7 ways people raise their kids around the world that US parents could learn from
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- Parenting looks different in every culture around the world.
- There is no perfect, fool-proof way to raise children, but there are certain parenting strategies that other cultures implement that the US can adopt, like teaching children about optimism.
- Here are 7 things people do to raise their kids in other countries that the US could learn from.
There really is no perfect, fool-proof way to raise children, according to Mei-Ling Hopgood, author of “How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting.”
Parents do the best they can, which is different for everyone based on culture, values, and beliefs, but there's no "best" way to do X, Y, or Z in parenting, Hopgood told Business Insider.
What matters most is choosing parenting strategies and advice that work for you and your family. You can certainly adopt different ideas from different cultures, said Hopgood, who is a mother herself. She spent lots of time researching parenting strategies across the world for her book. “I took what I wanted and left what didn’t seem to fit me,” she said.
Here are a few unique strategies used to raise children across the world that you might want to adopt as part of your parenting routine.
1. In Denmark, parents reframe negative situations into positive ones
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Danish parents often reframe negative emotions or events more positively in order to teach their children about optimism, according to “The Danish Way of Parenting.” Instead of telling children where they need to improve, they focus on fostering positivity in their children by showing them how they can improve upon what they’re already good at.
2. In the Polynesian islands, older children take care of younger children
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In Polynesia, the burden of parenting doesn’t just fall to the parents, but to the older siblings as well. Even kids as young as pre-school age help out, NPR reports.
3. In Argentina, bedtime isn’t strict
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In the US, many parents always ensure their little ones are tucked in by a certain time. Parents in Argentina, however, tend to have a more laid-back view of bedtime, Hopgood said. “Kids need to be part of evening family [activities], even if they go late, because the meals are later there,” she said. This parenting practice happens in Spain, too.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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