Hello there my friends and
family! I finally caved in and decided to create a myspace account, so be
proud. However, the purpose of this account is for me to inform fellow students,
soon to be students, or soon to be residents with the knowledge I have learned
as an early education major here at Stockholm University. During my studies
here at the University I have also done some research on the side regarding
cultural differences. Which in retrospect, is why I am trying to convince you
non-Swedes to come to Sweden and learn our Swedish ways! Hopefully, with the
information you obtain in this blog you will feel the inspiration to move here
and receive the amazing cultural benefits that my family and I have while
living here!
First and foremost, I would
like to fill you in on the life of a “Swede”, and give you some inside
information about Sweden, and of course, my hometown Stockholm. Sweden belongs
to the European Union and holds place for the third largest country within.
However, Sweden’s population does not justify that little fact. The entire country has a population of
roughly 9.4 million, and my hometown the capital, takes up 2 million of that
number (Arbetsformedlinge). One important piece of information I like to brag
about is how multi-cultural and ethnically diverse Sweden has become in the
past few decades. Did you know approximately one million member’s of Sweden
migrated from elsewhere, and many residents have extended family members that
are immigrants(Arbetsformedlinge)? Now, I will always love my blonde hair and
blue eyes, but it is nice to see some different ethnicities roaming around
Stockholm and my campus here. J The only thing
missing is you, so come one over and live the life of a Swede!
Alright, now let’s get down
to business. Now that you know a bit of background information about Sweden, it
is time to fill you in on the details of growing up as a Swede. Us Swedes are
known for our constant progressing politics, and for our generously
accommodating social benefits. You may be wondering what this has to do with
growing up here, but you’d be surprised how beneficial it was for my six-person
family. I’m surprised my Dad still has his vibrant blonde locks because I come
from a family of 4 girls, me be being the oldest. Now, we had our troubles like any family
does, but I truly believe growing up in Sweden created tremendous benefits for
my family and I.
My Morsan(Mama) and
Forsan(Papa) have been happily married for 30 years. They have been lucky
enough to experience many adventures along the way, much of those being with my
sisters and I. Sweden has been acclaimed
for our virtue of supporting the combination of work and children. Thus, my
close-knit relationship with my family would not have been the same if it
weren’t for Sweden’s generous and beneficial family policy. The incorporation of Parental Leave Insurance
is one of the major benefactors that created this possibility of combing work
and child rearing (Duvander, Ann-Zofie, 2006). Therefore, which is why I believe
I was able to develop such a strong bond and attachment with my Morsan. Growing
up, my mom was a firm believer of co-sleeping and breastfeeding. My sisters and
I were breastfed until we were around two years of age. This is a common
parenting style in Sweden, and has been correlated with why Swedes tend to have
stronger attachments than other countries (Duvander, Ann-Zofie). As to if
that’s true or not, I guess you will just have to figure that out for
yourselves when you move here. J
Another interesting virtue
of Sweden is the “Spanking Law.” I’m not so sure how many non-Swedes are well
educated on the matter, so I will fill you in just in case. According to the text I found within the
Parental Code, Sweden became the first country in 1979, the International Year
of the Child, to prohibit all physical punishment of children (DeJenner, Jan,
2008). Now, I understand this sort of parenting style is seen as sort of
far-fetched or just plain pointless in other countries, however, to most Swedes
it’s the only form of parenting that makes sense. I don’t know if my life would
have been detrimentally affected growing up if this law was not enacted. Regardless,
my parents are not the violent type, so I’m not sure if they would’ve used
hitting as a form of reinforcement if they were able to in the first place. Nonetheless,
it is an interesting topic, and I figured it would be useful to know,
especially if you plan to move to Sweden and have children.
Another benefactor my family
had from my mom having paid leave from work, is that it allowed her to spend
more quality time with my sisters and I as we were growing up. Thus, it also
allowed for my parents to maintain a substantial income, so therefore, we were
able to travel within and outside of Sweden quite frequently. One of my
favorite vacation places growing up was to the second largest city in Sweden,
Gothenburg. The pristine, natural scenery in Gothenburg is to die for. There are
also many attractions for all age groups. My family and I enjoyed going to
Liseberg Amusement Park, which is one of the largest parks in Europe. My Forsan
is also quite the historical junkie, so the Alvsborg Fortress and East India
House (which are two museums in Gothenburg) were perfect destinations for him (Travel
Guide Post, 2014).
