Vive la difference: a universal truth: mothers are mothers the world over, their manner may be different, but the attitudes are the same. The same truth could also be applied to well-meaning neighbours ...
| Auteur | Hancock, Julia |
| Fonction | CULTURE SHOCK |
I moved to Switzerland from Rome, Italy more than a year ago. My two-year-old son, Tommaso, was born in the Eternal City while my baby daughter, Caterina, was born in Zurich.
When we arrived across the Alps I had pretty much figured that Tommaso's days as the darling of the local 'Mammas' were over.
However, little had prepared me for the Swiss' love for children. Yes, it is completely different from that of the Italians--no cheek pinching--but it is deep, genuine and based on respect.
Viva L'Italia
Before moving to Rome, I had heard the endless jokes about Italy's Mammas, but nothing had prepared me for the sense of maternal responsibility that seems to grip most older Italian women (and even some men) when they see a baby. My son appeared to have hundreds of Mamme in our neighbourhood who felt they were responsible for Tommy's well-being, if not his survival.
Most of Rome's winter is embraced by a bright sun keeping temperatures mild, but I still had to be very careful if I wanted to step out--even to grab a coffee at the bar next door--if Tommy was not completely covered from head to toe.
"Signora!!!" shouted the lady next door, in despair. "Povero bambino, senza capello! Fa freddo!!" (Translation: Poor child without a hat! It's cold!).
The outspoken concern for the warmth of my son was not limited to the neighbours I knew, but also extended to women I had never seen before and never saw again.
My son had what I called a Signora hat--a light cap he wore on warmer days to protect him not from the cold, but rather, from too many complaints. While fending off the neighbourhood ladies' concerns was at times tiring, Tommy did, on the other hand, open a...
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