Babies in The Jedi Temple...

okay so I've been wondering people's opinions on this or if anyone knows if anything's been said about this... Who exactly takes care of the babies and younglings before they become padawans? We know Yoda teaches them but I doubt he changes diapers (though the force may come in handy for that job! lol) Anyway, who changes diapers and takes care of the children when they aren't being trained? Hired staff? Other Jedi? Droids?

Hired staff: possible negatives are people becoming attached to the children in parental ways and vice versa. Not sure if the JC would allow that to happen.

Other Jedi: see above. though this is probably less risky with Jedi. Also who wants to go through years of training and become a Knight or Master just to change diapers all day? blah.

Droids: Seems sort of strange to think obi and qui-gon may have been raised by droids but then you wouldn't have that attachment problem that the Jedi seem to be so worried about.

what do you guys (and gals) think?

sg

 

Oh, I can see elder Jedi or those who aren't able to do field work any more taking care of them. I also like to imagine other Knights and Padawans chipping in to help out... it would foster the ties between all the generations of the order, so that the younglings feel as if they have a lot of cousins & uncles & aunts, as well as the "sisters and brothers" of their own clan groups.

Unless George decides to get specific...

 

In Jedi Apprentice #7 there is a scene where young children (2 & 3 year olds) are trapped in a turbo lift with their Jedi caretaker. The caretaker is not refered to as a Master, but he is a Jedi. This is one of the few references I have come across regarding younger children, a nursery and caretaker.

I imagine the caretakers come from within the community as Mistress_Renata mentions.

 

Thanks Jedikma and Mistress Renata.

sg

 

I honestly think that people are starting to get the "attachment' issue all wrong. Because a big deal of it was made in the last movie (too much IMO) people are starting to think that Jedi can't become attached at all.

To firstly take babies away from their parents passed a certain age is going to lead to underlying pyschological conditions in the child (attachment/emotional issues) that means that the person may then develop extreme ways of coping with someone leaving or the threat of someone leaving. To then have the child brought up by rather impersonal droids is going to mean that the child will have a hard time relating to other people, understanding relationships and forming attachments with other people as they get older. Kids like this will either go out of their way to grab attention from someone (anyone) or become totally withdrawn and independent. This isn't really a good receipe for having healthy happy kids who can then uderstand rather complex ideas like the Force and furthermore can have the social skills to become good diplomats.

Jedi do form attachments, look at Obi-wan and Qui-gon. Obi-wan wouldn't have cried and screamed and held his master in his arms if he hadn't been attached to him in some form. People need attachments to simply survive. A support network of friends is something that everyone needs, those people who claim to survive without one are usually very lonely, depressed people.

It's not the actual attachment which is so negative (and really, I don't think George should ever have mentioned such a stupidly connotive word like that). It's what is done with it. Look at the relationships around you. There are people who are insecure and see negative of their relationships, there are also people who let things happen and go with the flow (more like a Jedi). TO become attached to someone so deeply means that your reality becomes skewed very quickly. People become jealous and possessive and take offense. In people who are supposed to be impartial mediators you can't have that....bias simply isn't acceptable.

I'm sorry to rant in your thread, but it's something that's been bothering me for a long time (so much so I might just start a thread of my own ).

To answer your question. I would hope (from a student-teacher perspective) that the Jedi would actually train other Jedi to look after the children. People who would care and be considerate and FORM ATTACHMENTS with these kids. I've never understood making farmers out of all the kids who don't have masters (I mean really...what a waste of talent and training in many regards. I have a lot of respect for Farmers and you need a high degree of skill and intelligence to make a farm work - but really it isn't something I can see a 12 year old being happy with. Sending kids into different areas dependent on their skills and personality would make more sense).

Okay...enough of my ranting. If the above doesn't make a whole lot of sense blame it on my assignments and lack of sleep.

Kithera

 

I completely agree with your view on Jedi and attachment Kit. Though I know it didn't come across in the first post. I guess I was just trying to keep the thread simple and figure out who raised the younglings. And based on the Jedi *seemingly* not wanting to encourage strong parental attachments etc (although this happens anyway, just naturally), my first thought was it may not be humans (or what have you) raising them but droids but I can see where that's not such a good thing either.

sg

 

As far as that goes, just because you have a high midichlorian count doesn't mean that you will grow up to be a famous knight. You might not have the personality for it. Not everyone can be a Qui-Gon Jinn or a Yoda. I'm certain that within the Jedi community there are fighters and scholars and diplomats and teachers and even down-to-earth motherly/fatherly types who wouldn't mind the idea of spending the rest of their adult lives raising small children in loving groups. It certainly sounds like a rewarding career to me.

I will avoid a rant similar to 'Kit's, but only because I've vented it enough times to like-minded friends that it doesn't gall me as it once did.

I'm fairly certain that children taken in by the Jedi would be placed in care groups (or a creche-type environment) to be raised by either a dedicated mother or father, or by a small group of such individuals. Anything else and you're not likely to get the well-balanced, emotionally stable people you need to help keep justice and peace in the galaxy.

 

Believe it or not, I have a fic in the works about this very subject.

My interpratation is that there is a creche for the babies, and Jedi take care of them. Its actually part of the training of a Padawan to take care of the babies for a short time. There are droids to assist, but Jedi are neccesary, since even as babies, they are being trained to be Jedi.

I originally wanted it to be a Barris Offee fic, but I decided to make it Obi Wan and Anakin, with flash backs to when Obi Wan had to do it under Qui Gon.

 

With one of the fics I'm working on, I was rolling with it being part of a rotating padawan schedule primarily with solo Jedi or retired ones overseeing just in case of an emergency.

 

i think it would be cool if a monster busted in and ate the jedi babies

 

Hm, I agree insofar that I also think that children need emotional contacts, like with parents (whjat is normally the cause). Orphants are a bit different, though.

 

Mm, I'm with Lillith. In one of my fics, I gave a clan group (a group of 20) 6 caretakers, who raise them from the time they are babies until they are chosen as Padawans (on the theory that they have duty shifts, so that at any time of day or night there is an adult awake and ready). Not to mention that 20 kids need more than 2 pairs of eyes! LOL!

I think the leaving family thing has to do with allowing the children to become attached to the other Jedi in the Order, rather than to their own families, and to ensure that there could never be charges of favoritism if the Jedi was called upon to negotiate dealings involving his or her homeworld or family.

And working the other way... if you are raising a baby through childhood, acting as a surrogate parent, how could you NOT form an attachment? I can see senior Jedi Masters returning to the Temple from a mission taking time out to visit an elderly clanparent...

But this is all speculation. All George said is that Jedi kids are raised in clan groups of about 20, and come to the Temple between the ages of 6 months & 3 years.