subtle differences

so i have noticing interesting cultural differences between the states and here. the children are one of the greatest things to watch. they seem so much more independant than the north american children. on the beach, usually on sundays we will venture out for a day of sand castle building, or playing in the water, and i will notice large groups of family, i assume, together on the beach. they congregate and play soccor, and eat, and drink, and play in the water. all different ages and walks of life together. the children seem to be on a buddy system. the older ones, watch the younger ones. the adults seem to do their own thing. the children seem tougher and more able to be independantly entertained rather than constantly wanting something from target to pass another hour of horrible, boring and painful existence before their favorite program comes on their flat screen television. another thing seems to be the learning process of language here. there is a two year old on the property that we take care of that already speaks both english and spanish in the way any two year old would talk, but both languages with accent and new words/phrases coming up all the time. i was told that that part of the brain that allows ease of learning a second language is most fully accessed in the first four years of life. if used, the third or fourth language is more easily learned. if a child only learns one language, they have a harder time learning another one later. the women in this area seem to pour love over all the children whether they are theirs or not. it is very sweet and endearing.