I have just returned from a ten-day trip to Scandinavia and one of the most delightful common sights on the streets of Oslo, Norway was the steady quantity of fathers pushing prams and wearing babies. I was told by a Norwegian that raising children and parenting is an important focus for those who choose to be parents and that moms and dads both get completely involved from the beginning…
All the paternal involvement was actually quite noticeable and obvious. As I toured parks and just walked the streets of the city, there were fathers with babies wrapped around them in colorful slings and pushing sturdy prams and carriages. It was just about as common to see a father bent down tying a shoe lace as it was a mother. I thought this was wonderful! I could also really sense the reality of what I’d been told–parents really do focus on parenting. I have to say that I just didn’t hear the scolding one hears in the states, and, since it is not only unacceptable but illegal to strike or hit or spank children–there wasn’t any of that either.
I don’t mean to make it sound like a utopia of romping children and smiling young parents–it wasn’t that way at all. In fact, on one day when I was touring one of the attractions in the city, a big group of middle school kids were there on a class trip at the same time. Despite the language and cultural differences, I can assure you that adolescent kids act squirrely and dorky wherever they are–the amazing thing to me was how attentive, casual and grounded the adults are were–regardless of gender. We talk about how family-focused and how children-oriented we are here in the United States, but I have to say that I really saw what it means to be child-focused while I was in Norway.
Also: I’ve Never Been Away From My Kids for Ten Days!