- Foreigner adopts Indian parenting habits, transforming her approach to raising children
- She embraces co-sleeping for easier nighttime parenting and bonding
- Daily oil massages create nurturing rituals with family support
A foreigner has shared parenting habits she "happily borrowed" from India, and also revealed how they transformed her approach to raising her children. In a heartwarming Instagram post, the woman named Ksenia Kala opened up about the unfamiliar practices that have now become her favourite family rituals. For many parents moving to a new country, adapting to local traditions can be challenging. However, for this mother, embracing Indian culture allowed her to find a deeper connection and comfort in her parenting journey.
1. Comfort of co-sleeping
She said that one of the biggest shifts for her was bed-sharing. While room-sharing is common in many Western countries, she found that sleeping in the same bed with her babies made nighttime parenting much more manageable.
"Bed-sharing helped me bond with my babies and made breastfeeding and nighttime parenting much easier," she wrote, calling it the most natural way to stay connected during the early years.
2. Daily oil massages
Another tradition she embraced is the daily oil massage, which is called maalish. "Daily oil massages turn baby care into a beautiful ritual of connection and nurturing," she wrote.
She noted the role that family plays in this tradition. Having grandparents step in to help with the massages creates a strong support system for the new mother.
3. Tradition of meaningful names
She also stated that in India, the names for children are chosen with meaning, intention, and identity in mind.
"I love how much thought goes into choosing a name and how deeply connected those names are to culture, history, and values," she further stated.
4. Celebrating motherhood
As the fourth and final point, she mentioned that Indian mothers dress up beautifully for their children's birthdays. Realising that a child's birthday is also a celebration of the mother's journey, she has made it a point to wear a sari for her children's birthday parties.
"Whenever possible, you'll find me wearing a sari for my children's birthday celebrations too," she wrote.
Watch the video here:
Social media reaction
The video went viral as it received over 903,000 views. Nearly 10,000 users liked the video, and hundreds commented on it.
"Ohh, there are millions of things in India which are given by our mothers... here once she becomes a mother, then nothing else is important for her than their child. Even hubby also got ignored... for us, mother is everything for us; she is greater than god, she is a superwoman, she is the infinity of love we get in life," one user wrote in the comment section.
"This is beautiful because it shows that Motherhood is a universal language of the soul. What you discovered in these Indian traditions isn't just a set of parenting techniques-it is the awakening of that divine, ancient connection between a mother and her child," a second user stated.
"Parenting, motherhood is a precious part of life & motherhood in India is a whole new level with all those traditions & rituals which help in the upbringing of child precious," a third user wrote.
