I signed Kenneth up for the PEKiP program, thinking that it would be somewhat like a European “Gymboree.” PEKiP is for babies from 6-8 weeks until they walk, and is a class that encourages babies to play according to their development phase. It originates from a 1960’s Czech child-psychologist who believed that babies in modern civilizations were too restricted in their strollers, cribs, and clothes. His research showed that children in primitive societies had more freedom to develop naturally and slept better, got sick less, and were more pleasant to be around.
The popular PEKiP classes get booked quickly. Thus, I was happy to secure practically the very last space available in the entire city of Zürich for little Kenny. Never mind that the class time was inconvenient—I had to rush from my post natal yoga class with him from the other side of town to the PEKiP course in 30 minutes sharp. But, hey, for my loving firstborn child, I was willing to do that. I was starting to become the “Soccer Mom” of the American suburbs in their minivans driving their kids around to after-school activities. (No van yet—just station wagon).
When I arrived at the class on the first day, however, I was disappointed. Firstly, the environment was just a normal room with battered looking toys and simple mats all around the room. Pictures of the beautiful and Disneyland-like Gymboree playgyms had to be put aside in my head. The babies were first undressed so that they could be completely naked. This part did not completely faze me since the Swiss moms had extolled this virtue of the PEKiP to me beforehand already. The first activity was to caress the baby’s skin with pieces of fur while singing. I think Kenny liked this, but it wasn’t comparable to how much fun he had when I danced for him while singing and making faces in tune with his Fisher Price crib toy.
After massaging the baby with almond oil, the instructor told us to stop what we were doing and gather around for “Erfahrungsaustauch.” This dreaded word means sharing experiences among the mothers. It started off innocently enough but soon became an opportunity for the instructor to subtly pressure the mothers with her attachment parenting beliefs of breastfeeding and having the child sleep in the same bed with the parents forever. Okay, exaggeration aside, I think it’s fine if some mothers decide to subscribe to this school of thought, but I do not think that mothers should be made to feel guilty if they don’t follow it. In a typical Swiss condescending way, the instructor chastised the mothers one by one. Luckily we ran out of time before she reached me. Even after almost 10 years in Switzerland, I am still too American for all this. I have cancelled my registration for the PEKiP course and Kenny is now signed up for his first free Gymboree test class!
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