Air-conditioned babies

As the weather steadily heats up (today 33 degrees, about 91F), I'm thinking more and more about air-conditioned babies.

Many expats leave Bahrain each summer. As an Irish expat friend of mine told me (her kids are 13 and 11), most moms and kids leave Bahrain and go back to their home countries from June - August. The men stay and work and during their annual leave they go back to their home country to spend it with their families. She said that it really is unbearable for the children to stay indoors all day long. Now she's describing families with school-age children.

Amongst my new mom friends, many of them are staying here for the summer, only a few leaving for a month or 6 weeks with their husbands to go back to their home countries during the husband's annual leave. These are families with babies under one year of age.

Since quite a few of my friends are staying in Bahrain for the entire summer, it made me wonder how they could do it. I know I couldn't.

Let's think about it.

It's March, and temperatures are already in the 90s. We've got the air conditioner on now, and I don't think we'll be turning it off for the next 9 months. Last year, she only had two months in Bahrain before we went back to the States. So, from newborn to 2 months, it really wasn't too bad because she slept all the time and I'd either have her in the house, or push her around the mall, and she'd sleep all day long. Now, she's crawling and learning and exploring and just loving new environments.

I was telling a friend that I really hated Bahrain last summer, because you literally couldn't spend any time outdoors. She laughed and told me that the first summer is always the worst. She said, "It's really not that bad. You're only outside for that short bit between your car and the building. The rest of the time you're always someplace air conditioned."

Umm, I think that's my point. I don't want to always be in some air conditioned place. What about fresh air? What about enjoying the outdoors? What about Elena?

"Oh, just take her out at night," my friend says, as if that's not the biggest letdown of an alternative in the world.

Just to refresh our memories, true summertime weather is up to 129 degrees with 90% humidity. Suff-o-catingly hot. At night, yeah it's 30 degrees cooler, but still averages 97 degrees at 9pm.

So Elena will think that the sun has disappeared? And that "outside" is now permanently pitch-black? I think it's a little cruel to make my kid stay indoors all day long, although, that's what the locals do and I guess that's what a few expats are going to do. It's hard for me not to be judgemental about this...I feel like I know better, want more, and want better for Elena.

I know I am lucky for having known another way to live. I'm glad that I get to be a wimp and leave for the summer and not have to endure weather that is punishing on your brain and body. I'm happy to prevent Elena from becoming just another air-conditioned baby.