5 - CHILDREN AND MOTHERING

The mother instinct. The 81^st admission to the Kalmunai hospital, known as “baby 81” is a bit closer to going home. "Mother" Janita says little Abilass was ripped from her arms as waves tore through her beach front hamlet. Caked in mud, he was found on the beach nine hours after the tsunami slammed Sri Lanka’s eastern shore on December 26^th

Nine other women have also claimed this 9-month child, say hospital officials. As he heals from minor bruises he is at the center of much maternal fussing by the nurses and attention from others who come from curiosity to see this lucky child. Although a court ordered that he be given to Janita, the doctors have resisted saying he needed medical attention and that they feared other problems.

The “mother” has filed a case in court and is asking to be allowed near the child but not to remove him. She has even appealed to Sri Lanka’s woman President for help. DNA testing is ordered, results in a week or so. No need to summon Solomon, but stay tuned. It’s not over until it’s over.

This story is getting international TV news attention. The magic of this special child reflects this nation’s yearning for life in the midst of such sorrow. It also shows the power of the mother instinct – as we see from the world-wide attention, something that works at the societal level, too.

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More parenting – down to the sea again. A young Danish social worker had made her home in the coastal village close to the site where the tsunami wiped a train off its tracks, drowning her and a thousand others. Her friends, a team with local volunteers, have joined to help the children in nearby shelters to feel safe, and are inventing ways to still their fears. They build sand castles some distance from the waters edge, draw pictures and trace names in the sand. Wavelets push undulating patterns of sea weed and bubbly foam up on the sand. It is a kind of littoral art therapy designed to ease the haunted young mind. Slowly they edge closer to the water, wade in the shallows, watch tiny fish dart around in small coral pools, splash, and then, with time, swim. Commonsense - the healing art.