5 THINGS THAT SHOCKED ME ABOUT PARENTING IN GERMANY 🇩🇪

Hi guys welcome to my channel!
I'm Antoinette a New Zealander living with my husband and our two children in Germany.
Raising my kids in Germany has been a wonderful, crazy, eye-opening experience, and in this video, I share some of the things that shocked me at first about motherhood in Germany.
If you enjoyed this video then don't forget to like and subscribe for new videos every week.
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[@bjorn-falkoandreas9472]

Judging by old family albums I didn't own any clothes for the first three years of my life.

[@rebelforever5538]

Lool😂

[@ekaterinechartolani]

Björn-Falko Andreas 😂😂😂

[@maxkongo8747]

Try seven .haha

[@katievonolendorp5894]

🤣🤣🤣

[@nadinerick1182]

Hihi, yes, totally. And it seemed as if I hated pants until I was two or three years old. I have a large number of pictures of me only wearing an undershirt. Didn't help that I was born in summer - I learned to walk and run as soon as it became warm outside, so my cousins spent quite some time trying to find my clothes again while I was running around naked in the garden.

[@deshoevfonich6760]

Im Alter von 7 musste ich bis 19h daheim sein, zumindest im Sommer. Im Winter spätestens, wenn die Straßenlaternen angegangen sind. Würde nicht sagen, dass es an der Sicherheit liegt, eher am vertrauen, welches wir unseren Kindern entgegen bringen. Mein Sohn ist 5 und läuft in der Nachbarschaft selbstständig zu seinen Freunden. Er muss sich jedoch abmelden und bekommt den Auftrag, den Eltern des Freundes zu sagen, bis wann er daheim sein soll. Aber auf dem Dorf, wie hier, ist es sicher etwas anderes, als in einer Stadt. Des weiteren gibt es hier einen Spruch "den Hund erzieht der Besitzer, ein Kind das ganze Dorf" 😊

[@DanieltheWolf76]

Ich und meine Freunde haben immer die Laternen ausgetreten.😂😂😂😂

[@jessicamangelsdorf4416]

Der Spruch "it takes a village to raise a child" bedeutet nicht, dass das Kind auf dem Dorf aufgewachsen ist, sondern dass es viele verschiedene Leute/Einflüsse braucht, um ein Kind zu erziehen

[@deshoevfonich6760]

@@jessicamangelsdorf4416, da schätze ich mal, dass der Text Nicht richtig gelesen worden ist. Ich habe mit keinem Wort erwähnt, dass das so interpretiert wird.

[@DanieltheWolf76]

@@deshoevfonich6760 Es braucht die Gesellschaft. 😏

[@DanieltheWolf76]

@@jessicamangelsdorf4416 Haste Recht. ✋😊

[@omegajoule]

I think the reason children can go out unsupervised is that in Germany there's ALWAYS someone watching you and no hesitation when it comes to old ladies inserting themselves into anyones business. 😂

[@SuperPuddingcat]

I'm an old(ish) lady and if i see a young child out on its own i will always keep an eye on it until it passes out of sight.

[@sabine563]

Referring to kids in public places on their own: I think the difference between Germans and other cultures is that one of our major goals in education is to raise our kids to be independent and confident. As you maybe know even school encourages the parents to let the children walk to school without parents. It's considered and important step in growing up.

[@sarahhasberg8229]

No I disagree. I thought this before I started my work as social worker but now I work with women from Nigeria and Ghana and their children. They let the village raise their children. Even if they live in a big city. :D they are so much on their own even if they are in the age wearing Pampers that's nothing sweet like letting the children alone on the playground

[@karainii]

I will become this old lady once 😂

[@nosyalhassny8021]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@CHarlotte-ro4yi]

I remember being able to go to the playground on my own starting at the age of six maybe even younger. We were allowed to play in the street where we lived and go to the playground in groups of children or with my younger brother. We always had to tell my parents exactly where we would go and when we would be back. That’s why I got my own little watch at the age of six to be able to monitor the time. There was no such thing as a mobile phone involved, just a time set to be home and clear boundaries on where to go. It taught us freedom, responsibility and the fact that our parents trusted us.

[@wtsalive8210]

C Harlotte Exactly! Our advantage in our past was, that we could play „on the street“ due to less traffic. Hey and I remember, that I was sooo proud to have MY own watch and to known how to read it. There were no digital watches.

[@henrietteneuschwander219]

I'm 16 now, but it is still possible where I live. It's a rather remote area.

[@frs-01-35]

That is the way how I raise our kids (now 10 and 9). We live in a play street (where cars have to go slowly and drivers have to expect children playing on the street) and our kids have been allowed to play in this whole area since they were about 5. They always have to come home first and tell me if they want to go to a friend's house or garden, and they always do. They have also been allowed to go to the nearest playground in pairs for quite a while. It's all about teaching responsibility and building trust.

[@furzkram]

Yeah that's pretty much how it worked for me too.

[@swanpride]

My parents were kind of sneaky...they built a swing in the garden and in summer there was some sort of pool (not a real one, but big enough for children to have fun in). Basically while is was usual that we were out and about in the neighbourhood, more often than not we all ended up in our garden anyway, since it was such a paradise for children. Plus, we had the nicest neighbours of them all.

[@lauradegenhardt721]

When I grew up in Germany I had to wait until my mom woke up and then I left the house only to come home to eat and drink. I ate some fruits and vegetables in the yard so I didn't need to go inside. We also peed outside. I am thankfull I grew up under the sun and not over a screen.

[@christinezell5218]

I grew up in the States and I am raising 4 kids in Germany. What I love most here is exactly what you, Antoinette, have been saying. Showing the kids that you have confidence in them, and trust them to walk to/from school or even kindergarden, to spend time at a playground alone is such an important signal. How would we have turned out if our parents had never let us take steps that were unsupervised and not organized by adults? Many of my American school friends monitor their kid's lives, even their phone. How would we have felt if our parents had listened to our phone calls, read our letters, traced our whereabouts, organized all our ways, etc. ????? About the nakedness: kids are naked at lakes, rivers, etc., and normally not because their Moms forgot the bathing suits. Actually only the really small ones like toddlers are required to wear the swim diapers for hygienic reasons. All that is fine with me, but there is one thing I do not go to : European Saunas. People of all shapes, genders, and ages naked in one small room - Wow!!!!

[@riyasingh2729]

What problem do different shapes create in shavanas?That's racist,and don't be sexist,both genders can be together nak*d,no problem

[@JujuManiac666]

You wouldn't believe how polite people are, when they are buck naked. You will not witnessing someone making a fuss about anything or harrasing someone while themselves being naked. So me and my wife really like this about our Spas, you MUST be naked inside the saunas or the swimming pool in a spa and that creates a really calm and relaxed atmosphere.

[@luckyqualmi]

As a kid there aren't many worse things than helicopter parents. ^^

[@lottepetterson8413]

No, I do not agree. Worse parents are parents who do not care at all about their child and neglect it.

[@luckyqualmi]

@@lottepetterson8413 You should read my comment again. ;) Pay attention to "not many worse things" ... which means indeed there are a few. You just gave an example, so you can't disagree with me. :D

[@lottepetterson8413]

@@luckyqualmi I still diasgree as I do not find helicopter parents bad for children at all.

