An American mom is astounded in being able to safely leave her sleeping baby outside in Denmark, while she goes about doing her duties.
Different cultures have varying approaches to parenting. While some of them may not be very different, certain practices can be quite shocking. Annie—who goes by @annieineventyrland on TikTok—recently shared a surprising parenting practice in Denmark. The creator happens to be an American move who moved to Denmark with her four kids. She frequently shares incidents from her daily life in Denmark and this happened to be one of her more surprising revelations.
She begins the video by saying, "I was just running some errands and the baby fell asleep in the stroller." Annie explains how the baby would start to cry if she tried to bring her up to their apartment. She then steps out onto the balcony and elaborates on how she resides in a country where she can leave her baby unattended in the flat's courtyard.
Viewers then get to see the child in her carriage, sleeping away. Annie concludes, saying, "She can finish up her nap while I take care of things that I need to take care of around the house." Needless to say, individuals on the platform were quite startled at the influencer's revelations and shared their thoughts in the comments section. @buzze6 said, "I know it's safe, but I could never mentally."
@sunfirepoppy shared, "I cannot imagine feeling that level of a sense of safety. Wow, what that would do for my nervous system." @margodarling, said, "My daughter went to school in Copenhagen and they had to warn the US students not to freak out about this." @annbrittsings commented, "I am from Denmark. I believe that the trust in Denmark is one of the reasons they are one of the happiest countries in the world."
The ease with which Annie can leave her child unattended in what would conventionally be a hazardous spot can be attributed to the excellent Danish welfare system that results in increased safety in the country. According to the country's official website, Denmark always seems to be one of the top three happiest countries in the world. The World Happiness Report correlated happiness with social equality and community spirit, where Denmark scores well consistently.
Interestingly, despite the presence of nine major political parties in the country, none of them want to dismantle the welfare system in the country. The primary cause for this is the obscenely high taxes that Danes pay, which amounts to roughly half of an individual's income. Moreover, Danish citizens pay a 25% value-added tax on most things and a jaw-dropping 150% tax when purchasing a new car. However, most citizens will say that they are happy to pay the taxes for what they get in return.
In Denmark, the majority of healthcare services are offered without any cost to patients. University students are exempt from tuition fees and receive financial assistance to support their study-related expenses. Childcare is partially funded, and senior citizens receive pensions along with in-home care assistance from caregivers. The creator's video also stands as a testament to just how well the country is doing in terms of ensuring its citizen's safety and well-being.