MYSTIC CHILDHOOD

My dear friend Katie called me up this evening and shared that her jolie bebe Erin finally had a tooth coming out. Apparently, this new mom got quite impatient about this development, and our chat soon included the Filipino folklore saying that a baby should not be propped up until his or her first tooth has emerged. If you do not follow this, much delay in teething will happen.

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Definition of a propped-up baby: to be in a sitting position, i.e., for feeding purposes, especially with the introduction of solids. (Okay, you try eating on your back. Let's see how much you enjoy that.) Logically, an infant that can already have solid food should already be able to sit, and should already have started the process of teething--- which basically is signified by excessive drooling, meaning to say very soon after the baby's birth. We are not sue why ome babies take less time in jutting those biters out than others, but we are sure that seating may have nothing to do with that.

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You are not Pinoy if you do not know any of these folk ideas... eat conjoined bananas and you'll have twins... eat balut and your baby will be feathery, er, hairy... walk over your hubby as he lays down so that you transfer all pregnancy discomfort to him... You know, he would have still gotten all the discomfort even if I didn't walk over him. Which means I did. Sorry, Honey.

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For infants, here are some common beliefs:

1. Always put a talisman (anting-anting) on your child when going outdoors. Talismans include: rock salt, dried twigs, a bracelet with alternating red and black beads, religious patches or medallions, and believe it or not--- bullets.
2. Never let strangers touch your baby. If they do, 'give back' the touch. In other words, tap the stranger back. Sounds silly, but a lot of people do this.
3. When leaving a place, 'call back' the spirit of your child by saying, "Umay-kan (come now), __________..." or when a guest is leaving your place, it should be, "Bati-bati (stay, stay)..."
4. When the child displays signs of being unwell, recall the person who most probably fancied him or her. Go to this person and ask this person to annoint your child with their (brace yourself) spit. This is what Pinoys popularly refer to as usog (binding spell).

I come from a family of scientific and logical people: nurses, doctors, lawyers, mathematicians, military officers. Somehow, my family members still abide by these folklore for some reason. No harm in believing, right? Well, except for the saliva lotion, I am fine with everything listed above and even more.

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What I am careful about is how we integrate the cultural belief with reality. Some individuals would have strong disregard for these and would openly call them foolishness or irrationalities or plain and simple nonsense. Before we let the little knowledge we have balloon to the size of the Cordillera Region, let us first qualify the value system that is at risk of damage when confronted by elderly folk who insist on some unconventional procedure.

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If you name-call those who fervently obey these beliefs infront of others, particularly kids, then it is tantamount to degrading the entire culture. You would then put down no less than our heritage in acclaim of the foreign culture that sneers at traditions of others. So, even if I consider myself a modern person, part of my modernity accepts mysticism and more importantly finds links between these folk beliefs and modern science.

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Let's give an example. It is folklore that pregnant women (being the most dangerous hot-headed sweatbags on this planet) should not bathe or take showers in the afternoon no matter how high the temperature is. This folk belief stems from circa 1800's when the lavatories of families were located outside the houses. During this time, the climate was also much cooler (as there was much less pollution and structures blocking airways), so it was very harmful for pregnant women then to wash up in the afternoon or night.

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Folklore is not nonsense, but you are if you don't study them. Now, you do have to go out of your way to learn about them. The example above was explained to me by my first OB-Gynecologist, Mary Lu Magno, MD. I instantly believed her because it was a ticket to my unlimited showers when I was pregnant the first time! Kidding aside, it was a doctor talking, then the head of the whole MMSU-Batac hospital and not just any doctor. She did warn me about varicosities, too, which reinforces the statement that some folklore may be more true than you expected.

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My recommendation for you therefore is to select the beliefs that you feel comfortable with, and prepare polite excuses for those that you feel unnecessary just for the sake of respecting Pinoys who still value the culture. And remember, if you or your child ever offends a strange old woman with many dried plants and rocks in her handbag, just head straight to the nearest tree, stand under its shade on one foot and cluck like a chicken for 30 seconds.