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Raising children in Finland (1) Do whatever you want

In the past three years, raising children in Finland, there have been many moments that made me feel happy.

In the past three years, raising children in Finland, there have been many moments that made me feel happy.

Finland is not good at everything, but it does have a lot to offer when it comes to providing a good parenting environment. Although some things are just small details in life, taking care of the needs of mothers and children in small details makes people feel like "little blessings in life".

My number one source of happiness is a simple little thing in life: taking my children out.

Push the cart, go smoothly

I often walk on the road, pushing the cart, for more than two hours, looking around, I will definitely I see mothers pushing strollers like me or even holding older children in front of me or on the street across the street. Sometimes it’s a few mom friends walking on the sidewalk together, and sometimes I see mothers pushing strollers with older children. Some children ride bicycles by themselves, of course on the sidewalk.

I often start from my apartment and walk to the library in the city center, then to a large supermarket to buy groceries, and then slowly walk home. Whether it is a library or a supermarket, it must be easy to access. The stroller walkway replaces the steps and has automatic doors so that strollers can pass smoothly. There must also be sidewalks and bicycle lanes along the way to allow children with strollers and mothers to walk safely and conveniently.

*In large shopping malls, there are elevators for people with disabilities and strollers

We live in a small city, but it is the same in the capital Helsinki. We often wander around the city center , pushing the stroller for two hours, walking east and west, from the lake to the shopping mall, from the store to the nearby alley, all without any hindrance.

Of course, not all places can be accessed by strollers. Some stores have stairs due to the design of the old building itself or other reasons. It may not be easy to push the stroller in, but for my mother, In terms of several important life functions that we often need (grocery shopping in the supermarket, going to the library, walking on the forest trails near our home...), the stroller can indeed be said to allow people to move around unimpeded. < /p>

In addition, within the Helsinki region (including Helsinki and five or six nearby cities), before the child is seven years old, if the child takes a stroller and takes any transportation, the mother/or father who is pushing the stroller will also It’s all free!

Of course, these convenient services vary by location in Finland. For example, the city I currently live in is only two stops away from the Helsinki area, so mothers no longer enjoy the free treatment when pushing a stroller. Although it is convenient to get on and off the platform on the train, the older stair trains or stair trams are just You still need to ask a passerby to help lift the car. Despite this, overall, the flaws outweigh the flaws. Going out with children in Finland is generally very convenient in terms of traffic and road conditions.

Children under six years old have cute train tickets

In Finland, children under six years old can get a free "train ticket" when taking a train, which has various Different patterns include a cat reading a book, a penguin skiing, the protagonist of a famous Finnish children's book, a bear, a bird and other animals.

These train tickets are produced in cooperation with the famous Finnish children's book publishing house Tammi. Although children do not have to pay to take the train, they can have their own "tickets" just like adults. My children, We are still in the stage of playing with tickets, but older children will follow their parents and take their tickets to the automatic ticket stamping machine to have them stamped. I once saw a child doing this. The train conductor and his mother Then he said to the side: "How wonderful this is. I have learned from an early age that I have to buy a ticket and stamp my ticket when getting on the bus!"

Isn't it? Using such a cute ticket and such an interesting way to educate randomly, it's so much OK!

*Son’s cute ticket

In the supermarket, children also have small strollers

When going to the supermarket, in addition to the large stroller having a child seat, Most supermarkets provide strollers for children to help them feel more involved in grocery shopping. There is also a stroller that allows children to "drive". There is a car seat underneath, and there are several baskets on the top for parents to buy enough groceries. It is easy to do everything in one fell swoop. Taking children to the supermarket is a lot of fun. Thing!

Therefore, in Finland, raising children will never be an excuse for mothers to be inconvenient to go out. On the contrary, in most places, children and mothers can happily take a walk and deal with problems. daily routine.

In this little bit of "little happiness" in life, I increasingly cherish and appreciate this simple country and its respect and care for children. At the same time, I once again feel that the so-called convenience Inconvenience really depends on the situation.

In terms of eating, drinking and having fun, when I had no children, I would definitely miss the convenience of Taiwan from time to time. However, after having children, what I value more is the most important thing in life. The basic need for convenience seems to be the simplest "travel". Once it is convenient for mothers to travel with their little toddlers, their living space and freedom will not be limited, and it may not be necessary to have children. It will make life "inconvenient". At least the public facilities are supportive enough. The next step is to look at the habits and needs of the mother and child.

Of course, due to the weather, there are also times when Finland is "inconvenient", such as the cold winter.

The so-called "inconvenience" does not refer to road conditions. Even if it snowed heavily the night before, the snow plows will try their best to clear the snow from the main roads and main sidewalks before the start of the day. Convenient for pedestrians and vehicles to move around.

However, when it is cold and snowy, although the road conditions are still smooth, you have to wrap yourself up in layers of snow clothes just to go out. Thinking about it will make you lazy. I will miss the winter in Taiwan. It is "convenient" and you can go out and bask in the sun even if you pack lightly. Therefore, "convenience" is also a comparative thing, depending on how you look at it.

In short, while learning from others, the most important thing is to cherish the happiness of where you are now.

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* This article is published with the authorization of Nordic Four Seasons Transparent Notes. Reprinting without permission is prohibited

"This article is the opinion of the carefully selected author of the cooperation, and no Represent the position》