[@RandomPerson-yq1qk]

@@lottepetterson8413 How can any child start to become an independent human being if the parents never give a chance to be independent? There will come a time where the kid becomes responsible for itself and when that happens you better hope that it learnt to become independent or it will have to learn very quickly. Because of this there needs to be a balance in parenting. Of course children need support and involvement from the parents, but overdoing it means that children wont have a chance to learn things themelves, making mistakes is an importnat step in learning. lf you dont believe me there is a big amount of scientific research that overwhelmingly shows that overactive parenting exists and is detrimental for children even psychologically. I can give you some sources if you want, but just googling will quickly give you some results like this psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-04960-001 I think it is easy to see why this can be especially psychologically damaging in puberty. A teenager naturally tries to become more independent in puberty. It is an important phase of emotional developement where a persons self-percieved role in society changes from a child to a grown up person. Supressing this developement by not alloing any self-governing cant end well. Also puberty doesnt naturally happen a second time so the damage cant be easily repaired.

[@RandomPerson-yq1qk]

In case I didnt make this clear though, this does not mean that quite intensive parenting is bad. One can have a big involvement in the childs development as long as one supports it. Helping when needed, but hopefully only when asked, showing the kid that one is present, explaining why some hard work is needed, encouraging in education. Of course appropriate amounts of control is also needed. The balance lies in the fact that this should lessen when the child grows up and to be encouraging instead of controlling. Edit: Maybe helicopter parenting can be an ambiguous phrase here, but I think I made clear what I meant.

[@ared-ainu]

I think it is the weird perception that bodies are somehow inherently and foremost sexual. We don't see it that way here. Bodies are first of all bodies. They are sexual once you use them in that intimate way.

[@rehea.9559]

@@lepez1324 Ignorant as expected. If you see it in another way, fine. But calling it degenerate isn't very nice though ^^

[@juleschrader5785]

Hi. When your child is six year old she goes to school. After the First Werks i went alone to school, every morning with my friends. This was great. So i think This is the perfect time to teach your child to Go alone to playgrounds, or buy Something in a little Supermarkt or visit the neighbour. IT depends a little where you Live but If you forget to train your children in that age to be Independent , i think you might become a Helicopter Parent. That is too much Stress for everyone;)

[@1029blue]

It seems to be much less common for kids in countries like the U.S. to go to school on their own. They are usually taken by the parents or they take a designated school bus, whereas, growing up in Germany, I always walked to school on my own, once I knew the way, and took buses (ones that don't wait for kids to show up) to school on my own, once I attended secondary school. If I wanted to visit friends, I walked, rode my bike, or took public transportation when I was older. I understand that distances are larger in the U.S. and public transportation can be more rare, but kids seem so coddled in the U.S. It seems like they are very much dependent on their parents as their private drivers. I am glad that my parents gave me so much freedom and the responsibility to be punctual and be home at the agreed upon time. Same goes for traveling. It's not uncommon for teenagers to travel around Europe without their parents. I don't think U.S. parents would ever let their non-adult kids travel on their own. It must be much harder to get used to being an adult when you are suddenly expected to go places on your own and be punctual and reliable, to watch out for your own safety, etc. when you never had to do so because others were taking care of of those things for you.

[@quittenfee42]

Why shouldn't kids pee on a tree whe every dog can pee there?

[@walther7147]

Kiki Lula my little daughter didn’t make it from our home to the market without peeing behind a bush. She had no nappies anymore. What should I do?

[@truffaut650truffaut6]

Because a child is not a dog.

[@maxmichalik4938]

@@truffaut650truffaut6 Why should children have fewer rights than dogs?

[@sheliak4576]

@@maxmichalik4938 not a question of "rights" but not everybody gets that

[@NKA23]

@@sheliak4576 When you have to pee, you HAVE to pee.

[@xenias5618]

At the age of 7 or 8 I really went with my twin to the playground and back. Our parents said to be early at home and we came at the right time back. When you are living in a small village, everybody knows everybody. When you go to the playground there always is a person you know. You also know not to take the public toys with you. Because nobody has to need to steal it. I am happy to had a such wonderful childhood.

[@rainbowpony3999]

I am from vienna, and yes my 7-year old can go to the playground on his own. Im usually not far away, like in the cafe or park nearby or so. But i trust him to run around on his own. I also trust other parents or people nearby. AND from the age of four onwards i have taught him not follow anybody home or into a car... He knows about bad people and the tricks they might use. He knows to shout and scream loudly if anybody dared to hold him or pull him away. “You are not my father/mother!“ is important here to say, so people will react quicker. I think he would even punch a guy in the face if harassed. 😊 When there are big crowds he always has my telefone number written on his arm. He knows he must go to a woman with children and ask her to call me. Very useful!!😉

[@uusrano]

In which district do you live?

[@martinweihrauch2379]

Thanks for your kind video! As a child in Germany in the 70s/80s, I was biking with a friend alone through the village, fields etc - I guess I was 7 or 8. Now as a parent, we were driving our kids often from A to B (helicopter parenting). A father of my childhood friend recently said: "in those old days, maybe 1 of 10,000 kids would die compared to nowadays because of playing unsupervised, but the other 9,999 had a happier childhood than kids these days!"

[@WeeFreeGinny]

I grew up in the 80/90 in the German countryside and I think once I had learned to ride a bike my parents didn't know anymore where I was half of the time.

[@jorgschimmer8213]

To be the perfect german 😋😂i have to mention it is technical forbidden to pee in public. Age doens't matter. But nobody care, especially the police when it comes to little kids.

[@swanpride]

True story: When I was a child, my parents travelled with me to New York. Among other things we visited the World Trade Center (yes, I am oooooold) and me being a child realized that I really had to pee just as we left the building. Since my father neither wanted to pay for the entrance again plus knew that it could be some time to get me to a restroom (it was extremely crowded that day), he just grabbed me and let me pee in one of the flower pots in front of it (in a somewhat secluded corner). So technically I peed at the original World Trade Centre once.

[@jorgschimmer8213]

@@swanpride . Amazing Story. Thanks for sharing.

[@Daisuke571989]

Basically it is not qiuet correct. Peeing in public would be an administrative offense an not tort law, therefore its more than a rule than a forbidden thing. However, this technical difference does not matter as children do not act intentionally, therefore they cannot be punished by law or by administration. It has nothing to do wit "nobody cares", actually thats wrong, either, cause there is a large number who wants to forbid children to pee in public.

[@shaclo1512]

I‘m a german policeman, I sue the shit out of people peeing outside, no matter what age.

[@katievonolendorp5894]

@@shaclo1512 ...until a pack of mothers will get you for letting your kid pee into its pants and became wound skin of it and even maybe a bad cold just to avoid peeing in public. 🤷🏽‍♀️ 😉

[@furzkram]

Kids on playground all by themselves: I remember at some age my parents would increase the distance I could be away from home very slowly. And when the time came that I was allowes to go to the playground alone, after staying there for too long and missing lunch a couple of times, I was gifted a watch. Mechanical, hand windable and also automatic. And with a day date complication. It wasn't a really expensive watch but for my parents it must have been quite an amount and not easy to afford. Anyway, I learned reading the watch and also monitoring the time, and keeping in mind I had an "appointment" I couldn't miss. I also list the watch one day because one of the springbars broke and it fell off my arm unnoticed. I managed to find it by walking back the exact same way again and again after hours. Man was I relieved. And so I learned to pay attention and care about my stuff.

