CHILDBIRTH

From the time the child can walk, he is left to himself and falls in the care of other children. Small girls know how to take care of babies with the same proficiency as their mothers and it is common to see babies carried on the hips of girls only slightly older. The child learns early to be self-sufficient and is free to wander all over the village and to do as he pleases.

A child is often called idewa, " a god "; he is not considered responsible for his actions, because, as they say, " his mind is still undeveloped " and it is the god within him that acts through his body. At home there is no regular discipline and no pampering; the parents do not intimidate their child, but rather coax him into obedience as an equal. And he is never beaten; if a mother loses patience and strikes her child, lie would, in all probability, strike back and she would be mortified and would grieve over her rash impulse. The sensible Balinese say that if a child is beaten his tender soul will be seriously damaged.

Frequently the father is inclined to be more demonstrative than the mother, and it is common to see a man with his child in his arms, taking him everywhere and talking to him as if he were a grown-up. It is extremely rare to hear a child cry. Thus the child grows among other children as a member of a children's republic, with an independent life of its own. Often groups of children go out on expeditions, remaining away from home all day. When they get hungry they can buy food from a public stand with the pennies that are given to them every day.

Only by the independence and lack of pampering can one explain the well-mannered seriousness and the self-sufficiency of Balinese children. With no special behaviour set for children apart from that of grown-ups, the mentality of a Balinese child develops quickly. Nothing is hidden from him; he listens to all conversations of grown people and observes the acts of animals, so his sexual education begins as soon as he is able to talk.

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