La Tradición

Each person has their own idea of what tradition means to them. Tradition may be cultural; religious, and political, and may also exist within families. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition for tradition is as follows:
1 a: An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom). b: a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable. 2: the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction. 3: cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions. 4: characteristic manner, method, or style.

On Tuesday, August 18th; some of us had the opportunity to watch a documentary at Casa Angel. The title of the documentary is “De Niña a Madre”. If translated word for word, it would be called from girl to mother. However the production company’s website has it translated as “From Girls to Mothers.” The film won the following awards: UNICEF Films 4 lives award, the UNICEF UK Award, International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Glasgow and the Dirkvandersypen Award. It also won Best Latin American documentary in Belgium in 2007. The first comment that was made about this documentary was the title itself: it is not called; “From Girls to Women”, but rather “From Girls to Mothers.” It is almost as if to say that girls have their futures already planned out for them.

Before giving a brief synopsis of the documentary, as well as my interpretation of it; I feel it is extremely important to point out that, although it takes place in Nicaragua, by no means should this film or this analysis be understood as a generalization of all adolescents; mothers, and fathers of Nicaragua. While the film was an eye opener for many, it also has the potential to confirm stereotypes; and that is not what this course was intended to do.

The documentary follows the pregnancies of three adolescents for three years. Each is from a different area of Nicaragua: Kenya, a girl from the city of Managua; Blanca from the northern mountains, and Viviana from the Caribbean Coast. All three girls were between the ages of 14 and 16 years old when the documentary first began following their pregnancies. It is also important to point out that although the fathers of the girls’ babies were included in this documentary and were interviewed, their lives were not documented and followed as the girls’ were. This alone says something of the involvement of the fathers in the lives of the girls, and after their deliveries; the lives of their children in this documentary. The production company’s summary of the documentary, taken from their website, describes the film in the following words:

“These aren’t love stories with a happy ending. They are stories to make you think. And act, since traditional ideas about women’s identity and the meaning of maternity bring us face to face with increasingly urgent questions”.

I had been looking forward to watching the documentary for some time, for I had wanted to write a blog on the feminine ideal in Nicaragua. However, the theme has the ability to be misunderstood and taken in the wrong way, and depending on how I wrote the blog it could have been interpreted as stereotyping. If I wrote the blog without having a framework to draw from, it would not have had much merit. Therefore, this documentary gave me the opportunity to discuss a topic of which I have much interest in.

The film shows that there are different attitudes regarding teen pregnancy from fathers and mothers. In the case of the mother and daughter, tradition mandates that it is the mother’s responsibility to give advice to her daughter. This can be in terms of explaining pregnancy; the role of the woman in the family, her marriage, the workplace, and society in general. In the case of two of the pregnant girls, the mothers were not pleased that they had become pregnant for it is mainly the woman’s responsibility to care for the children. Merely children themselves, it therefore became the responsibility of their mothers to show them how to care for their babies. The documentary showed that the news of a baby on the way, for the girl and her mother, was not so much happy news, but rather a burden of more work to be done.

Of the many traditional roles that the mothers pass down to their daughters, servitude is one. One of the mothers commented on how the man’s job is to provide for the woman, and in return it is the women’s responsibility, or duty, to serve her husband. The word servitude can be understood to be physical, emotional, and sexual. Another traditional role that the mothers teach their daughters is their role in the workplace, which may also be interpreted as a stereotype. The mothers teach their teenage daughters that the only jobs they are capable of performing are taking care of other children or cleaning someone else’s house.

The attitude of a father and his son regarding pregnancy and premarital sex is very different. Essentially, it is ok for males to have premarital sex; and in fact if it results in a pregnancy, the male is lauded for his accomplishment. For the girl however, it is a different story. One of the teen fathers in the film made a comment that after a girl has sex with him, they lose their value. Additionally, the documentary showed that it was the father (I do not use the word husband because not all of the girls had married their baby’s father), who had the decision making power of how many children he wanted to have. Not every girl in the film was lucky in the sense that she had the support of her child’s father. In fact, one of the fathers was not convinced that the child was even his, and he refused to recognize his paternity. His reason for doing so was that he already had children with another girl before the new baby was born. Essentially, he could not afford the financial responsibility that is required in fatherhood. His solution, therefore, was to deny that the child, and the mother, even existed.

Aside from the traditional roles of motherhood and fatherhood, the documentary also delves into the ways that girls become pregnant that have to do with tradition. In the case of one girl, superstition was the cause. She believed that she became pregnant because her mother gave her a cold medicine that was really a love potion. When adolescents are not given proper sex education, this is a concern because the proper precautions are not being taken. Additionally, there are also myths about contraceptives. Even for those who are aware of how pregnancy happens, it is believed that contraceptives are a cause of cancer, so they simply aren’t used. Another factor in teen pregnancy is the life expectancy and quality of health care, which impacts their decision to have children at a young age. Lastly, one of the teen fathers commented that he wanted to have as many children as possible as an investment for the future when he becomes old and can no longer take care of himself.

Teen pregnancy is not a dilemma limited solely to Nicaragua. It exists in many countries, including the United States. One of the biggest arguments for the cause of teen pregnancy by many scholars is the lack of education. If education is not a value within a family, it allows for adolescents to engage in other activities that may put them at risk for teen pregnancy. Furthermore, while many preach abstinence; there also must be a level of being realistic. If we know that teens are sexually active, solely preaching abstinence to them may not be sufficient. While some would say it would be better if teens were not sexually active, we need to make sure that those who are, are practicing safe sex. For those who do become pregnant and choose to raise their baby, services also need to be provided for them so that it does not become the responsibility of the teen’s parents to raise the baby. Services should also allow for the teen to continue with their education and graduate, while also being able to care for their child.

One organization in Connecticut that works with parents of all ages is the Nurturing Families Network of Connecticut. While the mission of the organization is to work with families that are at-risk of involvement with the Department of Children and Families, any parent can use their services. The best part is that it’s free. One of their programs, Nurturing Connections, is a “telephone support service [that] connects you to someone who can answer your questions and refer you to parenting resources or services in your community”. Another is called Nurturing Parenting Groups, “a supportive environment to share experiences and work together to become the best parents you can be”. There is also the Intensive Home Visiting Program, where “a home visitor comes to your home to help you care for your baby and adjust to the many demands of becoming a parent”. All of their programs will “provide you with important parenting information, tips on how to care for your baby and yourself and information on immunizations, infant health and community resources”. If you or anyone you know is a teen or young adult parent living in Connecticut and needs help, information is available at the following websites:

http://www.take5parenting.com/parenttobe_parents.php
http://www.ct.gov/ctf/cwp/view.asp?a=1786&q=296678
1. Merriam-Webster Online. Dictionary and Thesaurus. http://www.merriam-webster.com

2. De Niña a Madre. Camila Films (2006). Directed by Florence Jaugey.

3. Camila Films. Girls to Mothers, Chapters One and Two. http://www.camilafilms.com/realizaciones.en?idrealizaciones=11

4. Children’s Trust Fund. For Parents to be and New Parents. http://www.take5parenting.com/parenttobe_parents.php