[@mel_9917]

Wow I have never ever seen such kind of boxes at the playgrounds😳😍

[@Sophieihp]

Melanie 9917 We have it at many playgrounds in my area (NRW)

[@mel_9917]

@@Sophieihp I live in Hessen😅

[@Skeatboart]

Bavaria has them too

[@furzkram]

Both my parents needed to work, my mom worked half a day like from 8 to 14, during this my granny looked after me, she was living round the corner of the block. My dad was a truck driver and at home only on the weekends. I was mighty proud I was given more and more freedom bit by bit, I was let loose for a limited time, and the distance and locations I was allowed to go to was slowly increased. So my parents kinda knew where to look for me in case I was missing. I could go to granny, to a playground friends home, to the playground, to school unattended after my parents had walked with me and waited to pick me up a couple of times. They would occasionally follow me secretly to see if everything went ok, and after gaining trust, I only shouldn't miss being home at the said time at latest. Else my rights were drastically limited again. That way I learned.

[@ajjasmin]

To me Parents refuse to not let their kids go on there one as they become very self-confident at a young age. That gives the kids a feeling of self-responsibility and leads to a easier Timemanagement for the mother. Especial when there is more than one kid to care for.

[@andarted]

I think the most effective way to build a save society/environment is give the children an authentic conviction that the society/environment is a save place. Societies are becoming unsafe if people act out of fear. No one thinks he/she/it is a villain. Where does violence come from, if no one thinks he/she/it is a villain? Because they think the others are villains and so they have to defend themself against this imaginary villains. The only way to get out of this circle is by convincing as many children as possible that the environment is a save place. And like magic, the environment will inevitably become a save place. The Status Quo is not a broken system. The Status Quo is that everyone is happy. And if something isn't fair, then that's a problem that have to be solved. That's of course just my humble opinion. And that doesn't mean that society isn't a much more complex thing, but the basic concept is an important pillow of a solidary community.

[@Ninitschga]

andarted I know your advice comes from a positive place but unfortunately this world is not an entirely safe place. I live in a northern german city and there are definitely some things I am very honest and open about with my kids. I don’t like them to talk to strangers when I‘m not around. (My seven year old walks to school by herself.) There is a place near the inner city where people openly(!) deal drugs & are usually under the influence of something. So my kids know NOT to talk to them, not to look directly at them etc. cause there were incidents where they become aggressive or just irritated and lash out at people etc. The most effective way to build a safe environment for kids is to tell them the truth and offer or help them find solutions.

[@walther2492]

At the age of 6, we spent whole days playing outside without adults. Climbing rocks, going into the woods, building dams at smal creeks... we had wounded knees, bloody noses, broken arms... and the next day we did the same again. I think its absolutly correct to take care of your children and show them their boundaries, but its also really important that they learn a lot by theirselfs. To get more independent, to know what they are capeable of, to learn what are their own limits and to grow self-confidence. Thats the reason why my kids are growing up the same way as i did and i can see it is the right decission. Because nowadays, i encounter so many teenager and even young adults who are not able to manage any problems when they are out of their comfort zone. (I have quite often interns, apprentices or holiday workers.)

[@Suppendrache]

My son just turned 4 two weeks ago and is already going to the playground with some kids from the village, on his own ;-) But they are 8 years old and picking him up. And we normally spend our holidays camping in former East-Germany, where it is absolutely common to be naked. There are even family-friendly-nudist sites. Nudity is natural. And children need their space and freedom. I have spend my childhood being outside with friends on our own.

[@hollysway94]

I’ve been learning english in kindergarten too ^^ It also was voluntary but we had to learn English in school since 3rd grade. In 7th grade kids normally learn a second foreign language. So if you leave school (and learn hard ^^) you can speak 3 different languages and I think that’s amazing :)

[@shaclo1512]

I‘m German, 29 years old and I still run around naked in the city. #justgermanthings 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@FabFunty]

Ach Du bist das 🤣

[@liboufidi]

Lol😂😂 Das ist sehr schön

[@tigre3droyce771]

@@FabFunty Ne, dass war ich

[@Lea-ep1bi]

Suma Dehrmann At least we have no problem with teen-pregnancies, because no one is afraid of their sexuality.

[@shaclo1512]

I‘m German and i‘m afraid of my sexuality.

[@folkehoffmann1198]

I think the "playground thing" depends on the area you live in. I grew up in the village and I remember walking like 1 kilometer to the bakery on the weekends together with my best friend when I was like 5 I think. We were three kids from my street in our group in kindergarten and when I was like 6 we would even walk home from kindergarten by ourselves (a little more than 1 kilometer). Same thing when we started school. For the first few weeks a parent would come with us to show us away and after that the three of us would go by ourselves or with the older kids from our street. And we would be out in the street by or on the playground by ourselves all the time. I live in a big city now and I would love to be able to give my future children the same liberty that I had as a kid but my living situation does not only depend on me. Here I would definitely not want to let my future kids run around the neighborhood by themselves. There are just to many alcoholics, drug dependents, and other really strange people hanging out in our neighborhood (sometimes they even scare me as an adult) and I think that sometimes people also find things like syringes at the playground. During the last three years I have been working for several kindergartens in all kinds of different neighborhoods of the city I live in and there has never been a child being allowed to leave kindergarten without an adult.

[@SD-ko4tz]

What shocked me most about Germany is the amount of books they have to cary to school at a young age. And the amount of homework. In the Netherlands they have a bit of homework starting from six, but it only really starts at 12.

[@mairas5946]

You are such an adorable person!! I love to see and hear how you handle so positively to live in a "foreign" country. You don't build protecting walls around you, but you take so much as a chance to grow. That's amazing and in my eyes you are a role model. :)

[@typxxilps]

Going home alone from schoOl started at age of 7 cause in first grade older pupils led us a huge part of the way which was in total about 3 km and with a huge crossing leading to the railway station. The freedom for adventures are part of german parenting, growing and conquering the world starting with the neighbourhood.

[@RoxGirl88]

I remember that I had to wait until I was 6 Years old to be allowed to walk from my Grandmother's House to the Kindergarten alone, because my said it was to dangerous traffic wise to walk alone from Home to Kindergarten and so I had to wait until I got in to the 1st first Grade of Elementary School and had to listen to the Police Man and the Teacher, when they tought us the Rules of the Traffic, for example to look left, right, left and then cross the Street! And then I was allowed by my Parents to walk alone or with Friends to School and back Home and also to the Playground!

[@michaelknulle6924]

In my childhood during the mid 60and beginning 70th my parents and other parents from my friends too wants us to go out and play to become self reliand .and so to speak it worked well.and about learning english in kindergarten ist pretty cool and in my eyes its an advantage for the entire life.i ve only learn english for4years about 39years ago and thats way not enough .by the way like the work you are doing whith your channel !its my favorite one

[@georgmeyer7221]

Hi, Antoinette, I love your videos and your cute kiwi dialect. I find it great that you speak with your children only English and obviously your husband German. Never again it will be so easy for the kids to learn 2 languages at the same time. My daughter in law is American and they live in Australia. My son speaks with their son only German and my daughter in law only English. The kid is three years old now and it is amazing to see how he speaks with his parents in their different languages. He turns his head to his father and speaks German and then turns his head to his mother and speaks English, incredible! And on Skype he speaks German with us, his grandparents. Warm greetings from Hannover, Germany

[@carstekoch]

It is technically forbidden to pee in public and it depends where you are at. You wouldn't pee on a tree on an other persons property or at the side of a street. In parks or forests however it's pretty much fair game, just do it a row or two behind the first tree line :)

[@thomaswolf2896]

Is it forbidden ? you know a specific law?

