Autumn is just around the corner, and late August means school starts up again for most of the country, including me. I’m currently taking SAS – svenska som andra språk (Swedish as a second language) the next few months.
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Back to School – Swedish as a second language
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I had another one of those encounters recently, you know, the ones I’ve told you about before where a stranger makes pleasant small talk on the basis of your baby. But this came with something of a twist.
Cue kind old granddad type who approached my son and I at an outdoor cafe. After the obligatory ooooohs, aaaahs and smiles came the line: “let’s hope there’s a job for him when he grows up.”
It’s a sign of the times, I suppose, made nonetheless more prevalent right now, as I type this final blog post from from my homeland in England, where we are on vacation.
The news of the riots involving disillusioned youth around the country has dominated the news and even prompted one commentator on a late night current affairs programme to ask the question: “why doesn’t this happen in Sweden?”
For the short while I’ve been back, I’ve been quizzed and questioned by friends and family about life in Sweden with a child – on topics I’ve discussed throughout the course of this blog – and their response draws a common consensus.
They marvel at the generous parental leave system, are amazed at the benefits given to fathers. Further down the line they sigh in wonder at the heavily subsidized daycare services and praise the way parents can take leave to look after their sick children, not to mention the free higher education.
Put simply, people are generally astonished how Swedish society supports the family unit in its various guises.
In Sweden, this is nothing new. The importance of social welfare for families first came to the forefront in the 1930s thanks to Gunnar and Alva Myrdal. Both husband and wife partnership and political allies, they co-authored the book Crisis in the Population Question (Kris i befolkningsfrågan) in 1934. What was written to propose solutions to the country’s declining birthrate at the time became an influential foundation for the Swedish welfare model to come.
Crown Princess Victoria - watch this space and waist! Photo: Paul Hansen
No, it’s not perfect and there are many things still to bemoan but I feel quite priviledged to be parenting in Sweden. As the forefather and mother of this pro child-parent society, Gunnar and Alva would be no doubt proud to know that Sweden tops the rankings in the latest Children’s Index, published by Save the Children, which rates developed countries on well-being in childhood. I won’t dwell too much on the UK performance in comparison.
Similarly, Sweden is consistently named within the top countries when it comes to the best places in the world to be a mother. In this year’s Mother’s Index, also published by Save the Children, the country comes in fourth place.
One hopes that amid the global turmoil of late, Sweden will be able to sustain its family policies in order that our children will become heirs to this model At least, it all bodes well for the woman that Sweden is expecting to expect sometime soon. The media is currently on royal bump watch, closely guarding the waistline of Crown Princess Victoria.
More of an issue will surely be how Her Royal Highness and husband Prince Daniel will share their parental leave. I’m four months into mine with a way to go yet - so thank you Sweden and thank you too for following this far.
In the US, Sweden is often used as a symbol of all that is right or wrong in this world, depending on which side of the political spectrum you fall on.
“Environmental sustainability paired with universal healthcare and a strong economy!” shout the progressives. “Doomed-to-fail socialism characterized by wanton hedonism, immorality, and midnight sun orgies!” cry the conservatives. “Meatballs! Loud noises!!” screams the confused guy in the corner.
Frankly, it’s a lot of talk, and usually from people who don’t know that much about Sweden and have never been here. But here’s some food for thought for those who want to have an opinion on the big “Sweden is Socialist” claim:
Have you considered the public restrooms situation?
To a casual observer, Sweden can look a lot like the socialist utopia it’s made out to be. Free university education, (mostly) free healthcare, five weeks of paid vacation, shared parental leave that allows you to actually participate in the first year of your child’s life… And even non-Swedes like me can reap many of the benefits of Swedish citizenship, thanks to the generous provisions of my love visa.
What I fail to understand, however, is the complete lack of public restrooms in any town in any venue where you might expect to see them. You have to resort to finding a larger coffee shop where you can walk in and put on a show of looking for your friend who’s probably right around the corner oh what do we have here it’s the bathroom I’ll pop in for just a second and check if she’s here ahhhhhhhhhhhh sweet relief.
It can’t just be me that’s doing this.
Photo by: four12 (CC BY NC ND)
So what am I missing here? Do people never have to go to the bathroom in this country? Do they run home every few hours to take care of their business, or are they really feeding coins into the nasty public bathrooms every time they want to be outside for the day?
Take the public library, for example. I have to pay 5 crowns to use a dirty, poorly-lit stall in the library. Not that it’s a lot of money. It’s the principle of the matter! You have this beautifully-designed, well-staffed library, and I would like to sit there for a couple of hours and read or work on my computer. But eventually the time will come, and I will have to, you know, pee. But I can’t unless I have a 5 crown coin… and then it’s a kind of disgusting experience.
The train station is another example. As you would expect, there are lots of people waiting and milling around. There are restaurants, coffee shops, and even a bookstore (in the Malmö train station at least). But the bathrooms are available only to paying customers.
Once you get on the train, you can use the bathroom—I guess once they’re sure that you’ve purchased a ticket, you’re entitled to the facilities. But what if you are a tourist and just passing though and have no change? Or an ordinary resident in Sweden who spent his/her last crown on the last bathroom? Where’s the justice?!?!
Oh, Sweden. You are a land of dreams: a feminist, environmentalist, strong-economy Utopia among Western nations. (Leaving aside the weather issue for the moment.) But if you were really a collective of the workers, you would have our basic needs more fully covered. Forget all the opportunities you provide for self-actualization and achievement. Where are the basic structures for my physical well-being?
The game is up, Sweden. The public bathroom situation has shown all of us who live here your true colors: you are so not Socialist.
If you happen to be in Stockholm and/or traveling through various cities around the country this week, you’ll most likely be passed by numerous dump trucks blasting loud music and filled with screaming teenagers wearing white caps and randomly waving at passers-by.
Don’t be alarmed – They’re just celebrating graduation from high school.
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Playing in the forest has bwwn proven good for many reasons. This picture is from the "I ur och skur" preschool in Mullebo. Photo: Ulf Johansson.
Why go inside just because it’s raining? That’s when the mud becomes soft enough to play with. And in a forest there’s no lack of tables when having lunch – just use a tree stump.
This is how the organisation Friluftsfrämjandet, which promotes outdoor life, describes their outdoor preschools “I ur och skur” (In rain or shine). According to them the children who attend these preschools might get a bit more dirty, but also healthier and stronger.
Important ideas behind this concept is to teach children how to behave in nature and how the legal right of access to private land works in Sweden (“Allemansrätten”).
One other interesting thing is that the games children play outside also tend to be less gender stereotyped than the ones played inside. According to the researcher Eva Änggård at Stockholm University since the material children use to play in the forest aren’t as associated with a specific gender as dolls and toy cars are.
Playing outdoors is also found by researchers to reduce stress among children. Friluftsfrämjandet describes nature as “an endless laboratory, a cozy room, a room for play, a place for construction, a gymnasium, a canteen and many other things.”
