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Child Rearing Practices in Punjab

Article  in  European Academic Research · September 2015

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 EUROPEAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Vol. III, Issue 6/ September 2015

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Child Rearing Practices in Punjab

IQRA REHMAN
ANWAAR MOHYUDDIN1
Department of Anthropology
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
Pakistan

Abstract:
In this research paper entitled “child rearing practices in
Punjab” an attempt has been made to find out and discuss different
child rearing practices, comparing them with our own society and with
other. That’s how infants are taken cared? What type of swaddling they
do? Cradling? And other things. After infancy entering into early
childhood how the child is learning the culture and the practices.
Learning of value and the effect of the environment is also important.
Different authors have given theories of personality development. And
many anthropologists did fieldwork and tried to find the relationship
between the child rearing practices and individual personality
development. The personality building is one of the important part of
life and it starts when a person is born. The different child rearing
practices actually help in the personality building of the child. Every
culture has its own child rearing practices and when we talk about the
Punjabi culture, it is different from the other cultures. There are
different methods of child rearing practices which have different
impact on the child personality building. In Punjabi culture, the stages
of rearing a child start from infancy where feeding, cradling and
swaddling are the important activities. Then in early childhood toilet
training of the child starts which is helpful in the personality build.
The qualitative anthropological techniques were used to collect
empirical data.

1
Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Key words: infancy, child rearing practices, child development,

feeding, cradling, swaddling, toilet training.

Introduction

When a child is born, he gains an identity from the society that

he is born in. This inference might be physical, racial, religious,
sexual and geographic. In most cases it is all of these and more.
The implied identity might decelerate the person’s struggle
towards the attainment of the idea that defines him, since as he
becomes acquainted with the world, he has to find a
personality, and the implied identity is in most cases more
cases more tangible than the intrinsic one, and hence
overwhelms it. A natural painter might never pick up a
paintbrush and natural poet might never write a verse, yet they
continue to be painters and poets in essences. The intrinsic
nature in all cases remains what a person aims at nurturing
and realizing.
Child rearing practices are done differently in different
societies. And these different practices help in building the
every individual personality and it has a lot of effect on it. The
relation of mother and child is essential because it makes the
personality of that child. It is now acknowledged that infants
produce elementary forms of planned or controlled actions
almost from birth (P.Pick, 2006). Here I am going to discuss
about the child rearing practices among Punjabi people. Child
rearing in Punjabi societies is also different from other
societies. There is some sort of theme behind swaddling,
cradling and other trainings. And the development of child in
early childhood.

Research Site

This research was conducted at Park View Town, situated on

the Park Road Islamabad, Pakistan. There was a big market

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known as “Chataha Bukhtawar”, a very popular place, the

majority of the people recognize this area because of this
market. In Park View Town total numbers of houses were 52.
This was a small town. People living here were migrated from
different cities of Pakistan mostly from Punjab. They belonged
to different ethnic groups which includes, Punjabi, Sindhi,
Pashtoons and few Afghani people.

Methodology

Anthropological methodology is different from its perspective

and had a wide range of application. During the research,
qualitative anthropological techniques were used to collect
comprehensive and detailed data which mainly include in-depth
interviews and participation observation. In most of the
anthropological researches the non probability sampling
technique was used. For the purpose of this research the
judgmental/purposive sampling was used. The data were
collected from the women. The data presented in this article
were collected from Park View Town, Islamabad. Only Punjabi
families living in the town were taken as a sample. The total
number of Punjabi households was 21 and from that 15
respondents were selected as a sample for in-depth interviews
through purposive sampling. During the interviews, an effort
has been made to acquire information regarding different child
rearing practices done by the Punjabi people and how it helps
in personality building of that child.

Results and Discussion

“Childhood doesn’t exist-we create it as a society” (Neaum,

2010). When a child is born, he is tagged by name and in
Punjabi culture different ceremonies are held, naming
ceremony itself is a big ceremony. The 6th day after the birth
hair of the baby is removed and equal to the weight of that hair
silver is given to poor people. Then aqeeqa is done in my society.