[@carstekoch]

@@thomaswolf2896 It counts as "Erregung öffentlichen Ärgernisses". So If someone wanted to they could call the police on you. Of course the saying "Wo kein Kläger da kein Richter" (where there is no plaintiff there is no judge) is very true with this case. That's why I said "technically".

[@purkinja07]

I always find it disturbing if people say it's not ok for kids to pee in public. What about dogs? 🤔😉

[@newbeginnings8566]

If someone makes a big effort to be non offensive and not on public/private buildings. No policeman is not going to waste time if a person has had to go and done so discreetly. For ladies it's just a bit trickier. Do cats and dogs cross their legs?

[@typxxilps]

No one cares if a child is peeing in public. The problems are the drunken adults peeing in public at festivals of every kind. And there it becomes an "Ordnungswidrigkeit" which ends in a usually 10€ fine . That puts pressure on them to use public toilets. If they don't pay things escalate level by level up to court and that'll make it far more expensive above 100€.

[@mathiasfuicabrevis1245]

Hi Antoinette, what u just said about the toys that belong to the playground- ur exactly right by recognizing the idea behind it that kids are encouraged sharing toys. it is not so that Germans are honest all the way round but these concepts help opening the people's and kid's minds to somehow be better persons by sharing and playing together etc. We liked these concepts when our son was little, and he 4 example is sharing things and is not one of those keeping and crying " no, it is mine" :-) greetings 2 ur husband and ur adorable kids from Mathias and fam Jena, Thuringia

[@eastfrisianguy]

I grew up in a village and here it was common for the children to be able to play outside without being guided. Of course we made bullsh*t too, but that rarely remained a secret in the village :D My mother accompanied me to school for a week and afterwards I was allowed to go alone. I was 5 years old when I went to preschool. That is quite normal in Germany! I am 31 years old and in my time they taught English from the 5th grade. A second foreign language could be chosen from the 7th grade (I had two years of French lessons). My cousin is four years younger and she already had English lessons in 1st grade and I think that's brilliant!

[@mortisCZ]

There have always been some aunts, uncles to see our shinenigans. It's a part of village life in central Europe. All those older ladies with ears of cats and eyes of hawks tracing our every mischief and telling everyone else how terrible children we are. :-D

[@snaffers9309]

I never saw toy boxes on playgrounds in Germany. But a cool idea. My kids were all allowed to walk around in a small area from 5 on, area growing as the kids did. The first time you let them explore a new area gives you not the best feelings, but your kid us proud that you trust him to have a bigger area to explore. Having to solve problems out there by themselves makes them trusting in their abilities and get self-confident. I as a child in the 80s loved to stroll around all over town - and there is no way I could take this fun experience from my kids. So I just ignore my silly mother-fears and let them go, without phone and only knowing which area they are allowed to and when they should be back. Up to now none of them ever disappointed me. Nor did society, to whom I trust then, too.

[@autohmae]

In the Netherlands, nudity of adults is also more open, not just the kids. Not sure if the toys thing would work in The Netherlands. :-) Kids on their own is also pretty common I think in The Netherlands, the little boys and girls are send to school on their bike pretty early. Love that in The Netherlands we don't overdub movies, but use subtitles, I think this really helps with learning languages as well. I wonder if in The Netherlands we would have a use for that, seems they do it pretty early in Germany. Interesting !

[@FreekVerkerk]

The toy box is actually a good idea. I think it will definitely also work in the Netherlands. When the children get older, as a parent you have to ask yourself, what to do with their toys, save them for the grandchildren or actually donate them to the neighboring youth and leave the toys in the playground box. Great German idea. Also for the Netherlands, May be it is just in Antoinettes direct environment because i have not seen this at the playgrounds that my daughter visits in Germany.

[@autohmae]

​@@FreekVerkerk That's great to hear you think it will work, it makes me happy. :-) Yes, that is probably how it works in a community get the old and still good toys together.

[@KoldingDenmark]

@autohmae l grew up with dubbed German television, as we only had one chanel ourselves up untill 1986/87. I never watch German television anymore. I cannot stand the dubbing.

[@autohmae]

@@KoldingDenmark The dubbing is kind of silly and not very educational. :-(

[@schokosmartiekuchen]

I live in Frankfurt, the city almost every one in Germany thinks it is most dangerous. And even I was raised to be independent. I was visiting my friends around the corner or met them at the playground alone when I was 5/6. I went to the bakery alone when I was 5. And went to elementary school from first grade on by myself. It's important that you don't hang on your kids too much like helicopter parents

[@furzkram]

I also remember I was sent to the local grocery stores and butcher to buy certain things my mom needed for cooking etc, so she had the time to do other chores while I was waiting until it was my turn in the queue at the butcher or at the grocery shop.

[@Cera3]

hehe yes, my little brother was allowed to buy the bread rolls for the weekend's breakfasts at the age of 5 and I had the honor to operate the coffee maker. We both were very excited everytime while our parents could stay in bed for ten-ish more minutes ;)

[@victorialo8992]

I just wanted to congratulate you on your video! It warms my heart that coming from another culture and being used to things being done differently you are still so open to learning new things especially regarding such a sensitive topic as parenting! Some people get really ideological about that which makes your openness especially wonderful! What a benefit to your kids and KZbin viewers alike!

[@victorialo8992]

And I really love the comments/experiences here as well

[@germanvisitor2]

The toys on playgrounds are usually from children who got to old for them and the parents did not know any children who would want them. So they do not really belong to the playground and it does not really matter _that_ much if someone takes them.

[@katievonolendorp5894]

My generation grew up wild and free. In the morning we got up early, wemt to school, back home in noon, had lunch, did out homeworks and then, we went out to play with our friends amd had to return for dinner at 6pm, in winter when street light were on. And my generation, most of them, is able to think clearly, act like an adult and brave enough to drive by car through a city where we have never been and use google to find out what we need to know. Lots of us saw how kids of heli parents behave. They are often not able to grow adult. I met some... terrible memories! One should bake some frozen (your favourite word...😄) Brötchen for the crew. Not too difficult. Get the bag out of the fridge, get out the buns out of the bag, put them into the oven which was switched on at a temperature which is found on the bag and also the endurance to let them bake in the oven, right? This guy opened the fire place, did not remive the covers, switched them all on and put the plastic bag onto it. What he did was noticed by a crew member when dark smoke was coming out of the kitchen. This guy was not stupid. He even had the Abitur (he finished Highschool) but he never learned to help himself and how to get informations he needs. He even was not aware that he was missing informations...🙄 I met lots of his kind. A result of heli parents who did everything for them and did not let a child make it's own experiences, even when they sometimes hurt. People care for each other's kids and parents amd kids in neighbourhood know each other. So kids can go out for playing for 2, 3 or even 4 hours on their own and explore their little world and make it bigger and bigger the more they grow up. When I was 5 my territory was our little street and the gardens behind. When I was 7 it was an area of about 500m. When I was 10 it has been about 3 villages around. With 13 it was a little town and some villages around and when I was 15 I explored Hamburg (1,8 million cizizens) with my friends and sometimes on my own. It made me brave enough to try out things I never did and learn new things like cooking my own dishes without burning down the house which was helpful to my busy mom. Heli kids are not able to do such things. And when German parents saw how divided the kids became in able and unable, some of them said that they force themselves to let them their kids grow up as free as they have grown up. Others cannot let go and they always want to be im command. So, if someone wants to harm a child, for examole sexual abusive, they find kids everywhere. They can break into houses. They can grab a kid in kindergarten or whereever. And most abusive cases happen in the own family. So no guarantee to grow up a kid safely by being a helicopter mom. But it is a guarantee that exactely this harms a kid in behaviour. I am up to 50 now and I see kids play at the river, in the woods, on the fields and in the streets. And I mostly know which child belongs to which house. And if I see someone strange walk through the street while I work in my garden or walk ma dogs I take care what he is doing: searching for a house number or talking to a kid? I have two big dogs who alert every stranger. So my beighbours kids are safe! 😁🙏🏻😉😂 By the way: lots of kids are out with dogs. Best natural protectors and fantastic friends! Ma guide Ulysses, an Irish setter, made strange people walk around me in a large distance. 😂😂😂

