5 Amazing Tips for Parenting in Germany & What It’s Been Like Raising My Kids Without Family

Come with me on a heartfelt journey through the intimate experiences of my Canadian expat parenting experiences in Germany. 👨👩👧👦💕
I'll chat about the emotional hurdles of raising kids far from home - longing for family, missed gatherings, and the unique "Expat grief" we've encountered…
And then jump into some incredible lifesaving tips and actions we’ve taken as an international family to flourish here in Germany. 🤩
Follow me on Instagram for more: / lifeingermany_ and / lifeindus
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MY TIPS FOR LIVING IN GERMANY ✅
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📚How I Learn German: bit.ly/3XtuwmL
💼 Entry-level Jobs: bit.ly/workerhero
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01:19 - What it's like for me without my family in Germany
02:50 - Not having a support system here
03:10 - No daily routines with my family
03:49 - 5 INCREDIBLE TIPS FOR YOU!
04:13 - Tip 1 - video chats 💛
04:34 - Tip 2 - ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN!
05:02 - Tip 3 - You need a support system
05:37 - Tip 4 - Embrace EUROPE
07:18 - Tip 5 - Speak German!

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

You know point 5 it’s actually crazy, on Reddit the other day people asked in the expats subreddit, what should I do to succeed as a long term expat in Germany or something like that and without even thinking I commented LEARN GERMAN! And I got soooooo many downvotes. I was astonished. Learning German completely changed my life in Germany.

[@flamedealership]

Same for me after I got rid of all the jubberish I spoke as a baby...🤡🤣💛, though you might (and I know you *will* ) argue with that statement

[@lifeingermany_]

Oh my goodness, I know! Haha I get that all the time too 😂 it really was the fundamental component to me making longer term friends here. 💛 PS. I really need your help and confidence publishing videos in German! My German is half as good as yours 😂 but I always thought it would be amazing practice and I know many of my community members have asked time and time again .. but every time I start filming, I chicken out! 😔 Maybe we could do a collab video one day and publish something where we speak German to each other 😉?

[@flamedealership]

@@lifeingermany_ You're kidding, right? Or is this fishing for compliments? I've not asked you to do videos in German but I think I remember those you already did (hey, I'm old, please help me here. You did one or two, am I right?😉🤡💛). And if my memory serves me well I can't recall any complaints about your German!🥰 You might not be quite up to Lauren's level *yet* but you're certainly not that much behind... But I would love to see the two of you doing one or two videos together. That'll blow the roof off the house!

[@wora1111]

Odd. I look into expats - reddits as well and I often see questions as to how to improve your chances for a well paying job. One of the answers given most often is the advice to learn the language ASAP. Currently I am member of some language groups (meetup). One of them was founded simply to practice German, the other ones prefer different languages but for example when ordering everybody will switch to German and talk with the waiter/waitress in Deutsch When I interviewed people for a job I always did it in German until I was convinced they were willing and able to do the job I wanted to hire them for.

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

@@wora1111 interesting! You were hiring non-Germans in Germany?

[@wallerwolf6930]

Completely important points for being able to live and be happy in another language area! I can't imagine getting along long-term in a country without understanding and speaking the local language reasonably well. You would automatically be isolated and in principle voluntarily! Something like that only creates walls, as is unfortunately often seen in Germany, when people only move within their own culture (want to or even have to?!) and can then expect little understanding from the locals.

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

Three months with your mom!!!!!!! How AMAZING. I’m so happy for you! That is so so so special.

[@lifeingermany_]

I know 🥰🙃🫶 I try and get her out for a few months every other year.. slowly hoping it’ll convince her to stay permanently 😉

[@arnodobler1096]

@@lifeingermany_ viel Glück dabei, Jenna 😉

[@flamedealership]

@@arnodobler1096 Ah, wenn ich mir den Zeitstempel so ansehe, kann ich deinen Kommentar zum Schlaftraining voll und ganz nachvollziehen😁💛. Guten Morgen, Arno!

[@321zipzapzoom]

Got you frau Jenna!

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

Already looking forward to videos with your mom again. She seems such a great person. 2 for the price of 1. I'm all for it.

