Too much love for too few encounters of childhood

Taiwan has one of the lowest birth rates worldwide. It might thus either surprise you or not surprise you at all that both its infrastructure and society are enviable and adorable when it comes to children. Taiwan’s infrastructure proves that engineering in its rationality is anything but cold. We have yet to find a place that we struggled to access with our stroller. Elevators are usually easy to find and in perfect condition, people around them respectful and supportive. Taipei‘s MRT, the system of subways and local trains, was world class already in our minds, but our respect even rose once we realized that there are marked seats also for families and family cabins in the middle of each train, positioned just in front of the elevators. Public changing rooms too are ubiquitous, usually separate rooms with a changing table and a toilet, sometimes even a chair for nursing. They are almost always clean and welcoming, and it’s not rare to find them in the men’s toilet as well. Once the little ones are older, there are small parks in almost every city block, usually with a playground. Various districts also have free parent child play centers.

Taiwanese society is not only tolerant of small children but warm and welcoming. We are definitely enjoying “cute baby” privilege the last months! The old 阿姨 Āyis, aunties, are almost a Taiwanese cliche. You find these old ladies in the parks and streets where they greet every baby with a high pitched 好可愛 hǎo kē’ài, “soooo cute“ while trying to pinch a cheek. The two ladies at our local food coop almost exceeded our own mothers in their displayed excitement when we visited with L the first time after months of pregnancy. Taking a bus after a long hike, an old lady next to me gladly entertained L for half an hour playing peekaboo. Men don’t rank far behind. The old male guard of our complex often scrambles by to open any door for us, just to snatch a smile of the little one.

It’s when we meet younger Taiwanese that we start to understand why despite all this there are still so few children in the streets. 那是狗還是寶寶, “is that a dog or a baby,” they ask, reminding us that many couples have a dog instead of a child for whom they buy an expensive carrier. Life with children is hard outside of our privileged bubble. Vacations are rare, and not only are nannies and rents expensive, but cram schools, too. Childhood ends earlier here than in Europe, and so we wonder how much of the love and consideration is there to help make the most of the encounters with fewer children during fewer years of childhood.