Would you?

Would you bring up children like this?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jul/11/how-to-be-a-norwegian-parent-let-your-kids-roam-free-stay-home-alone-have-fun-and-fail

To me it sounds like the best childhood?

Potential-Monke

Unfortunately we don't have a country that would allow it. There's a certain element of entitlement for nothing in this country, and it has created a situation where people only look out for them and theirs and ta feck with everyone and everything else. We don't appear to have the universal cooperation factor that these countries have, and more of a me, me, me, take, take, take situation.

SuperBowserWorld

Kind of like any child's life 30/40 years ago.

Ireland lets corporations bring up their children … They demand eyes on screens, and fear and anxiety and self hate to drive advertising, consumerism, alcoholism, drug use, ... It's much easier to control and profit from sick, unhealthy and fearful minds.

Any suggestions to curtail this is met with outrage and apathy by parents as it's an intergenerational addiction now.

I don't know now what the answered is but on here a person debated with me, and said a child of 15 having a part time job was a form of abuse as they were not old enought to deal with Adults in a work environment and they still need the protection of their parents.

EmmetSpiceland

I would say the main reason for parents exerting more control over their kids’ lives these days is a direct response to the level of “hand off” parenting we got.

Everyone talks about how when they were 5 they were going to shops or heading miles from home and not coming back until the streetlights were on, and that was great, but if you ask them do they want that for their kids now and they say no.

And there’s a reason for that. Times have changed. Even something like the number of cars on the road throughout the day is a factor. Obviously, you have to give your kids a degree of independence but “boundaries” are still very important.

I’m sure parents who find their kids more of a burden, or a nuisance, would jump at the chance to “outsource” their responsibility to a different model. Same for the type who thinks everything was better in the 90s and wants their kids to have the exact childhood they had.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617274#Comment_122617274

Why does the Norwegian model of parenting work?

I had to let one of mine come home from school and stay in the house for an hour aged 11, I was uneasy about doing it, now I think an 11 year old is well able to walk home by themselves let themselves in make food and do homework.

I read a bit that quoted Tesla as saying no child under the age of 14 should ever be left alone not even for a few minutes.

Gregor Samsa

I’m all for giving my kids a bit of freedom, but Norway’s a bit too far away for them to be wandering to. Jutland is my limit.

CelticRambler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058369087/would-you

That's pretty much how mine were reared, 15-20 years ago, after making a conscious decision to move out of the Anglophone sphere of influence, and I'd do it again like that given the chance.

I still remember one fine spring morning thinking I'd got lucky and had the kitchen all to myself for a wake-up-slowly breakfast. Then the front door (straight into the kitchen) opened and my 5-year-old daughter came in, fully dressed and carrying a bunch of wildflowers.

"What are you doing up so early?" said I.

"Oh, I've just been for my walk." said she.

Turned out she'd been going for a 2km walk along our country lanes every morning before any of the rest of us fell out of bed.

That was then; this is now. These days, I'd often have festival friends come to stay - young people about the same age as my now-adult children. One of the regulars remarked recently "Do you know what I love about coming here? I can hide away somewhere to think about 'stuff' and nobody gives a f**k about where I've gone or when I'll be back".

It's not just ten-year-olds that need a bit of freedom.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617311#Comment_122617311

Works there. I think the real “issue”, here, is trust. People in their 40s, now, with kids don’t trust easily.

Which is fair enough, considering what was acceptable in this country from the foundation of the State up to 1994.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617527#Comment_122617527

There in is the conundrum.

Violence, abuse, of the past the reaction is to over protect children which turns out isn't good for bringing up resilient happy adults.

Deregos.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058369087/would-you

Sure. . if we had that same low crime rate, and that we actually set about planing and building our environment to suit that kind of scenario. We know nothing would be better for them than a relaxed, inquisitive, outdoor lifestyle, away from the all playstations and screens, while encouraging our children to have their own independence and freedom . . enough of all this mollycoddling and helicopter parenting.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617335#Comment_122617335

Same here , mine can't even speak Norwegian.

Potential-Monke

Can you imagine the strop most kids these days would throw if you told them they've a 20 minute walk to/from school every morning!

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617707#Comment_122617707

my kids walk 25 minutes to school every morning. And 25 minutes back in the afternoon/evening (two are in primary and one in secondary). I see loads of kids walking and scooting and cycling to and from school every day.

There’s always people on Boards who seem to think that kids today do literally nothing but spend 24 hours on social media and playing computer games, but my experience- not just of my own kids (who frankly are nothing special), but their friends, cousins and peers - is very different.

Sports participation for one thing is through the roof for children and teenagers. There’s thousands of kids across the country getting up for swimming training at 6 in the morning before school or running cross-country races in the rain and mud every weekend. Not to mention all the kids playing football, soccer, hurling, rugby, hockey, etc, etc.

I’ve huge respect for a lot of todays kids.

thereiver

Life is more complicated than it was 20 years ago there were no apps no smartphones .schools were run by nuns or Christian brothers

Ireland is not the same as Norway ..

