| Abstract | How a child is raised and the expectations put on them is dependent on their culture. Communities around the globe have different ideals, practices, ceremonies, beliefs, and more that impact their current and future generations (Keller, 2017). The current study examines and compares the culturally perceived aspects of childhood, from pregnancy to adulthood, of four different countries. The elements of childhood included in this research relate to different attitudes towards and aspects of childhood events (e.g., childbirth, education, puberty), childhood milestones, rites of passage, and reaching adulthood. The four focus countries include France, the United States of America, India, and Kenya. To obtain data, 4-5 participants from each country were interviewed via Zoom, in-person, or by email. Through these interviews, we (1) gain knowledge on how each country values children and childhood events, (2) step out of the expectations of the Western world to evaluate how children globally are raised, and (3) discover common themes amongst various cultures in child rearing. |
