Cicadas singing cheerfully outside, on this 9th day of Dashain here in the rural village of Phulbari. My heart is full from just hanging out with the local kids by the swing with a panoramic view, holding their little hands as we walked down the hill, teaching them how to use my camera with gestures, or just greeting with ‘namaste’, without needing to say more. From these very nuanced moments interacting with them, I wondered if I could be a good parent? Would I be able to raise happy, respectful, and kind children, in this often chaotic and relentless world? 

Observing the local kids here, they seemed to be quite happy playing amongst other kids in the village, no electronic device was necessary. They play cards, they run around the hills, they play in the dirt, they help pushing each other on the swing. They do what childhood looks like, which may be very different from that of the United States childhood now, where electronic devices occupy more of their daily lives.