Join us for a Lunch & Learn with Child Psychologist Dr. Rosalind Atkins, who will explore how the idea of childhood has shifted across different cultures and historical periods. While children themselves remain constant, the meaning of “childhood” changes dramatically depending on time and place. Dr. Atkins will reflect on which theories and practices seem universal and which are culturally specific.

To help frame the conversation, we are encouraging everyone to watch the documentary “Babies” in advance. This 2010 film by Thomas Balmes follows four infants and their families in Namibia, Mongolia, San Francisco, and Tokyo, offering thoughtful, naturalistic observations of early development around the world.

A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that the babies “show themselves to be natural-born comedians, single-minded researchers, action heroes and disciplined workers… They seem to possess distinctive personalities from the very beginning, and they grow from bud to blossom.”

The film is available to stream on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.