Weekend Photo - Empowering Children

By AdventureDad on March 30th, 2008 Print This Post Email This Post

It's really interesting to see how different countries and cultures get children ready for life. This sign, found at my favorite kid place in the world, sums up the Swedish way very well. It's about making children independent and teaching them to make (wise) decisions by themselves. It reads "Parents! Let all children drive by themselves. Children have their own rules. Here at Lådbilslandet it's the kids who decide. Adults are best suited as spectators."

The Swedish way of raising kids means listening a lot and involving the kids in many decisions. This is great but some families go too far and let the young kids decide everything. There needs to be balance, this place is a great way to find it without consequences of mistakes being too serious. You wouldn't believe how tough many (foreign) parents find it staying on the sidelines and for once let their toddlers make their own decisions.