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Chapter 9
Changing Families

Here are some pictures of families. These are the families of Nimmi, Tsering and Nazli. Let us look at these pictures, talk about what we see and discuss.

A New Arrival!

There is great excitement in Nimmi’s family. She has a new baby sister.

People visiting a clinic. A new born baby besides her mother in bed and relatives standing aside.

Family with a new born baby is standing outside the clinic. A girl running out from her house to fetch the baby from her mother.

Look at the pictures and write

  • Who were the members of Nimmi’s family before the arrival of her baby sister?

  • How many members are there in Nimmi’s family now?

Let us talk

  • How do you think the lives of Nimmi’s family members have changed after the arrival of the new baby? For example –

    • How will Nimmi spend her day now?

    • What new work will her mother do now?

    • There will be a change in the daily work of Nimmi’s father, grandmother and uncle with the arrival of the new baby. Can you tell how?

For the teacher: Give an opportunity to each child to share his or her experiences.

  • Has a small brother or sister been born in your home or in any house in your neighbourhood?

    • How does it feel to have a new baby at home?

    • How have things changed at home with the new baby?

  • Find out all about the youngest child in your home or in the home of a relative. Then write —

    • When was the baby born?

    • Is the baby a boy or a girl?

    • How are you related to him or her?

    • Where was the baby born?

    • Who does the baby look like?

    • What is the colour of his or her hair?

    • What is the colour of his or her eyes?

    • Does the baby have any teeth?

    • What do we feed the baby with?

    • What is the baby’s length?

For the teacher: Encourage children to read their birth certificates and health cards.

  • How many hours a day does the baby sleep?

  • What different sounds does the baby make?

  • Who does the baby stay with most of the time?

  • Stick a photograph of the baby or draw a picture in your notebook.

New Place

Tsering’s father received a letter from his office. The letter said that he was being promoted and would have to move to another city.

Two men shaking hands and one holding an envelope. Man showing the envelope to his family members.

When Tsering’s father showed the letter to his family, how do you think the different members would have felt?

Few family members packing their stuff. A family with their hands folded standing at a railway station.

  • What will change in Tsering’s family after his father’s transfer? For example –

    • Who from Tsering’s family will live with his father at the new place? Which school will Tsering go to now? Will he have new friends?

    • Has anybody in your family moved to a new place because of work?

    • What do you feel about this change?

  • Is there anyone in your class or school who has come to your school from another place? If so, talk to him or her.

    • Where has she or he come from?

    • What was his or her old school like?

    • What does he or she find different here?

    • Does he or she like the change?

It’s a Wedding!

There is great joy in Nazli’s home today. Her elder cousin brother is getting married.

A little girl sitting next to a bride. An old lady sitting next to the bride and little girl.

Old lady welcoming the newly married couple into her house. Family members sitting together and enjoying tea.

Let us talk

Do you think that there will be any change in Nazli’s family after this wedding? What will change?

  • Do you think there will be changes in the home from where the new bride has come? What kind of changes?

  • Talk to your mother and aunts in the family. Ask them about where they lived before they got married.

  • Who were the members in their families then?

  • Has anybody in your family been married recently? Who?

  • Talk to your classmates and write all about what happens during weddings in their families.

    • What kind of special food is cooked?

    • What special clothes do the bride and bridegroom wear?

    • What kinds of songs and dances are performed at weddings?

What did you see at the wedding that you attended? Draw some pictures in your notebook. Then look at the pictures drawn by your classmates.

We saw changes taking place in the families of Nimmi, Tsering and Nazli because of different reasons.

Write down the reasons for these changes

  • In Nimmi’s family –

  • In Tsering’s family –

  • In Nazli’s family -

  • There can be many reasons for changes in families. Can you think of some more reasons?

  • Talk to three old people – one from your family, one from your friend’s family and one from a family in your neighbourhood. Ask them these questions and fill in the table.

Question
Your family
Friend’s family
Neighbour’s family

  • Since how many years has your family been staying here?

  • Where did your family live before coming here?

  • How many members are there in your family today?

  • How many members were there in your family 10 years ago?

  • What were the reasons for the changes in your family in the last 10 years?

  • How do you feel about all these changes?

  • What problems do you face with changes in technology.

For the teacher: Changes are a part of life. However, children can be deeply affected by changes. It is important to be sensitive about this while discussing this topic.

My Family - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow…

All families change in some way or the other because of different reasons. Has your family changed too?

When your grandmother and grandfather were children like you, was your family just like it is today?

Do you remember the picture of Sitamma’s family tree which we saw in Class III?

  • You had also drawn a family tree of your own family. Let us again draw the family tree of last year in your notebook.

  • Ask your grandmother or grandfather how many members were there in their family when they were your age? Then draw a family tree in your notebook of their family when they were young.

  • Can you see yourself, your brother or your sister, your mother or your father, anywhere in this family tree?

  • Now draw a family tree of your present family in your notebook.

Can you see yourself anywhere in this family tree? Who are the members of your family today? Where are your grandparents?

Let us talk

Can you tell in what ways the family tree of your grandmother or grandfather in their childhood is different from your family tree today?

Going Back to School

  • Upto which class do you want to study?

  • Upto which class have your parents studied?

  • Till which class did your grandmother get a chance to study?

  • At what age did your grandmother get married?

  • Have you heard of a Law that talks about the ages before which girls and boys must not get married?

There are many girls who get married before they are 18 years old. Many of them have to even leave school. There are many true stories of girls like Susheela of Ranga Reddy district who are going back to school. She also got the help of the Panchayat. The Panchayat said that young children should play and study and not be married off. A group of people of Andhra Pradesh holds special camps to help married girls to go back to school. Jangamma and Chitti say, “We would like to study and stand on our own feet.”

Find out and write

  • Are there any such children in your neighbourhood who had to drop out of school? Do they want to go back to school?

  • What are they doing these days?

  • Has anybody in your family got married recently? Who?

  • What was the age of bride and the groom?

  • What kind of dresses they wore?

    • Bride

    • Groom

  • What kind of dishes were there? Name them.

For the teacher: Teacher can discuss about children who cannot finish school and also the Law on Child Marriage, which has strictly fixed the minimum age for marriage for girls at 18 and for boys at 21 years..