Housebreaking

Cultures do potty training differently. Until my friend Carl pointed it out to me, I had not noticed a certain peculiarity in the attire of Chinese toddlers. Children who have not been potty trained here WALK AROUND WITH THE BOTTOMS CUT OUT OF THEIR TROUSERS. Yes, and you can see... everything. When the children need to relieve themselves, they squat down (or in the case of boys, stand up) and do whatever business they need to. The adults, ever watchful, stick a pad under the kid when it happens. When it happen at home, they try to grab the kid and put him or her down on the potty. They begin this process when the kid reaches age FOUR MONTHS!!! It's a high conformity culture, and rules are taught early.

The procedure is done matter of factly but looks rather indelicate to Western eyes. It's similar to the treatment of dogs, who are followed around with small bags. Given my Western sensibilities, I cringe for the children's privacy, and I could not bring myself to take a photograph, though for the Chinese, it's like wiping off a kid's face. To us, it looks like borderline child abuse.

The Chinese are actually very modest-- more so than we, in many respects. But the taboos are different. Even for adults, public urination is not forbidden by law though it is viewed as very indelicate, like public spitting.














Above: Chinese parents with a baby. If the kid got out of stroller,
you would see the bottomless trousers.