My sister sent me a link today to one of the 10 conversations recorded in the documentary called Dah (Ten in Farsi) which I have been wanting to see. The documentary as described in Wikipedia:

In 2002, Kiarostami directed Ten, revealing an unusual method of filmmaking and abandoning many scriptwriting conventions. Kiarostami focuses on the socio-political landscape of Iran, and the images are seen through the eyes of one woman as she drives through the streets of Tehran over a period of several days. Her journey is composed of ten conversations with various passengers, including her sister, a hitchhiking prostitute and a jilted bride, as well as her demanding young son. This style of filmmaking was praised by a number of professional film critics such as A. O. Scott in The New York Times, who wrote that Kiarostami, “in addition to being perhaps the most internationally admired Iranian filmmaker of the past decade, is also among the world masters of automotive cinema…He understands the automobile as a place of reflection, observation and, above all, talk.”

But to the point. Seeing this scene (despite the movie being a docudrama) at first may seem surprising how the mother treats his son as an adult (as well as how the adult like the son behaves), but it reminded me how quickly you are forced to grow up in many parts of the world and in a sense you don’t experience a classically defined childhood. It was also interesting that I was taken back by this dynamics shown in the scene, whereas I am not sure if that would have been the case if I had not grown up in places where being treated as a child during childhood is a must. Or maybe it happened because I am about to become a dad and this is not the dynamics I wish to have with my daughter (that’s right, we will be having a girl).

Nonetheless, I don’t think its either or. Children definitely need to enjoy their childhood and at the same time they don’t always need to nor want to be treated as children. I love this quote from Abdul-Baha which really summarizes it all so wonderfully:

While the children are yet in their infancy feed them from the breast of heavenly grace, foster them in the cradle of all excellence, rear them in the embrace of bounty. Give them the advantage of every useful kind of knowledge. Let them share in every new and rare and wondrous craft and art. Bring them up to work and strive, and accustom them to hardship. Teach them to dedicate their lives to matters of great import, and inspire them to undertake studies that will benefit mankind. Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pp128-129