room. Instead of cutting the umbilical cord immediately after birth, the baby is left attached until the cord turns grayish white. This signifies that all of the blood inside the cord and placenta has been reabsorbed by the baby’s body.
There are a plethora of nutrients in this blood. The extra iron the baby receives helps prevent anemia. It is especially beneficial to premature infants. There are times when it is not advisable to delay cord cutting, though. At any rate, those who practice lotus birthing believe that it boosts their babies’ immune systems. There is also evidence to suggest that babies who are born this way are calmer and have a greater supply of oxygen.
African parenting traditions might make you cringe
On the African continent, there is a place called ”Mauritania.” There are some rather interesting parenting traditions here! In this place, parents believe that saliva carries their wisdom and words to their infants. In Mauritania, you will find an ethnic group called the ”Wolof” people. Wolof mothers spit in the face of their infants. Dads do the same in the baby’s ears. And both parents rub their spit all over their babies’ heads!
Bali parents keep their babies off the ground
Because they believe that touching the ground defiles a baby’s purity, parenting traditions in Bali include not letting a baby touch the ground for the first three months of life. Bali is in Indonesia. Bali parents believe babies are too holy to touch the ground. Keeping them from touching the earth for their first 105 days is way of venerating or honoring them.
Fathers offer their breast nipples as pacifiers in central Africa
Another group of Africans, called the ”Aka” tribe has parenting traditions that will leave many reader scratching heir heads! In this tribe, the women go off to hunt. Dads stay with their babies and offer their breast nipples to pacify them while their mothers are away. These fathers are with their babies nearly half the time on a daily basis. They are said to be closer to their babies than any other cultural group of fathers in the world.
Maharashtra India parents toss their babies out of a temple
One of the most shocking parenting traditions of all takes place in Maharashtra, India. It is so shocking that it’s difficult to write! In this place, precious infants are tossed over the side of a temple. They plummet 50 feet, landing in a sheet below. Their parents believe that this tradition gives them courage and intelligence. Those of us who live in the United States may be left wondering how this can be legal. Most readers will agree that this is the most shocking of all the parenting traditions we have shared with you today!
And, speaking of parenting, the holidays are a time for family traditions. If you missed it the first time around, check out this post in our archives and listen to the podcast that is linked at the end. A beautiful couple with 12 children share their parenting traditions and stories of their wonderful life together!
