American mom shares her dreamy parenting experience while living in Denmark: 'Real freedom'

We often see a lot of content creators on social media sharing their dreamy lives in another part of the world on display and we wish we were living comfortable lives like them. An American mom, Ellie Owens–who goes by @fleurdellie on TikTok–moved with her family to Copenhagen, Denmark, about a year ago and is making parents from around the globe jealous of the perks she gets while living in the country and raising her three kids. She documents her daily life and motherhood journey as an American living in Denmark on her channel.

Owens shared a video that went viral, gaining over 2 million views. In the video, she revealed that she and her family have completed a year of living in Denmark. The things that Owens captured in her video guarantee to give the American parents a culture shock. "One year ago, we moved to Copenhagen! This feels like a big moment. How did we get so lucky? I hope we get many many more," Owens wrote in the caption.

Owens starts the video by revealing that the first thing she did after moving to Copenhagen was get rid of their cars and drive around the city on their bikes, like other residents. "Sean's commute used to take 45 minutes in the car and now we get to bike together most of the way," she says sharing footage of herself and her husband riding bikes while holding hands.

The Owens family also chose to live in a smaller apartment and spend more time outdoors with their kids so they don't have to worry much about work related to house maintenance on weekends. "We're free to do what we want," she continued. However, there is yet another life-changing side of relocating to Denmark, which is receiving affordable childcare in the country. "We have affordable, high-quality childcare here, which has completely changed my life. I used to be the full-time caretaker for two with a third on the way, and now, with two kids and daytime care, I'm able to spend quality time with my new baby and be a better mom when the boys come home," she mentioned in the video.

"Children are valued members of society here. They're encouraged to participate in daily tasks to help promote self-sufficiency. They are welcome in most places," she explained. In Denmark, the time and commitment of the parents are valued, kids receive free health care and the parents have paid leaves to take care of their sick children. "Sean has more vacation time here, 36 days, compared to 20. He had 11 at his second and first jobs in the US. So, we get to spend so much more time together and travel more," Owens elaborated.

"Sick days aren't a thing here. You can always take off if your children are sick. We paid nothing out of pocket for our daughter's birth and our other two births cost us about $3,500 each," she continued. "Copenhagen is such a safe place. I leave my kids outside when I go to the bakery. I take my eyes off them at the playground, and I've even lost my wallet. Someone returned it to my mailbox. And last, and certainly the best, I get to eat so many pastries. It's safe to say after a year, everything still feels dreamy."

People on TikTok are in awe to see how different Denmark is from their respective countries when it comes to providing perks to parents and helping them build life and family. @thosewhocanteach0 mentioned, "I lost my wallet in Copenhagen and when I returned to the US, got a package from the Danish Embassy with my wallet and every dollar." @laurenistrying97 questioned, "Trying to convince husband to do this. He's an engineer, so there are jobs there for him. How is affordability for housing? Food?"

@have3kidswilltravel commented, "You're making me want to move to Copenhagen! I don't speak the language though, I think that'd be a main issue for me." @juniperrose lamented, "Crying along with other Americans! I would love to move to Denmark. I am of Danish descent by 3 generations. I wonder if they take me?" Well not everyone might be able to pack their bags and move to a new country in a fraction of a few days, but at least, other countries can take some lessons from Denmark.