[@rubij1989]

When I moved to Faroe islands I was nervous about putting my baby to sleep outside in her pram. Now I love it, she is dressed warm and I can do cleaning while I heat her sleeping in the monitor. Nordic and Scandinavia have some good ideas for babies and toddlers. Also what shocked me was seeing kiss go by themselves to the center of town at 6 years old and taking the bus alone. They go play until 12 or 1am in the summer because it is bright out and we only get a bit of darkness in the summer.

[@Wienerblutable]

There is actually not a lot to fear for children from strangers, if something bad happens it’s 99% from people they know.

[@songfortwomusic9278]

My son goes to the playground on his own all the time. It is just a very very short bike ride. He loves it! It gives him much convidence to do that ride on his own. He has been going since he was five.

[@sophiesunstone8235]

I was always at the playground the whole day long. its normal😂 when its getting darker I headed home and since first grade i was alone on my way to school since it was 10 min away

[@helfgott1]

May be thats why german trees are so green...??? Well when i was a little boy i was playing ball with my friends in front of our house.Now kicking the ball real hard i broke the neighbors window.The old lady living there was real angry and started shouting. I was scared knowing i made a big mistake and ran home. I told my father expecting him to be mad at me. He smiled took my hand and we walked over to the old lady. I didnt want to go there expecting to get more shouting. My father told the lady that he is going to pay for the window and that he will organize the repair. So all by sudden the lady got real friendly offering cookies.When i was back home my father asked me how i felt. I told him i was releaved and that i was very sorry about all this. He said: Remember honesty pays of. From that day on the lady was waving at me whenever she saw me. I just learned that to be honest is worth it. It was a good lesson for the last 55 years and i still do remember this Please say hello to NZ from Germany

[@naturesweety]

Basically Germany is in the 70's and 80's! I remember all of this from back then :o) Us as parents need to have more trust in our children and allow them to explore on their own. It helps so much with the development of their brains. If we are hovering them constantly they grow up never having the trust and confidance in themselves. And I see that so much in children today. We need to go back to how it was. I LOVE that Germany parenting is the way it is!!!

[@kathieschatziie]

Studying to become an elementary school teacher has taught me that it really is necessary to put trust in your children, so they learn at a young age how to solve problems on their own. Parents that like bring the children to school every day and always go with them to the playground make their children so dependent on them. Also especially the walk to school and going to the playground alone should cause the kids to learn social interaction, because usually even if they walk without their parents, some kid always lives nearby so the two of them share the same way and they'd always walk together. Walking the way to school or going to the playground by themselves let's them explore the world further. They touch house walls, leaves hanging onto the sidewalk, can smell flowers, all of which they cannot do when they're driven to school by their parents. With solving problems I meant something like what happens when work on the sidewalk is being done and they have to change the side they're walking on. Or how to manage time by being responsible to not come too late. What you said in the video about learning English in kindergarten is very interesting. It's not the rule to teach children a foreign language in kindergarten, but the number of bilingual or even trilingual kindergartens is rising. (Where I live there is a kindergarten where they speak German, English and Turkish.) To become an elementary school teacher, I have to study two subjects, one of them is English. There I learned that children don't actively learn a new language at that age. They just have a sense for what is said in a different language. This way they're able to acquire the language rather than simply learn it. We as adults lose the ability to differentiate between similar sounds, that is why it's so hard for Germans to pronounce the th-sound (usually it gets pronounced as t-, d- or s-sound so thinking sounds more like tinking or sinking and that is because these sounds are all produced similarly having your tongue touch the back of the upper teeth), when they learn the language later in life. Children have not yet learned to filter the "unnecessary" sounds (of other languages), which makes it easier for them to learn the pronounciation of different languages. So I think it's pretty awesome someone offers an English course for the kindergarten kids.

[@sylviaschaich]

I think it s very good when kids learn very early that there are many languages in this world. I think there is no need to really learn it, it should be fun

[@hermione3muller674]

native german here, i confirm all of your points and agree. in my area we did not have public toy boxes in the playground and public toys were either not available or fixed to the playground in some way such as chains but we had sufficient access to public or semipublic toys, and toy boxes may be a thing in my area now, too. regarding nakedness, yes. i was running around naked in the garden even at age seven to ten with my younger siblings, we took dips in an inflatable pool without clothes in summer in the garden. regarding the trees, it is not just small children rellieving themselves there but also dogs, so everyone knows that trees and bushes, especially in certain areas, are such places. if we had emergencies, in my envirenment, it was also totally ok to use certain bushes for more than just pee pee, and also as an adult. this could be the case on a motorway parking space without toilets. so we knew that the bushes around that parking would be used for emergencies. or even just anwhere next to a highway with no toilet in sight, an emergency would end up in the bushes. of course, for children and adults alike, finding a proper toilet always is the priority and such public relief was the absolute exception and not the priority solution. i remember from my childhood and that of my siblings that we had such emergencies primarily on long highway trips to holiday locations with no public toilet in sight. i cannot remember my earliest days, but i must have been between six and ten on some of the later trips and remember about two such emergencies. regarding sharing, i think very strongly that forcing to share is harmful to the child and that sharing should be decided by the child themself when it is their toy. regarding running around on my own without my parents in sight, i remember very vividly that we started school at age six and naturally, we all had to walk to school on our own. nobody was brought to school by their parents. this was a school rule. the rule was that children had to walk and had to walk on their own. for riding a bike to school or for a drop off by parents you needed an explicit permisson from the head master of the school, and those werre hard to get, and you had to present a really compelling reason for why your child could not walk on their own. i am not sure whether the school s reason for this rule were to increase autonomy or simply the lack or parking space, bike spaces and drop off space. whatever the reason, the rule was strict. i remember that to get a permit for riding a bike to school, you had to proove that you lived more than two kilometers away and could not walk that distance. this would not entitle you for a drop off, though. in any case, walking on your own to school and back and of course carrying the key to open the home door and often even having to make your own lunch was totally normal in my childhood for us primariy school children from the start of school at age six. we did not have any school lunches and primary school finished before lunch, and working parents could neither pick us up nor open the door nor prepare food for us. this was normal. we never thought or complained about it. it was just natural to us. i am not entirely sure about the same primary school today after our area has become one of the most crimeridden in the hamburg neighbourhood with organized crime flying in through hamburg airport, doing their dirty work and flying out of hamburg airport the same day, but as far as i can judge from the children s voices passing my window every school day, the majority if not all children in the area still walk to school and from school on their own as before. we were encouraged to walk in groups, and this seems to be the same today as well, but of course if you do not find a group to walk with, you go on your own nevertheless. i do not remember from what age i was allowed to go to a playground on my own or to other activities but i think it was all from age six. it might have been earlier if we had had ülaygrounds closer by but the closest was some three or four kilometers away, i think, so that was just too far for under six, i guess. however, if playcrounds are closer, it is totally normal for kids to go there on their own like playing in the garden on their own. we did have a very strong education to never ever accept anything to eat or drink from a stranger, to never ever follow a stranger or a stranger s instructions and to return immediately as soon as we feel something odd or uncomfortable and also to always return on time. this education was very vividly in my mind when i went to school on my own for my first, actual school day.