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The situation of child care in all society is made up of many

things operating beside the socioeconomic climate just
described there are cultural, psychological and religious system
which structure are base for values and beliefs related to child
rearing parents have a set of childhood beliefs and practice that
are driven from customary culture. (Nat J. Colletta, 1996)
Age of infancy is from birth to 2 years. This age is very
sensitive age because baby needs a lot of care. Baby only sleeps
and when he is hungry, he cries and fed by the mother. In
infancy, child is being taken cared by mother very properly,
because if he is not being cared properly certain death can be
the cause. In our society when a child is born both mother and
child health are important. Their skin to skin contact is very
essential and so is in Punjabi culture. Head molding of the baby
is another important practice in Punjabis. It makes baby face
structure beautifully. For long nose, baby’s nose is being
pressed because it makes the baby’s face feature more fine-
looking.

Feeding
Breast feeding is considered as the best feed. Mothers eat good
and healthy food so that baby also gets healthy milk from the
mother. In Punjabis, the bottle feed is taken as harmful and
unhealthy when I interviewed women’s there view was same.
According to them feeder nipple is made up of plastic and it
contains germs and make the baby’s throat sore. Another
amazing answer was that teethes of the baby will not grow
properly. So the breastfeeding is the easiest way of baby’s food.
It also gives the sense of love, care and trust from the mother to
child. And also skin to skin contact. My mother gave me the
breast feeding and as it gives the sense of care and love and
show the attachment to the mother. My relationship with my
mother is very strong and its effect on my personality is being
humble and more emotional. The relation between child and
mother has its own importance because it is the first step in
developing the personality of the baby. In the book of child

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rearing practice of Punjabis writer has interviewed a woman

and she responded. Traditionally, babies were breast fed and
mostly on demand. This was one of the reasons why young
mothers were encouraged to drink a lot of milk and special food
addition was also prepared. (Jagjit Signh Dosanjh, 1996).

Cradling
Babies are normally being cradled in the afternoon when the
mothers are busy with their work. Many of the mothers make
cradle with a piece of cloth tied with bedside. This cradle makes
baby feel that he is still in mother’s arms and he will not be
scared. This type of cradling is very famous in Punjabi culture
also so. One of my respondents said, “when I was small my
mother used to put me in the cradle. Its impact on my
personality, I never feel afraid of sleeping alone. The confidence
level is built up.”

Swaddling
Swaddling is another practice of child rearing and it varies
from one society to another and the reasons of swaddling also
vary. At night baby is swaddled so that he can sleep
comfortably and cannot feel alone. One of the main reasons of
swaddling is that baby growth should be perfect and legs of
baby remain straight. Baby is being swaddled till the age of 6
months after that infant baby is not swaddle because he starts
crawling. One of my respondents said, “I was being swaddled
till the age of 3 months. My mother used to swaddle me so that
my height should grow faster and the bones should remain
straight.

Toilet Training
Toilet training in our society starts from the age of 6 months.
Normally it starts in the summer because in winter babies are
packed in pampers or nappies. The early toilet training is the
first step of baby to learn the value. In Punjabi culture toilet

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training is very hard. Mothers tries that child should learn

toilet training as soon as possible.

