Morelli et al.’s “Cultural Variation in Infants’ Sleeping Arrangements: Questions of Independence” was a fascinating article which introduced the differences and similarities of caretaking for infants among two cultures. The report specifically looked at personal and cultural child raising practices between Mayan mothers from Guatemala and Caucasian mothers from the states. They were interviewed about their infants sleeping arrangements and locations, bedtime routines, and night time feeding practices. Once recognizing the differences that were presented, the subject was interviewed for comparison to the two cultures described in the article.

The subject interviewed for this project is named Molly. She is thirty-seven years old. Molly is Caucasian and African American. Her parents were upper-middle class, both born and raised in Michigan. Molly described her childhood as traditional but yet feeling out of place being bi-racial. She was her mother's only child but the youngest of five out of her father’s children. After graduating from high school, …show more content…
606). The U.S. mothers had the best intentions for the sleeping arrangement they chose for their infants. One mother says, “I think it would have made any separation harder if he wasn't even separated from us as night” (Morelli et al., p. 607). The U.S. mothers were trying to be sure their child developed independent behavior rather than autonomous behavior. The Mayans felt they too set up the better sleeping arrangement for their infant, but when it came to development, there were reported issues when their toddlers were shifted away from cosleeping. In this case, Molly would identify with the U.S. parents because she too wanted her infant to develop an independent personality. She did not want him to rely on cosleeping, and it affect his sleeping habits as he got