An Ecuadorean Childhood...

Things I love about my children´s childhood in rural Ecuador…

1.       They spend hours playing with the village children in the dirt, inventing games with no toys whatsoever (and certainly no phones or tablets).  Imagination is alive and kicking.

2.      If a child falls over, whoever happens to be nearest picks them up, be they male or female, adult or child.

3.       The whole community takes responsibility for bringing up the children.  If a child is rude or badly behaved any adult will tell them so.  Similarly if any child is upset or hurt someone will immediately be taking care of them.  If a child is hungry someone will pass them something to eat. 

4.       People live in extended families still.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins see each other regularly and help each other out at great personal cost. 

5.       The children have space to run around in, help look after the chickens and guinea pigs that will become their meals, learn to swim in the nearest river, to climb in the nearest tree, and to slide down the nearest pile of earth.