Thus, my parents were both
actively involved in our lives. My Forsan is a teacher at a gymnasium here in
Stockholm, and my mother is a therapist. I would say that my parents worked
together equally in co-parenting my sisters and I. Both of them contributed to
household duties, and took turns taking my sisters and I to our many activities
growing up. I was fairly involved within school, had many vans(friends),
and participated in several different sports.
I frequently forget Sweden has a different set up for school
than most countries, so let me break it down for you. First, one begins with förskola,
which is basically kindergarten, but is offered for children from ages 1-5.
Nursery Schools are seen as a crucial tradition in Sweden due to the notion
that it emphasizes the importance of play in a child’s development and
learning. Once a child turns six they being compulsory schooling. This starts
with, lågstadiet (elementary school), once in 4th grade they begin
mellanstadiet (middle school), once in 7th grade they begin
högstadiet (junior high), and then finally advance to gymnasium (highschool).
However, gymnasium is optional, but most students who finish compulsory school
move on to gymnasium (Sweden Sverige, 2013).
In retrospect, my Morsan is
a therapist; so growing up I was always instilled with her holistic virtues and
ways of thinking. Therefore, I’ve grown up having an eye for observation,
especially when it comes to other people. I’ve done a lot of observing of
social and cognitive development with in Sweden, which I find important to know
for those who could possibly move here. Clearly, development of a child differs
cross-culturally, depending on how a child is raised. I have previously stated
some parenting styles I received as a child growing up within my household that
could possibly justify my sisters and I’s social and cognitive development.
However, like previously stated, development does not just occur within the
homes. I may be a bit biased, considering I am studying early education, but
from my research I have found some interesting topics of discussion. For
example, according to Ingrid Samuelsson, in Sweden, play is considered to be an important
process that relates to children’s learning and education. Thus, it can create a source of possibilities such as
learning, empowerment and creativity, which could all influence social and
cognitive development (Samuelsson, Ingrid, 2007). Which proves the statement from earlier, that
Nursery School is a crucial time in a child’s life here in Sweden due to the
impact it may have on their developmental learning (Sweden Sverige, 2013).
Sorry to get all scientific
on you, but remember I am a college student here in Stockholm trying to
influence others to move here. It would be silly if I didn’t provide you
non-Swedes with some accurate research. Especially, for those of you who plan
to move here and start a family because everything I’ve previously stated can
influence you differently depending on where you live. In my opinion, I think
that parenting practices, attachment, as well as cognitive and social
development, all play a crucial role in determining how a culture differs from
another. Which is why I wanted to give you non-Swedes a bit of information on
our forms of child development, and what I felt influenced me the most growing
up. However, this is all I have for you for now. For my next post I will be
explaining to you more about the culture, and how our culture plays an affect
on gender.
Until next time,
hörs senare,
Stella!
Work Cited
Arbetsformedlingen
(2013). Living and Working in Sweden. Accessed February 20th,
2014.
DeJenner,
Jan (2008). Save the Children Sweden. www.rb.se Accessed February 18th,
2014.
Duvander,
Ann- Zofie (2008). Family Policy in Sweden: An Overview. Stockholm
University Demography Unit and Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
Available at: http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.18718.1320939636!/WP5.pdf
Accessed February 18th, 2014.
Education
in Sweden (2013). Sweden Sverige. Available at:
http://sweden.se/society/education-in-sweden/.
Accessed February 18th, 2014.
Interesting
Places to Visit in Sweden (2014). Vacation
& Travel. Accessed February 20th,
2014. Available at: http://www.mytravelguideposts.com/2010/09/interesting-
places-to-visit-in-sweden.html
Samuelsson,
Ingrid (2010). A Perspective of Play in Three Nations: A Comparative
Study in Japan, The United States, and
Sweden. Early Childhood Research and
Practice. Accessed February
17th, 2014. Available at:
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v12n1/izumi.html