Early Childhood
From the age of 2 to 6 years children are weaned especially
before they start going to school. At the time of early childhood
child is in pressure of learning the value system. As the child
grows, social circle of child increases and the behavior of the
child also becomes different. The child wants to become
independent and do things by himself. His imagination power
become stronger and he feels relaxed in fantasy. The child
relation with the family gradually becomes problematic. The
child ceases to associate himself with his role in the family as
his social world expands through peer interactions, sports and
so forth. The family may remain the most important society for
the child, but it is not the only one, and the child can
conceptualize itself apart from family.
Early childhood years are important in a child’s life.
This is because the rate of growth is quicker during these years.
At this step personality variation among children become
increasingly obvious. These become fine definite by the time
child attains the age of six (Gupta, 2009). Early childhood
training is the step of making good personality of a person.
After the child’s birth, children try to immerse in the language
and literacy of their family. As infants respond to their parents
and siblings, try to speck by the age of 12-18 months, toddlers
use the words or language and the gestures which are
recognized by the mother especially. Those vocabularies after
few years emerge in proper language and continue to develop.
The infants and toddler years are vital for development, the
stand for literacy establishment. (Young, 2000).
One of my respondents reported, “When I was at the age
of early childhood, I used to be very creative. My mother used to
give me coloring books, paints and also the story books these all
things were creating my imagination more strongly. I start
sleeping separate at the age of 4. In my culture Punjabis child

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used to sleep with their mothers till the age of 10 but I didn’t.”
In Punjabi culture child has completely learned toilet training.
The child can change their clothes, eat food by himself. The
mother starts giving training of sleeping separately. At this age
child is very naughty so mother always has to keep an eye on
them, so that unintentionally he can’t harm himself. Most of
the activities of this age kids are playing. Most kids are
indulging in watching cartoons and learning the values, norms.

Personality Development
In infancy rearing practice are almost universal, but them
behind these practices are different and which affects the
personality of the child as in our society, skin to skin contact is
very important for building the good personality of the baby
because of more skin contact they become emotional. In
European societies this contact is not very important that’s why
they are more frustrated and angry. During infancy, child
rearing is characterized by diffused, constant care, earlier
trainings, warm relationship between mother and child these
all things are socializing. In early childhood if mother ignores
the child’s personality starts getting ruined. He shows angers,
break things. Sometime they start fighting with their age
mates. The mother needs to give more attention to the child at
an early age, so that child personality should not be shattered.
From the birth of child the traditions into which he is born
shape his knowledge and activities. When he starts talking he
become the part of his culture, when that child grew up he
became able to be a part of other activities, its behavior are his
habits, its attitude his beliefs, its impossibilities his
impossibilities, every child how is born in his group will share
all these things. There is no social problem it is more present
upon us to recognize. (Benedict, 1946)

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Conclusion

The human baby is one of the most immature newborns in the

creature kingdom. The infant is born into a mini society, the
family. This little society provides the child with an identity.
The child’s relation to that society is at first not problematic for
the reason that the society is narrow, inflexible, and well-
defined and the child holds the two basic attitudes that make
the individual. First the child is equated with his place family.
Secondly, the child believes fulfillment to be contingent on
performing his role in the family. The infant socialization is a
mutual course where both the adults and infant make
involvement in the relationship. Infancy and the childhood
training make the personality. The relationship of the child and
mother affects a lot. Child rearing practices had become more
accommodating where as in the previous centuries, children
were fated silence and family style were same and strict, by the
end of 18th century child rearing practice point toward a level of
understanding tolerance among parent and spoilt egotism
among children. So when the time passes and the social
changes occur in the society it also affects the family structure
and sometimes the practices also.

BIBLOGRAPHY:

Benedict, R. (1946). Pattern of Culture. England: Montar Books.

Gupta, M. (2009). Early Childhood Care and Education. Asoke
K.Ghosh PHI Learnin Private Limited.
Dosanjh, J. S & Ghuman, P. A. S. (1996). Childrearing in
Ethnic Minorities. Libarary of Congress Cataloging.
Leavitt, R. L. (1994). Power and Emotion in Infants Toddler
day care. New York: State University of New York Press.
Liamputting, P. (2007). Childrearing and Infant Care Issue, A
Cross-Culture Perspective. Nova.

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Colletta, N. J., Balachander, J. & Liang, X. (1996). The

Condition of Young Health, Nutrition and Early
Education. The World Bank.
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Studies. Glasgow: Bell and Bain LTD.
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