Spain. Where we found everything. part 3.

August 24, 2010

Spain. Where we found everything. part 3.

From the minute we landed in Madrid, there was one very blatant difference between America and Spain - the way people react to children. Here in the states, we’re all so afraid of germs, we’re afraid of strangers touching our children or getting too close, and we’ve learned to take a guarded approach when interacting with children we do not know.

Spain… not so much. The minute we boarded our first Iberia Airlines flight, we were greeted by a sweet flight attendant who said “Hola” and then without even asking, took Everly out of my arms and walked us to our seats. At first I was a little dumbfounded… I mean, people just do not do that in the US… but it also humored me. I kind of liked the fact that before the flight had taken off, every attendant on the plane had stopped by to squeeze her chubby little feet and say “Que Guapa!”

It was even more apparent when we reached the village. The sea of children that played together every day were enamored with Everly. They’d circle around her and laugh as she clapped for them as if she was the first baby they’d ever seen (and a look around at the number of toddlers teetering about was proof that she wasn’t)

Boys between the ages of 10 and 13 would come up to me while I was holding her and give her a kiss on the cheek without a second thought. They’d ask if they could hold her and would carefully pronounce her name. Just about every native speaker pronounced it “Eber lean”. We’d nod approvingly as that was close enough for us.

The teenage girls were always asking to hold her and once I had asked them if any of them babysit to make extra money. I had to explain the concept to them and one of the girls, Velilla, told me that no one she knew hired babysitters. She said most parents just took their babies with them or left them with family or friends if they went out.

Our experience in Spain taught me to let loose a little when it came to worrying so much about germs from strangers. She’s not a newborn anymore. She’s never had immune issues. And all you had to do was watch the light in her face as she received all those kisses and attention from new faces to see that the love she was feeling far outweighed the risk of catching a cold. (And honestly, knowing she was fully immunized helped me feel more comfortable too)

Yesterday, as I was out attempting to restock our cabinets with food at the grocery store, Everly sat smiling in the front of the cart (with one of those germ protector covers on, I admit). The older gentleman bagging our groceries smiled at Everly. He reached out his hand instinctively to brush her arm with his finger but stopped himself. “Watch out, She’s ticklish” I said invitingly and Everly grinned ear to ear as he tickled the spot between her neck and shoulder.

I’m overlycautious by nature. My mind will always question ” Is this safe? Is this appropriate?” but I’m also learning to weigh the risk against the reward and not let the fear and worry of “what ifs” keep Everly from the joy in new experiences. Spain really reinforced for me the truth in the old saying “It takes a village to raise a child”.