When I arrived in Barbados just under two weeks ago, I noticed amongst other things the fact that there were so many little people around, children almost glued to the sides, shoulder, hips and torsos of much larger human beings or parents, as they are more traditionally known. Almost everywhere I turned I could see smiling little faces and tiny bodies attached to parents. Relationships not impeded by the presence of pushchairs and the usual baby/toddler apparel,  the functional prerequisites of almost every twenty-first century parent engaged in transporting their child to, well, anywhere really. The relationship here seems to be almost too simplistic. Parent, child; Parent places child over shoulder, across a hip or simply holds this joyous package in their arms and off they go. Whether it is transport via government bus, ZR or by simply the act of walking, the whole thing just seems to, well, work with the minimum fuss and effort.

It isn’t that Bajan parents never use pushchairs, they do. I must have counted, four during my time here.  It is just that Bajan people minimize the amount of fuss and effort commonly associated with the management and movement of children. No huge 4x4 for the two mile school run or queuing traffic outside the school gates facilitating the rapid egress of children from the car to the school grounds, no, this is far too involved and unnecessary for Bajans; they already have their hands full.