Papoose

I wanted to relate a lighter parenting moment that I witnessed after last week's moaning about maids.

Talking of maids and my firm stance on the subject, I just saw an amazing film called "Ilo Ilo".  It won the Camera D'or at Cannes and was a beautiful tale about an ordinary Singaporean family and their newly hired Filipino maid at the time of the Asian economic crisis.  I came away from it feeling totally confused about my feelings to the hiring of maids in Singapore.  It did seem like everyone loses in the end but part of me felt we should hire someone because we will be so nice to them and make them comfortable so they can earn money to send home to their children.  As I read that back all I think of myself is "yes, you really are a stupid simplistic expat prat".

Moving on. 

On arriving at Singapore Zoo when it was in full family filled flow we saw a young family with a three year old and a 1 year old.  The 1 year old was in the buggy and the three year old was forward facing in a Baby Bjorn sling being carried by its mother.

Needless to say this clearly very fit broad shouldered young Mum was buckling under the weight of this enormous child as its head sat just under her chin and its legs dangled below her knees.  Before you all start squealing at me, I know that it is hard to pin point children's ages and maybe she was just a very young child and was just really tall and we should not make assumptions blah blah blah.  Anyway, in my capacity as thorough fact finding amateur journalist I am making up the fact that this girl was definitely around three years old.

I didn't really understand why they didn't just put the baby in the sling and the toddler in the buggy.  Anyway, this is one of many unusual things you see when you move to a different country.  Little behaviours can prove an oddity at first. 

In fact I saw a man taking his dog for a walk the other day and the dog was wearing baby shoes.  One colourful little leather booty on each paw so his feet didn't get wet on the damp grass.  The fact that he was probably going to get his own urine on them was neither here nor there.

I have no doubt as I gradually make Singapore my home and become more assimilated that I will probably end up carrying my 7 year old in a papoose even though like this 3 year old she has those remarkable things attached to her bottom, called legs which I believe are quite useful in enabling one to get from A to B.