4 Observations about Afghan Kids
May 17, 2011 No Comments
As I wrote yesterday, I just got back from a trip to Afghanistan that was absolutely fascinating. While I was there for just a short time and would never claim to be an expert, I did see a few things that I thought were interesting about the beautiful children we were around. Maybe these thoughts will make you think a bit about what we have in the United States.
School 6 Days a Week
Where we are so worried about getting our kids in activities to help them form into future soccer stars or musical virtuosos, many Afghan kids are thinking about school. They go to school 6 days a week with only their holy day – Friday – as a break. One mother I spoke to wishes they didn’t have to go so much because their family time is very limited.
They also go in shifts because the schools are very crowded. Next time you are upset at your child’s class size being too big, you might think about the kids in Afghanistan who go to school in either two or three shifts. Of course, there are private schools for the wealthiest but that is only available for a handful of the kids.
No Heavy Kids
We heard that it’s a sign of wealth and health to be fat in Afghanistan. Heavier girls are desired more for marriage, as are girls with light-colored eyes. The children we were around were not heavy. They play outside all the time. They are strong like you can’t believe. They eat differently than we do too, if they eat. The mix of ethnicities makes them simply the most beautiful creatures on the planet.
No Helicopter Moms
I’m sure they may exist somewhere. There are rich people in Afghanistan. For the most part, however, whenever I saw children playing, there were no adults, anywhere. Many times, tiny kids were playing alongside the road, completely content, climbing on rocks and fences. They knew what happens if you step into the road. If you’ve ever heard about how traffic works in Afghanistan, this means even more – no lines, no stop signs, bumpy roads, basically chaos.
Kids Figure it Out
At one point, we were on top of a hill in the middle of Kabul to see the view. Surrounding us were three different games of soccer, all being played with flat balls and all segregated by skill level – not perfectly compartmentalized into leagues with uniforms. Each game had different age groups and some of our group’s men got schooled by the littlest guys.
When the ball went down the hill, off they went to grab it. No bickering about having to run after it. They just retrieved it and the game went on. At one point, a tussle broke out between a tiny kid and a bigger kid. The tiny one hit the ground and came up swinging. An older boy broke the two up and the game continued. No tears. No running to mom (because there were no adults). No lawsuits. They worked it out and went on.
As American parents, we wondered out loud what would have happened if that situation had occurred in suburban America…
So, that’s just a bit of what I found interesting about these kids on the other side of the globe who want to play and have fun, just like our kids do.
_Culture, Travel