[@marieskywalker7892]

I grew up in Germany in the 90's. Sine I was about 7 years old I went to school on my own (15 minute walk) and was allowed to go to the playground near by or go visit my best friend on the other side of the hill. But I was prepared to protect myself because of the way my parents raised me and I also remember being taught how to deal with traffic, crossing roads safely and so on by a policeman in kindergarden for a whole week, having to pass a bicycle test in elementary school aswell as several training sessions by policemen and child psychologists on staying safe when on your own and recognising/avoiding potential predators or strange situations, around the same time. Same for all my classmates. And to be honest we always felt safe, even on our own.

[@newbeginnings8566]

In France my children were being taught basic English phrases from Kindergarten age. Of course they also get a dose of English from me. Using the word shocked suggests you have a worried idea about something. I would have said things that surprised or more strongly astonished..

[@jasmin_dd963]

I'm an au-pair in Auckland and when the 2 year old was potty-training and needed to do number one, I just let him do it under a tree. My hostparents were shocked. Thankfully, I didn't get in trouble but it was close 😅

[@peterpain6625]

Oh well. Glad no one cought me "fertiliszing" newzealand while hiking ;) I mean you can only walk cross-legged so far ...

[@xlebaguettex5808]

No it’s not ok to pee under a tree ,it’s illegal. It’s just a thing some people do.

[@lenagertz5139]

In big citys it is often not legal, but in small cities and communitys it is legal and totally fine and most of the time no one cares about kids peeing somewhere its more about adults peeing somewhere

[@indilava6992]

The more I see your videos, the more I want to live in Germany,!

[@alexdiederich793]

Why not? It's not that bad over here ;-)

[@shaclo1512]

Nah don‘t come, it‘s very bad here, socialism, no freedom and everything overtaxed (f.e. Fuel is $7 per gallon)

[@alexdiederich793]

@@shaclo1512 Obviously you never has been to Germany.

[@shaclo1512]

Alex Diederich I live very close to Germany (I‘m from Bavaria) so I‘ve been to Germany a couple of times.

[@oOIIIMIIIOo]

@@shaclo1512 Bavaria is a part of Germany. 😀

[@benjaminmallm5781]

To be shocked without judging like just wow, is called Kulturschock in Germany.

[@MiciFee97]

The 7 year old that i know (its a son of my mums friend) he can ride his bike alone around the neighborhood. The parents would usually sit at the little playground in front of the house but the kids are gone and are not even heard sometimes. But the kids know where they are allowed to go. And they would come by every now and then to see if everything is fine

[@In1998able]

Ps small tip maybe it;s handy if Emilia is helping other people on the biliniangal course. So you and Emilia don't need it but you can help others.

[@weizenobstmusli8232]

When I was a kid my parents let me play alone outside with my friends. They whouldn't if they knew what we did 😅

[@schusterlehrling]

Well, you still don't seem to get that while you were outside your parents did things you still don't seem to know.

[@weizenobstmusli8232]

@@schusterlehrling , what?? Nooooooo...

[@SirJeti]

The important thing about giving freedom to your child are strict rules about it. At the age of 5 I was supposed to play on the street right in front of the house. When i turned 6 i was allowed to go to my friend 2 streets away and so on. There is no totally freedom. Like do whatever you want. You talk to your child about the rules of the freedom (come home at 6pm for diner, don't go to the big street, only go to that places etc.) but as long as the child do it that way, he/she has his/her little freedom which I think is very important for the child to grow up independently and don't have fears later if you are an adult. I'm very thankfull my parents gave me that little freedom, so I learned to live by myself. And at the end, that is what parenting is about.

[@Eismaus]

It's normal for kids to start going to the nearest playground alone in the spring/summer before they start school. It is a "training" because they are supposed to go to school allone later that year.

[@dochitacozan238]

New subscriber here 🤗 I'm Romanian, but I live in Austria. Parenting here is different from my country and even from Germany. Here would be occured to see a child alone at the playground. Definitely somebody would call police, thinking that it's lost.

[@MyMerryMessyGermanLife]

Hi! This is a great video. So much of what you share about New Zealand culture is similar to the US! We are thinking of moving to Munich with our 4 kids and it’s so nice to know how family friendly it is there.

[@laa34]

You could cut your videos to half the time and still say all the things you said, just not repeated. Please consider it, coz that will make your videos a lot more enjoyable ❤️

[@BooksOnSlides]

I remember being allowed to go to playground ever since I could safely cross the two little roads leading up to the playground. So I think I was like 4 years old back then and even before that my parents let me go with my sister who was three years older. I don't really know what problems might go along with that as long as the child knows to be careful around roads and not to go with strangers. If they get hurt, they will find their way back home and if they were to hurt real bad, there is probably at least one adult who knows as good as you do what to do. You might want to write your phone number on the back of your child's hand or let the child learn the number.

[@OveSorcop]

I went alone to the playground when I was like four. Its completely normal to let your kids explore the world around them on their own. I guess parents here just have more trust in their kids and in strangers.

[@sarale3565]

I don't let my 6 year old son who is in kindergarten go to the playground on his own, but he is allowed to go get take out food for all of us for lunch on weekends on his own, or buy buns on Sunday morning by himself or get some cake in the afternoons while we set the table at home... It really depends on the roads and traffic conditions... And about peeing outside, here we got in trouble for doing that (fine of 75 euros) because a weird old guy felt offended, even though we were in the middle of kinda wild Park, looking more like a tiny forest... We don't have English classes in kindergarden, and there are no public toys. I met the public toys concept first in Toronto, where they even had ride on toys at the playground. Parents there would just donate the toys to the playgrounds. In Germany I only know one playground with public toys so far and it's close to hannover... So it might really depend on the area you live in and the parents decisions to set things like this up or not.

[@SnorriSnibble]

It's great that kids learn english in Kindergarten nowadays and they already start to get a feeling for other languages at a young age. My first encounter with the english language was only in 2nd grade, so at about age 6. But then in 4th grade I took a french class in school, that was pretty cool, too.

[@tinamuller5881]

I remember that my Brother in first class picker me up from Kindergarten.

