How does independence in children differ among cultures?

How does independence in children differ among cultures?

Norine Dresser (Writer) gives expert video advice on: How does independence in children differ among cultures?; What should I do if I think a child is mistreated due to his or her culture? and more...

In American culture we value independence. And I had a really wonderful illustration of differences. When I was teaching at Cal State LA, at one point in time I had an officemate from Romania. And I invited him and his family. His family meant his wife and his mother-in-law, and his father-in-law. The whole group came for breakfast or brunch or whatever. And I had a new grandchild, my first one. And they brought the little baby over. And those, what do they call them? Onesies? And this family from Romania was so shocked to see that our babies. We're teaching a significant lesson in independence, teaching independence. We're giving her freedom of movement. For them, they swaddle their babies. They hold them tightly. That's an important lesson. It's like Native American tribes put them in cradle boards, and they're all tied up. That's a tight community. They are nurturing dependence and safety and security. Because when tightly pulled together, it's like still being in the womb. They're nurturing community dependence, and we are encouraging independence. It's just the way we're addressing these infants, but it has a very powerful message.