[@lifeingermany_]

🥰💛 me too!! If there’s anything particular you’d like to hear from her, let me know! 🤩

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

@@lifeingermany_ I'll gladly be surprised. You 2 just have a wholesome vibe around you.

[@martinkasper197]

Als Schwabe ♥️ ich 2 in 1...🤣🤣🤣

[@germankitty]

Oh, FINALLY an expat not living in Berlin or Bavaria! Three cheers for good old NRW! 🙂

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahah 💛

[@pokewagner293]

One cute thing in germany, where you can easy make friends, are PEKIP-groups. Small groups of parents with babys meet one time a week, to play and sing together. The room is extra heated, so that the baby’s must not wear much clothes, so they can move better and get a better contact to their own body. The groups last long, so that the parents get to know each other, which make it easy to make friends there.

[@lifeingermany_]

I also LOVE this concept! I don't know if we have that in Canada, I never really asked! But I am assuming it doesn't exist.

[@kamps-traveling2697]

Vielen lieben Dank für deine Videos. Am Niederrhein ist St. Martin das schönste für Kinder. Am 10.11.23 gibt es wieder den größten St. Martin Zug in Deutschland in der Stadt Kempen. Komm doch mit deiner Familie vorbei und schaue dir das an. Ist nicht weit von Düsseldorf und per Zug zu erreichen. Über 1000 Kinder laufen mit der Fakel durch die Stadt. Es gibt ein Feuerwerk und die Mantelteilung. Nicht erschrecken es ist mehr los wie bei Karneval.

[@BappisVidEditing]

Hi, Jenna! I just watched your video, and I'm truly impressed by your dedication to creating such great content. I believe professional video editing could take your content to the next level. Best of luck with your future content!

[@cuisineofsrilankaofficial]

🎈

[@Kristina_S-O]

Hey Jenna, I'm a German and I raised my 3 kids in Germany. I can absolutely relate to your thoughts about not having your family close to you. Our family was spread all over the north, none lived close to us. Yes, the kids used to spend weekends and vacations with their grandparents, but they never were part of our Alltag. Since we had moved to a new town, we had to start off scratch, just like you. It is not easy to find friends and build a network to support you in Germany.

[@lifeingermany_]

Sometimes I think it doesn't matter how far your family is.. if their not in the same city, they're likely not going to be part of your "Alltag" and you end up missing them just as much as if they were half way across the world. 😞

[@flamedealership]

Ha! Second...😁 nooo, third actually...😢 I'm looking forward to seeing your mom come over and star in new videos. She's always been a hoot so far!💛💛 I think it might be a very good idea to make a video about the advantages and your experiences raising your kids here. As you may know one of your YT collegues, Lauren Angela, will move back to Germany next year and she has some anxiety about that in regard to her kids as she mentionend in a recent video. Tips from you might be well received on her part (as probably on many others as well - but since I know *her* ...). Sadly, I was a little late with my questions. But maybe we can expect a second Q&A video in the near future?

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

Omg Björn don’t Call me out like that 🤣🤣🤣

[@flamedealership]

@@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch Soorryyyyyyy, I can't help trying to care for the people I've connected with when I have the chance. Just thinkin' of clearing the path to your guided tour of Düsseldorf...😉🤡💛

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

@@flamedealership🤣 I’m totally just messing with you, I already put myself on blast with my own videos so no worries. And you are actually right I would love every piece of ‘parenting in Germany / life in Germany with half German half foreign kids’ Jenna has to offer because life in Germany with kids is coming at me faster than I’d like (I wrote out my calendar events for the rest of 2023 today. How is that even possible!!) and I’ll take all of the help / advice I can get. Ok it’s 12 am here so I need to sleep. Night night ✨✨✨

[@flamedealership]

@@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch I knew... Sleep tight💛

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahah my mom is a hoot, isn’t she? Although I roll my eyes at her every now and again… she’s been so helpful at helping me make friends in Germany! She’s so brave and social 😂 I can DEFINITELY make more videos about my mom experiences and advantages of raising kids in Germany soon! 🤩💛

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

Ok sorry to totally spam your video. I will also search your channel for other videos on this topic. Thanks for this video!!!

