Why you shouldn't show a child in a mirror: superstitions, folk customs, omens

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Many people are concerned about the question of why it is impossible to show the child in the mirror during the first year of his life. Since young parents are trying to protect their child from the negative impact of various kinds, they agree to believe in various signs and superstitions. Many of them are unfounded intimidations, and some have real grounds. Experts suggest considering different points of view on this issue.

Looking at the mirror from a Christian point of view

The answer to the question of why small children should not be shown in a mirror originated many centuries ago. In the Christian religion, it was generally accepted that the mirror is an invention of dark forces in order to control the actions of people. The church categorically forbade looking in the mirror, intimidating parishioners with the possibility of prematurely growing old and incurring variousmisfortune. The second version was the reckoning of the mirror as an object that connects the otherworldly and real worlds. Even adults were in danger of "overlooking their happiness and beauty", and even children were not allowed to come close to the magic glass. According to our ancestors, children could die immediately, going to the other world.

Superstitions about the reflection of children in the mirror

To the question why it is impossible to show a child in a mirror under 1 year old, the ancient Christians had many answers. There are some superstitions that have survived to this day:

• This item is an attribute of all kinds of divination, conspiracies and rituals, so it can take away a piece of a child's soul.
• The mirror is a spiritual vampire that sucks all the energy out of a child. The baby becomes moody, whiny and painful.
• The mirror takes away strength from the baby, his teeth cannot erupt in time, he starts talking late or remains completely mute.
• Before the end of the first year of life, the child is at a peculiar turn, so he calmly sees spirits from the other world. They can scare him a lot and make him stutter.
• The child does not know his own reflection, therefore he perceives it as a stranger, which can lead to fear.
• The kid just might break the mirror and get hurt.

It is worth noting that only the last paragraph of the plan is fully true. The previous aspects are only superstitions, underwhich have no scientific basis. Statistics do not confirm any such case, so believe it or not - it's up to the parents.

Feature of making mirrors in antiquity

The negative answer to the question why it is impossible to show a child in a mirror arose as a result of the difficulty in manufacturing these items. We did not have our own materials, so we had to bring everything we needed from afar. Metals such as gold, silver, bronze, copper and tin were used for manufacturing. All this was very expensive, so only noble nobles used mirrors. The distortion in them was so strong that the image looked like in today's fun room. It might just have scared the babies.

In the sixteenth century, mirrors began to be made flat, and mercury began to be actively used in their manufacture. The presence of the child near the source of harmful vapors had a negative impact on the well-being of the baby. This was the reason for the emergence of superstitions.

The age of forty days in Christianity and other religions

Religion gives the answer why you can not show the child in the mirror until 40 days from birth. The fact is that the baby was baptized during this period. With baptism, the baby had a personal guardian angel who could protect him from dark forces. The number forty is sacred, since the global flood lasted for so many days and the soul of a dead person is appeased. Soulthe newborn is also fixed in the body during this period. Since the mirror is a dangerous object (from the point of view of the priests), the answer automatically arises to the question why it is impossible to show the child up to 40 days. Muslims and representatives of other religions do not have such prohibitions and superstitions.

Medical point of view

Doctors agree that a child in the first days after birth has a huge risk of disease. When the baby is in the womb, he is completely protected from infections and viruses. Having been born, he cannot quickly adapt to an environment with a huge number of microbes. Therefore, it is recommended to completely limit the baby from contact with various objects (including mirrors).

Superstition suggests that a woman should not often look in the mirror after childbirth and limit contact during menstruation. Experts fully agree with the first statement. A woman in labor needs to restore her strength, normalize hormonal levels, and be able to breastfeed her baby. Here we are talking not so much about the mirror, but about contact with strangers. Forty days is enough for both mother and baby to get stronger.

The world through the eyes of a baby

Young mothers are interested in the question of why it is impossible to show the child in the mirror until teeth appear. This is a common superstition, which has nothing to do with teeth. You just need to know what the baby sees during its first year of life. This will help you understand when you canbring to the mirror. The baby's abilities relative to age look like this:

• 1-3 months - focuses on an object located at a distance of 25-30 cm;
• from 4 months - there is a reaction to illuminated objects;
• from 6 months - the child begins to study his reflection in the mirror;
• from 8 months - the baby clearly distinguishes in the mirror not only his own, but also the reflections of other people.

Introducing the child to relatives

The answer to the question why you can not show the child in the mirror remains open, since it refers more to the first half of the baby's life. During this period, there is no point in this action, but there is nothing particularly dangerous in this. More important is the question of "acquaintance" of the child with relatives and friends. In the first months of life, you must follow the following rules:

• Child visits by strangers should not exceed 15 minutes.
• It is better to meet guests in nature or in a pre-prepared place.
• Friends and relatives must be absolutely he althy, because even the slightest ailment can cause great harm to the child.
• Mom and baby should stay in their place and not go out to the guests. Friends should take turns entering the room to avoid crowds in the room with the newborn.
• After the guests leave, the baby needs to be washed and massaged. Then feed and put to bed. At the same time, take maximum care of the baby.

Advice to parents

The question of why one should not show a child in a mirror is meaningless. In the first months of life, this is useless to him, and in the subsequent months it is a very important and useful activity for his development. The kid needs to know the world, and with a mirror he will be able to cope with this much better. Experienced professionals are ready to share the following tips:

• The manifestation of the correct development of the baby is his interest in the mirror in the form of cooing, joyful exclamations and gestures.
• It is necessary to be near at the moment when the baby looks in the mirror. This will allow you to follow his reaction and behavior.
• Don't bring your baby too close to the mirror, and don't choose too large a viewing area.
• If the child is scared, there is no need to panic. It is better to wait a little while re-acquainting yourself with this amazing subject, and next time do it more carefully.

Parents themselves should decide when to show the baby a mirror. But doctors still recommend not to neglect their advice and to acquaint the child with his reflection, without waiting for the end of the first year of his life. Trust me, it will do him good.