Life Span Documentary Analysis

The beginning of the documentary took me by surprise because I did not know what to expect. However, as I continued to observe I quickly realized the point of the movie and how it would apply to the Life Span and Life Course Theories. In the following paragraphs, I will explain in my opinion, which life stages are represented and how might the stages affect the children in the future. The documentary focused on children roughly between the ages 10-13. According to Newman’s approach to the Life Span Theory, growth occurs at every period in an individual’s life. When I think about growth, physical, emotional, and mental growth comes to mind. Physically, the children in the movie struggled to find food and water daily. Most of them scavenged

I would like to believe that the children’s parents and older family members had dreams of better lives when they were younger. Unfortunately, due to their environment and upbringing, they had to adapt to life in the brothel as well. There was a scene in the movie that captures one of the mothers indicating that they worried about their child’s future. I think that most of the mothers in the documentary are concerned about their children’s future but felt hopeless due to their environment and lack of resources. If I recall correctly, there was a child referenced in the movie that was sold into marriage at the age of eleven; and another child that had been sent to work on the line at the age of fourteen. It appeared that this happened regularly due to lack of finances and the need for extra income. This is very unfortunate for the children because they have no control over their lives and the outcome of their future. I couldn’t imagine that life for any child, but I also understand that this is my perspective and worldview. Living in America makes it very difficult to accept some of the harsh realities that these children face daily. I recall one of the children’s parents being very excited about their daughter possibly attending the boarding school. It appeared that they were genuinely concerned about their daughter’s education and were looking forward to

I understand that they have seen and experienced a lot of trauma in their lives but innately they still wanted a better life for themselves. In the documentary the children would retreat to the roofs of the brothels while their mothers worked. The children retreated to the roof tops because they knew it was safe and they did not want to be present while their mothers worked. The children also knew that their mother’s profession was not accepted by society. They realize that the society did not accept the lifestyle of the brothel by the way they are treated outside of the brothel. I think that we as human beings are all born to be good. I also believe our senses help us to determine what we like and don’t like. The children in the film often stated that they wanted better lives for themselves and wished that things were different. One of the children in the movie quoted, “Even if I were poor, I would be happy.” I believe the same child then went on to say, “I accept life as being painful and sad.” These children know that life could be better but are forced to accept their