[@flamedealership]

🤣🤣🤣A Floridian trying to emulate a figure of norse mythology - priceless🤣🤣🤣 On second thought though, spam has more to do with Hawaii, doesn't it?🤡💛 So, actually, close enough

[@flamedealership]

I almost forgot: considering the history of thanksgiving it might be a _little_ odd if we Europeans actually would celebrate that, don't you think? 😁💛 AND even you Canadians argue with your American neighbours about the correct date anyway, don't you?🥰

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahaha I do like the American date of Thanksgiving better!

[@martinkasper197]

We here eat goose, while they in Canada eat moose...🤣🤣🤣 On Thanksgiving you eat turkey, while on Erntedank we sometimes get drunk...

[@Schweinehexe]

Can you talk about two languages teaching them? Like German and English? I started teaching my son English and now mixed German but now Im scared if he gets confused

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

Ok so you can make friends at the Kita? Are there like events to get to know the other parents😅 or is it just that you get to know each other in the comings and goings in the morning/afternoon? I am quite nervous on the friend making front 😅

[@Otrollolol]

in german kitas, there are a lot of family events, like st martin, nikolaus, christmas party, easter fire, sommerfest and the list goes on. you will get in contact with other parents automaticly. you also will get in contact with other parents for organizing stuff. my mum is still friends with some of the mums from my kita and my last kita day was about 26 years ago.

[@lifeingermany_]

Umm.. Lauren! First of all… I just watched a couple of your videos and I am just FLOORED! Your German is unfreakinbelievable! It’s insane. I’m like flabbergasted 🤯🤩 you are amazing! So my answer to your question would be… YOU will absolutely make friends at Kita 🥰🤩 Depending on the Kita some do more and some do less… we have a few bigger social events (one for Sankt Martin, a Muttertag Café, and a Sommerfest). However, I’d have to say that I met most of my friends via kids birthday parties! Before they turn 4/5 years old, it’s common for the parent to attend the party too (in Düsseldorf at least). This is where we really had the chance to connect. 🥰

[@lifeingermany_]

This is such a nice message to read 🥰💛

[@wora1111]

Germans have the same situation/problem when you move to a new town. Kids goto to Kita and show you their friends when you pick them up. Then you start recognizing their parents when you accidentally meet at the Spielplatz. Then you just start talking with the parents because the kids are busy playing with each other. Then the kids are invited to each other's birthday parties. Picking them up takes an hour because you have to talk about some minor details for the next party or gossip about the twins of another neighbor. And suddenly you notice your kids finished elementary school and you still hang out with parents of kids you have not seen for quite some time. That is the moment when you should notice you made some friends ....

[@flamedealership]

@@wora1111 This is THE answer to a troubled mind. Lauren had expressed her bewilderment of not having made friends during her first pregnancy in her recent video on her English channel. I'm very sure this'll help her a lot!🥰🥰

[@Sabu1703]

Dein Deutsch mag nicht perfekt sein...aber es macht Dich sympathisch, dass Du Dich bemühst. Viele Menschen tun das nicht und reden dann auch nur in ihrer Muttersprache. Kanadier sind im Allgemeinen sehr höflich, offen und entspannt. Zumindest sind das meine Erfahrungen :)

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

Deswegen, passen sie auch sehr gut nach Deutschland...

[@rj.vir.singh.]

Heyy , really nice video, I was wondering if I can help you by better video editing and also make highly engaging short. Let me know to have my portfolio or your edited sample video. Cheers, Rajvir Singh

[@arnodobler1096]

Oh First? 🏆

[@feedbackolymp546]

I am German and love your videos. Germany would be an even better place with more canadien families here. The most german people would like to have english speaking friends to learn from each other. It makes so much more fun. But please make sure they are friends an not "Bekanntschaften". 😉 Have a nice day. Greetings from Bavaria.

[@Sabu1703]

Red doch deutsch mir ihr ;) sie versteht es :P

[@lifeingermany_]

😂🤫

[@lifeingermany_]

Thank you so so much for your sweet message, really! 🥰

[@feedbackolymp546]

@@lifeingermany_ I am from Bavaria. You wouldnt understand anything 😉😂😂. Maybee Brezn und Bier. 😉