[@mariotschenet1015]

Ich und alle die ich kenne waren nicht nur für eine halbe Stunde alleine im Spielplatz, sondern meistens den ganzen Tag. Der Spielplatz war direkt vor unserem Haus, aber auch zu den anderen Spielplätzen in der Nachbarschaft die nicht in Sichtweite waren durften wir hin gehen. Oder im Sommer sind Ich (ab ca 9 Jahre) und meine 2 Jahre jüngere Cousine alleine ins Schwimmbad am anderen Ende der Stadt mit Fahrrädern oder dem Bus gefahren. Da gab es auch nie irgendwelche Probleme...

[@neosildrake]

As long as it isn't too far away and you can do it by foot, bike or public transportation, parents probably bring their kids to school on the first day of school. After that: " you know the way." My mother worked about 100 meters away from where I went to kindergarden. She took me to her work, where I stayed for about half and hour. Then I went to Kindergarden at age 3... alone. It was only 100 metwrs down the street, so no problem. Also, having lived in a small town of about 3000, going alone somewhere as a child wasn't ever the problem. Not to school, not to the lake, not into the woods and not even into the town 3 kilometers away or drive by bus 20 kilometers into the district town at age 8 to visit a museum all by yourself... but it was the 80s and that was a different time.

[@bobeczek01]

I'm so proud of you, especially as I am raising children in a foreign country too and sometimes it is a struggle just for the reason you have been raised in a different environment and sometimes you're just not aware of the ways things go

[@nilsczert8312]

That 'happy' sharing culture is often forced upon children in a way, that parents say: "If you share your toys, you are a good child. If you do not, you are not such a good child". We even have this incredibly hypocritical saying "Teilen macht Spaß" (sharing is fun). No, it is not! Not in the first place. Giving away your personal property to complete foreigners does not come naturally to human instinct. And it certainly is no fun! You have to learn, that sharing will earn you a dividend in social life and that "What comes around goes around". You will also have to learn, that sharing widens your choice of available toys considerably. So, it comes down to the fact, that you have to know your own personal advantages from sharing. Not the bloddy morals.

[@kmedler909]

What a refreshing contrast to England where most parents accompany their children to school and pick them up again till aged around 10 or 11 !! l am 72 and when l was a child children played out alone from around 5 or 6 and walked to school, either alone or with friends . l visit Germany a lot and notice a big difference in attitudes there, people are definitely more trusting and trust their children far more than in the uk to be responsible because that is the example set by the parents !

[@HexyLexy86]

Hi Antoinette, first: your Videos r great! I'm a German and I love your Videos! Second: I have no children, but my sister has 2 girls. They're playing on a playground alone too, but in that case my sister can watch them from home through the window and the Kids know the rules. Also the playground is away from streets. And often, the neighbours Kids go out too and play with them, so everyone knows the other and can trust in each other. Three: I didn't know that Kids can learn english in that age, but I'm not surprised. In my oppinion, the German language melts more and more with the english language. It's called "Denglisch". You can Listen to it everywhere. For example, my husband loves playing videogames online with other people he doesn't really know, they use teamspeak, and it's Denglisch. They say "Ich geh mal looten!"... Englisch is becoming a part of german more and more... Nice greetings! Alex

[@Toni-or7dk]

Hi Antoinette! Been raised in the 80's of last century I totally agree with your present experience. Since we lived in a middle sized village I was brought and fetched from Kindergarten last time considering my age and dependence. But still we were allowed to play even before visiting school to play in the garden on our own or with friends while my mum did housework or whatever in the first floor. Sure, the neighboors from the ground kept an eye on us as well and mum could see us from the window as well but we were relatively early starting with those habits encouraged to develop a selfawareness and self-responsibility. When starting grammr school at the age of 7, which was located at the complete opposite end of the village we went there by school bus in the first step. Fairly soon we started to raise our independence travelling by bike there and back. And when we could do this safely and secure on our own we were engaged to do some procurement like grocery shopping, getting rolls from bakery in the morning on weekends and this sort of stuff as well. Finally this way of been educated and getting acquainted with responsibility from younger age onwards we became exactly this sort of adults my parents and other educationals intended to form.

[@Lea-rb9nc]

Much of what you have shared applies here in France and other parts of Europe.

[@FiveOClockTea]

I think Europe is very similar in many ways. I'm German, but my family went to Italy for skiing once a year and I remember me and other children just running around without parents as well 😊 But she lives in Germany and I'm sure she doesn't want to just make assumptions :-)

[@Kupferonkel]

1. I usually didn't let my kids go nude when they were little, but not because of prudence but they were wearing UV-shield clothes to protect them from the sun. 2. Peepee, ok, I'd say even in the city at a tree. Poopoo (your No.2?): Take it with you. We always had handkerchiefs and plastic bags with us. And we were always doing that in a VERY quite place. Better than having a kid with soiled pants. No 1+2 apply in my opinion up until around max. 5 years. 3. I've never seen toys at a public playground. People steal Blumentöpfe here. 4. I trust my kids, the elder one can go alone to the playground since around 8-9 years and the younger at 5 if she is with her elder sister or an elder sibling of her friends. But as other people here already said: They have to tell us first and they are only allowed going to places we know by ourselves. 5. You are lucky to have a native english speaker as a teacher. Most of the teachers in Kindergarten or Grundschule are NOT speaking english very well and usually have no formal english education. This poses a HUGE problem for the the teachers in 5th grade and further on, because the pronounciation of these kids is just horrible and it's taking al LOT of time to get it out of them.

[@hannahk9712]

My teacher taught us english phrases and words and I didn't learn wrong pronounciation. He wasn't a native english speaker. We only learned English in grade 3-4 tho. But I learned a lot from my 7 year older sister, because I was naturally interested in it. This was in 2011/12.

[@chickyshack1978]

We have playground boxes here in Vancouver Canada too. Many apts are small so we don't want to waste precious space on sand collectors. Also then you don't have to carry them around and can easily stop by a park without planning. We even have tricycles, bubbles and ride ons in there. I've personally put frisbees, bubbles and chalk in there too.

[@celinecathz2280]

Hi Antoinette, I am a French translator living in the UK. I studied German and did some language courses there. As a parent, I like watching your videos about German parenting and lifestyle. There are many differences between British and German parenting, but one thing that stuck out in this video is the fact that you were surprised to see that little kids were allowed to pee in bushes or trees. Oddly enough, this is commonplace in the UK too, just like, I believe, in the rest of Europe. Of course, not everyone approves of that, especially people who have no children. My question is, how do people do in your home country? Do you believe toilet-trained kids wear nappies (diapers) when they go out? As you say, pre-schoolers often need to go at the most inconvenient times, often tell you at the last possible minute, and very few playgrounds are near public toilets.

[@UnleashedAI1]

I think it is more like a overall common sense here in germany, that life is risky no matter what you do. Even if you overprotect you child bad things can happen. To try to avoid this case it make sense that your child can experienced the world on its own way (in specific borders) and perhaps make faults to learn about it. But we also do know well such "overprotecting", almost hysterical acting parents, named helicopter-parents. Almost everyone know such parents.

[@danielaselberg1810]

Certainly our kids run to the playground all by themselves - at least when they reach school age. I personally walked to my father‘s shop starting the age of 5. It was a walk of 2 km to his shop downtown and I remember being quite nerveous, because I only knew how to continue my way, when I reached the next corner. My little sister would always ask me, if I now knew, where to turn to next and I always found the way! And I would have become cracy with my own seven kids, if I had to bring them to a playground and watch them play!!!! But we do train our kids not to go with strangers!

