On Babying

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I am still in this beautiful city of Copenhagen. My family just got back from Syria. My host brother got food poisoning and is really sick. It is really interesting to see how drastically they change their attitude towards him when he is sick. In general, Danes do not baby their children at all. In fact, my host parents told me that they sent their daughter alone on an airplane (at her request) at the age of 5. Eight year olds go to school on the busses or walk by themselves. The children are so well behaved and show an amazing amount of maturity for their age. Of course, Counter Strike is still popular among little boys, and I’ve seen girls play with dolls, but they are still very different from the majority of children I have seen in America, and they are given so much more freedom.
My host family told me that if they forget their lunch, they never bring it to them at school. If they forget their soccer cleats, they just do not get to play. They force their children to be independent and with it comes faster growth. Of course, this method would be hurtful if there was no love and nurturing. My host brother is babied to death now that he is really sick. He gets everything he wants and more hugs than imaginable. I think it is a really good way to raise children. They become independent without feeling any loss of love.
Something else has happened recently in Denmark- the birth of a princess. The crown prince and his wife had a baby girl. The girl will not receive a name for a maximum of 6 months, but it will probably happen at 3 months- when most children get baptized. Denmark is in a frenzy trying to guess the name of the little girl (a common game when royalty is born). The monarchy here plays only a social role. They are only spoken about positively or not at all- generally not at all. It is the oldest monarchy in the world and exists more as tradition. Danes are really traditional people. They will not use the European Union currency, they keep their monarchy, they put out Danish flags at all celebratory events, they sing the same songs, practice the same techniques for everything as their ancestors before them.
I think the importance of tradition underlies a lot of their being the happiest country in the world. They maintain family and relationships as the up most important thing in society. They will not work too much if it interrupts family time. They eat dinner together as often as they can. My family has always tried to do this as well. While sometimes it can be a pain to make sure we are always present and eating at the same time, I really am fortunate that dinnertime is an established get together. To keep my brother and I from fighting, we always did trivia cards. I always got the least right, but I had fun trying. It was a nice way to bring us closer and something I will remember to continue in my future.
So, I didn’t realize anything profound about myself. But I did notice some things about Danish society that reflects happiness. And if nothing else, I can take the little lessons that mean so much with me and incorporate them into my future.

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