From the cradle to the grave in Thailand countryside

[Brunolem]

Have you noticed how parents and grandparents, in Thailand countryside, rock the cradle when they try to put a baby to sleep, so that they can in turn take a well deserved nap?

 

The cradle is pushed with such strength that it goes back and forth on an angle of almost 180 degrees.

 

The baby subjected to such a centrifugal force could probably train as an astronaut later in life, if only its brain was not damaged by the regular concussions suffered in the process.

 

Thus, the potential astronaut will more likely become a truck driver, a much more dangerous and much less glamourous profession, yet one that allows to drink and sleep on the job, albeit at a risk of more concussions, or worse...much worse...

 

A responsible enough driver will have subscribed a good insurance covering, not the damages to the truck, but the cost of funerals worthy of a legendary astronaut.

 

The fervent Buddhist guests attending the funerals will not wonder how the defunct driver will be reincarnated, since the Thai version of Buddhism doesn't include reincarnation, no more than any other key tenets of Buddhism, but only the image of the Buddha...which is nice enough...and no one can complain since the copyrights are long expired...

 

Instead the guests will wonder whether the ghost of the driver will materialize and if it would be wise to have the monks perform an expensive yet usually efficient ritual to keep it at bay.

 

Meanwhile the grandmothers sitting on the sides while masticating some betel will try to keep the newborns from crying by sending them in simulated orbit from their cradle.

 

The circle will thus be complete...

Edited October 2, 2018 by Brunolem

[pgrahmm]

Slow day on your calendar?

[Briggsy]

I quite enjoyed that. If it weren't for the un-PC condescension, it could be a piece on Radio 4's "From our own Correspondent".

[Brunolem]

4 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Slow day on your calendar?

Being much closer to the grave than to the craddle, the slower the days, the better...

[starky]

So what Thais are the only people the rock their babies to sleep? I seem to remember a little ditty that starts with rock-a-bye-baby. That's why they make cradles that swing right?

[Brunolem]

53 minutes ago, starky said:

So what Thais are the only people the rock their babies to sleep? I seem to remember a little ditty that starts with rock-a-bye-baby. That's why they make cradles that swing right?

Have you seen them rocking the cradle?

 

Far from being a soft push in order to gently rock the baby into sleep, it is more as if they were trying to send the baby in a loop!

 

It is really brutal and I always wonder how the babies don't vomit because I would certainly do... 

[CharlieH]

11 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Have you seen them rocking the cradle?

 

Far from being a soft push in order to gently rock the baby into sleep, it is more as if they were trying to send the baby in a loop!

 

It is really brutal and I always wonder how the babies don't vomit because I would certainly do... 

Yes I have witnessed this also, not a gentle sway of a few inches in either direction but a full 90 deg swing in each direction at speed !! I was totally shocked the first time I saw it and thought it was a prank ! Sadly it wasnt ????

 

 

In a similar vein but not as aggressive as the crib swing I witnessed, take a look at this.....

 

 

[swissie]

Perhaps going back to days where Air-Con or Fans were not invented yet. = Keeping the baby from overheating.
Over time it may have become "traditional".
Everytime my ex-wife started a sentence with the words "My grandmother told me.....", I knew that something utterly absurd was to follow.
Cheers.

[Brunolem]

12 hours ago, swissie said:

Perhaps going back to days where Air-Con or Fans were not invented yet. = Keeping the baby from overheating.
 

As far as Isaan villages are concerned, air con has not yet been invented!

 

Some are just discovering the existence of refrigerators.

 

The general rule is that they don't want to pay for electricity, especially when there are more useful ways of spending the little money they have, such as buying cigarettes and laokhao (thai whisky).

[Ulic]

I am unaware of any Thai astronauts but I know there are many positions available in Thailand for truck drivers. So I would doubt you have to worry about cradle rocking limiting career opportunities. 

[CharlieH]

Inflammatory remark and response removed.

[Sheryl]

A flaming post and reply to it have been removed.

Please keep it civil.

 

And please lighten up a bit on the Thai bashing/stereotyping while you are at it.  Not everyone in Thailand is an uneducated lao khao drinking or betel nut chewing yahoo. There are artists, doctors, teachers, scientists etc in Thailand too. A whole strata of Thai intellectuals exists. Evidently not the circles that those posting recently travel in,  but doesn't mean they don't exist or that the types of people some of you associate with represent the whole of the nation.

 

????

[Ctkong]

On 10/2/2018 at 10:08 PM, Brunolem said:

Have you seen them rocking the cradle?

 

Far from being a soft push in order to gently rock the baby into sleep, it is more as if they were trying to send the baby in a loop!

 

It is really brutal and I always wonder how the babies don't vomit because I would certainly do... 

If I remembered correctly, babies don’t get dizzy because their cochlea ( in the ear for balance) are not well developed yet. 

[Brunolem]

10 hours ago, Sheryl said:

A flaming post and reply to it have been removed.

Please keep it civil.

 

And please lighten up a bit on the Thai bashing/stereotyping while you are at it.  Not everyone in Thailand is an uneducated lao khao drinking or betel nut chewing yahoo. There are artists, doctors, teachers, scientists etc in Thailand too. A whole strata of Thai intellectuals exists. Evidently not the circles that those posting recently travel in,  but doesn't mean they don't exist or that the types of people some of you associate with represent the whole of the nation.

 

????

You are right, which is why I added "countryside" in the title.

 

Years ago, I used to work with some of the "other Thais" you mention, and "bashing" would not even start to describe the way they think about their fellow countrymen from "out there".

 

I remember very well members of my staff coming to me and asking "why are you going to Isaan? people are stupid and dirty over there!".

 

In that respect Thailand and the US are very similar.

 

On the one side are the elites, on the East and West coasts in the US and in Bangkok in Thailand, and on the other side are the "deplorables".

 

[sanemax]

On 10/2/2018 at 9:33 PM, swissie said:

Everytime my ex-wife started a sentence with the words "My grandmother told me.....", I knew that something utterly absurd was to follow.
Cheers.

 

   You should listen to what Grandmother had to say .

My Grandmother in law could cure any known disease .

Whatever was wrong with you , she had the knowledge to cure it .

Absolutely no need to go and see a Doctor ever .

Whatever was wrong with you , she knew how to cure it .

Any ailments she knew the cure .

It was either one of two things .

It was either "mothers breast milk" or "urine"

Either put milk or piss on it  and you would be better in no time .

[Damrongsak]

27 minutes ago, sanemax said:

... It was either "mothers breast milk" or "urine"

Either put milk or piss on it  and you would be better in no time .

I think I'd prefer my corn flakes dry.

[StevieAus]

From some of the reports I have read from Australia and the UK over the years and some of the parents I have observed in Australia I would consider many Thais far superior parents.

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, StevieAus said:

From some of the reports I have read from Australia and the UK over the years and some of the parents I have observed in Australia I would consider many Thais far superior parents.

The saying "there is always a bigger fish" could be adapted: "there are always lower parents"...

Edited October 4, 2018 by Brunolem

[marko kok prong]

Well Credence sang about it;

 "when i was a little itty baby my momma would rock me in the cradle,

in them old cotton fields back home"

[jgarbo]

On 10/2/2018 at 6:03 PM, pgrahmm said:

Slow day on your calendar?

He's attempting his Magnum Opus. Suggestion: Don't quit your day job, learn to observe what you see.

[jgarbo]

12 hours ago, StevieAus said:

From some of the reports I have read from Australia and the UK over the years and some of the parents I have observed in Australia I would consider many Thais far superior parents.

So many words for such a useless comment. Please continue, it's your electricity.