[@petermaier6867]

Thank you for your channel, Antoinette one thing you haven't mention . The Germans care more about their "dogs", then their children ! By the way I have made my home in Tauranga. Just loving it ! Happy New Year !

[@marieskywalker7892]

I think germans and most europeans in general have lived in tight villages/communities for generations and are somewhat used to 'extend their trust' beyond their own family and next door neighbours in many ways which might be different to new Zealand or the US where people used to be spread all over big territory

[@Brainreaver79]

when i grew up and went to school having learned english was a bonus point on your resumee... today its expected to be there and doesnt give you any advantage whatsoever for applications... its detrimental not having learned it. if oyu want the same "bonus point" for languages you have to have learned at least a second foreign language...

[@mikapeltokorpi7671]

At age of six I was cycling 20 km far away alone (happened to be exactly the same street we moved to two years later), going km:s into the woods alone/with friends, playing in playgrounds in other districts, ... (I am a Finn). Apparently at least my younger son shares these genes. At age of seven he had bicycled to next town alone and he was catched for it by slipping that he bicycled to the church there once (the round trip is about 50 km); luckily his mother was not hearing it.

[@mikethespike7579]

If you expose little kids to a foreign language they will learn it without even noticing. In the UK I learned German through my German mother and didn't even think that was a foreign language until I was asked in my very first job interview if I spoke a foreign language. I said no, which they said was a pity because they were looking for someone who could speak either German or French. LOL! Obviously I got the job and was also exposed to a surprising revelation.

[@SABRINA.ARMY.BTS.]

I think it’s pretty normal for kids to play outside alone , as a kid ( i must have been around 5 or 6 ) I used to go to the playground alone or with friends or my little brother ! When I was around 8 years old I rode to a friends house with my bike and we used to drive to a castle that was around 5 km away and play in the Forrest or at a lake . And I guess when I was in 5th grade my classmates and me drove to a see that was around 15km away on our bikes without a parent or teacher and it was pretty normal for us ! My mom used to say that I had to be at home when the streetlights went on or in the summertime around 7 pm .

[@kvwuppkvwupp834]

When I was a little child in the early 70ies (age about three or four) we drove to West-Berlin: 6 hours drive and 6 hours waiting at the border. We where near the border to the DDR waiting in our car to be controlled by the DDR Officers I really needed to pee and I could not wait, my mother let me out of the car and I peed on a small part of lawn near the border station. Even the very strict DDR Border Officers did not say a word when they saw it.

[@swanpride]

True story: I once peed into the flower pods in front of the World Trade Centre back in the 80th. I can confirm that American guards don't act on stuff like this either. At least not when crazy tourists do it.

[@faceworld]

like1, Hello Mrs Antoinette, very long not chat with you. Thanks for your information about parenting in germany.

[@blueskyhorsemanship3068]

Hi there, I am living in the western part of germany and most things aren’t usual here. Very small kids like under 3 years might swim naked, older won’t. In an emergency we go into the bushes to let little children pee, but we try to hide then. Also there are no toys on playgrounds here because someone will just take them. Usually teens in revelious ages. Most parents also won’t let their children go outside unattended. So I am a bit surprised about your video. Where im germany do you live?

[@nonexistingvoid]

I remember teaching my friend's kids how to pee in the bushes. She didn't know how, but there was no toilet around when her kids really needing to go, so I took my countryside knowledge and taught them. They apparently didn't know it was possible to pee while squatting 😅

[@luminousghosts]

I remember there was a pair of siblings when i was a kid and it was so weird because they already had phones and had to report home where exactly they were going right at this moment. It was definitely not normal. Now that I'm an adult I kinda get it. I think I'd worry too leaving my kids roaming around without supervision...maybe I just listen to too many creepy stories :D

[@julezhu1893]

Nice video, rendered me laughing. If the kids can walk to school by themselves they can also go to the playground. Most kids know their geographic boundaries (Don't go beyond the big bridge) and time limits. Last week a kid from my group was involved in a minor accident when walking to church. Within 10 minutes more then 5 people acquainted with the kids family had called the parents and taken care of the kid and the bike. Couple of days later the kids was back to cruising the neighbourhood:)

[@SomethingStupide]

Heck, even I as a grown-up woman will go do my business behind some bushes if I'm out and about with no loo anywhere near (e.g. hikes and walks, road trips, summer days at the beach/lake, camping etc.) Obviously, I wouldn't do that in a buzzing city centre, and I do take extra care to make sure no one can watch me directly but it's no big deal to see an adult hitting the bushes with a tissue in hand. It's nature. Animals pee everywhere, too. What's the big difference? :D

[@kerstinrobinson2729]

I am a german mum of two Boys, and as for The playground Subjekt i Think for me it depends on The child. My older Boy Who is now 9 i would have had no Problem to send him to The playground if it was close enough for me to have an eye on him at least from time to time, eben at a little younger age. But he is trustable enough to not run into The Road, understands not to to with anybody and knows to be home a certain time or notify my before he goes anywhere else. My younger son though is almost 8 and i am Not comfortable leaving him unattended. Since all that is not given. :/

[@penguovo9514]

I wouldn't say that Germans are honest. My friend lives in Berlin and they have stolen his bicycle (it was protected with a chain, they cut it off). He got a new one and one year later, they couldn't cut off the chain, but they took his bicycle handlebar :( He is really the nicest and most honest person, it shocks me that always some sh*t like this happens to him.. Many people are stealing on flea markets, even though the price is already super low there. I really hate that. I want a society where you could leave your door wide open, without losing something.

[@annemariepappe6131]

As a kid growing up in Germany I also sometimes used to go to a nearby playground without my parents (but usually with a sibling or a cousin). I have never come across a box with shared toys though. And I think German parents can be paranoid, too, but they believe that a child needs to face challenges in order to become independent and gain self-esteem and they know from experience that even in (seemingly) dangerous situations usually nothing bad will happen.

[@blancavega5109]

I come from a super unsafe place, but live in Vienna. I don't have children, yet, but I can already foresee that I will literally have a heart attack before letting my kid alone on the street. :(

[@irinakliwer1223]

Wir leben in einer Großstadt in Norddeutschland. In unserer direkter Nähe befinden sich zwei Spielplätze mit vielen Spielgeräten, eher für größere Kinder ausgelegt. Eine Sortgeräteinsel ist auch dabei. Ein großer Anglerteich mit Stegen, die weit ins Wasser reichen ist gleich nebenan. Meine Kinder (7 und 9 jetzt) durften ab dem 6 Lebensjahr alleine draußen spielen. Im Winter kann ich sie noch sehen, doch wenn alles grün ist, habe ich keine Möglichkeit. Nichtsdestotrotz dürfen sie mehrere Stunden auf diesem großen Gelände überall spielen. Im Winter sind sie mal im Eis eingebrochen und mussten das Wasser aus den Stiefel auskippen und nach Hause gehen. Doch was soll's? Es ist Kindheit, man muss auch eigene Erfahrungen sammeln können. Ich kenne jedoch genug Mütter, die nicht so entspannt sind. Ich denke, es ist zum Teil auch der Grund dafür, dass man so wenige Kinder auf den Spielplätzen sieht. Auch an den Wochenenden. Meistens sind es sehr kleine Kinder in Begleitung ihrer Mamas, die die Spielplätze füllen. Leider verbringen heute viele Schulkinder ihre freie Zeit zu Hause am Tablet, Konsole oder Smartphone.