Ubbquittious

I remember when I was 11 hopping on my bike and cycling 25km away and back no bother. I actually felt left behind because i had no tractor to drive.

Would hate to be growing up now, a lot of kids are being reared to just sit in one of those driverless chairs from WALL-E their whole lives now

Celmullet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617810#Comment_122617810

This.

There is a group of kids in my estate who hang out on the green every day, mostly doing gymnastics and dancing. They aren't on their phones while out. They tend to leave chalk drawings on the paths too. Yesterday had two lads about 12 come around to ask if I wanted my front lawn cut (I let them, they did a good job). Just now I had to answer the door as a little girl was wandering around selling bracelets.

There are others who go around collecting cans and bottles to get the deposit, I see them walking to the shops with the big bag over their shoulder.

Not all children are glued to their phones, just like not all kids in the 90s were playing video games and huffing glue.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617810#Comment_122617810

Thats why I said most, as most down this side seem to be the lazy types. Don't get me wrong, there are those who do the gym and sports, but at the same time asking them to walk to school would be too much. Just as many kids are lazy fecks too. Chores seems to be a thing of the past, at least with all my nephews and nieces.

Strumms

Norway has pretty low crime rates…particularly low on violent crime, generally they have less than 30 murders per year. In 2022 here there were 80 homicides / murders here…Roughly 9.2 % more people living here but over 166% difference in those particular crime rates between the two countries.

A seriously huge difference in murders and homicides and in fact all violent crime.

So no, I wouldn’t.

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122618397#Comment_122618397

oh? Can you please show me the most recent case of a child being attacked while walking to or from school? In Ireland.

baxterooneydoody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617445#Comment_122617445

"Anglophone spare of influence" can you expand on what this means

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617311#Comment_122617311

No child under 14 left alone for a few minutes?? That's helipcopter parenting to the extreme.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122617848#Comment_122617848

But it COULD be - I mean, we've pretty much gotten rid of the physical side of the religious education and the apps and smartphones are the same in both countries.

Question is - do we want to be?

Do we want to try this method of hands-off parenting, or are we happy with the way things are?

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122618438#Comment_122618438

Nope. most kids that are of a similarly young age in Ireland are brought to school….unless it’s a very negligible distance.

Whatever information you want you can google it yourself. But you might erm be aware that not everything that happens, crime or otherwise enters the realms of the media… 😉

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122618465#Comment_122618465

Pretty sure a child abuction would.

The thing is: is a child more at risk of abduction coming home from school than playing out in the local park? Because if so, why? And if not, why are parents scared of one scenario, but not the other?

Pherekydes

No(r)way, OP.

Potential-Monke

Question: does Norway have the scum kid issue this country has? Do the kids/teens over there find some sort of amusement in ganging up and being little shytes to everyone and everything around them, like we do in some estates/cities here? Do they lock up criminals? Do they have space in their prison to do so?

Same questions can be applied to any other country compared to Ireland, especially those where kids can roam free, like Japan/Norway etc. I just feel like the entitlement attitude irish kids/teens have is specific to this country for some reason. I'm open to be corrected, but I get the feeling this type of... youth... is specific to Ireland for some reason beyond my comprehension.

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122618585#Comment_122618585

oh would you give your head a shake! There’s little bastards all over the world and I don’t know where you’re living in the country but where I live scummy kids are as common as the adults.

As in not the scourge or plague they’re made out to be.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122618888#Comment_122618888

But are the little bastards up to the same level as our home grown little shytes? It was a genuine question because I genuinely don't know the answer, and Google is basically shyte to get specific answers these days, as it seems to take a few words from your question and make up their own questions based on those words.

So genuinely, are countries like Norway having as big an issue as Ireland does with feral, untouchable youth? Or do those countries enforce the law properly? Genuine questions.

I live in the country so only starting to see the regeneration adults have their kids who are, indeed, little bastards. Small village of only a few hundred people and already the blow in is well known, had been suspended in the first week of transfer and is "terrorising" the local aged population, while picking on the smaller kids, as bullies do. Nothing will ever change by the looks of it, so just wondering if Norway et al are able to handle these situations while our country is pretending it doesn't happen?

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122618585#Comment_122618585

Norway has it’s problems just like every other country in the world, though you’d be forgiven for thinking they hadn’t with the amount of arse-licking that some people do in portraying Norway as some sort of child-like Utopian model for other countries to follow. What you won’t hear about nearly as often, and especially not in the Guardian, are the negative aspects of life in Norway:

https://www.humanium.org/en/unraveling-norways-barnevernet-examining-childrens-best-interests/

“Free-range parenting” is nothing more than a fluffy synonym for middle-class parents to clap themselves on the back. In other countries and at various times in history they have been referred to as “latchkey kids”, not a complimentary term of parents inability to provide care for their children. In most countries what some parents in Norway are doing would simply be regarded as child neglect.

I’m not suggesting that was the OP’s intent, or that it is the intent of anyone here, but there are plenty of parents in Ireland who let their children raise themselves and the children develop independence because they have to, in the absence of their parents; not because they are taught to develop independence by their parents.