Children in Sweden: Growing Up in Sweden
Posted under: As a Swede living in the US, I had to post this article from the website Sweden.se enjoy!!
Two million people are under 18 in Sweden. Most of them take for granted free schooling, an active social life, easy access to nature and the internet.
Of the nine million people who live in Sweden, almost two million are under 18. Swedish law makes sure children are well protected and defends their rights, with various organizations devoted to their well-being. In 1979, Sweden became the first country to forbid beating or spanking children, making it a criminal offense.
To protect the rights of children and look after their interests, the Swedish government has appointed an ombudsman. The ombudsman is obliged to follow the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and enforce it in Swedish society. The convention is a set of rules agreed upon by many countries to protect children. Sweden was one of the first countries to sign up.
Help and support
There are many organizations that young people in Sweden can turn to if they need help. Children’s Rights in Society (BRIS) offers support services such as telephone help lines and e-mail counseling. Friends is an organization dedicated to stamping out bullying, mainly in school but also outside school, for example in sports. Save the Children Sweden is another organization that defends the rights of children. It has more than 87,000 members.
Family life
Most children — 90 percent — start off living with their mother and father, who on average have one or two children. But it is not unusual for parents to separate. Sometimes they re-marry or move in with a new partner. On average, 72 percent of children under 18 live with their birth parents, while 27 percent have a stepfather or stepmother. About one in four children in Sweden has roots in another country. Among children who were born abroad, or whose parents were born abroad, many have ties with Iraq or the countries of former Yugoslavia. About 16,000 children now living in Sweden were adopted from another country.
Almost 60 percent of children live in detached houses, 29 percent live in apartment blocks and 13 percent live in row houses.
Working parents
Eighty percent of all children have a mother who goes out to work, and 90 percent have working fathers. In Sweden, parents receive money from the government so they can have more time at home with their children.
All parents get 480 days of paid leave per child, which must be claimed before the child turns eight. The bulk of parental leave is taken by mothers. But more fathers are spending time at home with their children. They now claim about 20 percent of all parental leave.
Nine years of school
Everyone has to attend school for at least nine years in Sweden. There are no school fees. Children start school at the age of seven (six-year-olds attend preschool classes) and finish at 15. Then they have a choice of staying on for senior high. The school year is divided into two terms, spring and fall. At present, children are graded in years 8 and 9. This might be the case for younger children in the future, too. Children aged between 6 and 12 are offered day care before and after school.
Hobbies and pastimes
Swedish children are just like anyone else. They enjoy listening to music and hanging out with friends. They are also encouraged to follow their interests, whether it’s learning a musical instrument, playing sports or surfing the internet.
Internet and TV
Young Swedes surf the internet as much as they watch TV. More than one in four 12- to 15-year-olds watches TV at least three hours a day. Just as many spend as long surfing the internet. Half of all five-year-olds and one in five three-year-olds have browsed the internet. Children aged 12-15 prefer to chat online, while 9- to 11-year-olds are more interested in playing computer games. The most popular game is The Sims. The most popular chat rooms are:
www.facebook.com
www.lunarstorm.se
www.skunk.spray.se
www.hamsterpaj.se
Music
Music and singing are popular outside school. Eighteen percent of girls and 22 percent of boys aged 14 play an instrument, are part of a band or sing in choirs.
THIS IS SWEDEN
Population: 9.2 million — about 0.1 percent of the world’s population
Languages: Swedish, Sami, Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish, Romany
Size: 175,000 sq mi/450,000 sq km, almost the same size as Spain or France, and bigger than California
Length: 980 mi/1,574 km, almost the same distance as Seattle to Los Angeles (960 mi/1,548 km) or Berlin to Madrid (1,160 mi/1,866 km)
Forests: 53 percent
Mountains: 11 percent
Lakes and rivers: 9 percent
Highest mountain: Kebnekaise (6,900 ft/2,103 m above sea level)
Biggest lake: Vänern (2,160 sq mi/5,585 sq km)
Religion: 80 percent of Swedish citizens belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. Islam is the second biggest religion in Sweden
Most important exports: Electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, passenger cars, paper, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel
Most important imports: Electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, foodstuffs, crude oil, textiles, footwear and passenger cars
Sport
Everyone is encouraged to take up sport and 68 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds are members of a sports club. Soccer is the most popular sport among girls and boys. Then it’s horse-riding for girls. Boys prefer floorball, followed by swimming and ice hockey.
Nature
Sweden has a small population for its size; just over 53 people per square mile or 22 people per square kilometer. (In the EU, the average is more than 290 people per square mile or 100 people per square kilometer.) The right of public access gives everyone the right to explore the countryside. But you must show consideration for nature, wildlife and other people. Children spend part of every school day outdoors, whatever the weather, with fresh air just as important as learning how to look after nature. Many clubs and -associations organize outdoor activities, for example Skogsmulle (a type of nature school) and the scouts.
The environment
Caring for the environment is a big deal in Sweden and most people sort their waste. Every spring, when the snow has melted, Keep Sweden Tidy organizes a special day for school children to pick up litter and clean up their surroundings. In Sweden, you get money back — a few cents — on most cans, glass and plastic bottles. The water in Sweden is clean and can be drunk straight from the tap — you can even swim outdoors right in the heart of the capital, Stockholm.
Some useful facts:
WINTER SPORTS
In late February or early March there’s a weeklong winter sports break. Many people head to the mountains in the north of Sweden for cross-country or downhill skiing and snowboarding. With many lakes frozen over it’s also the perfect time to go ice-skating.
EASTER
In March or April there’s another week off for Easter. Either you enjoy the first signs of spring or the last of the snow. Easter is usually spent with family. Many children dress up as Easter “witches” in long skirts, aprons and shawls and go round to neighbors’ houses and swap drawings for candy. Easter also means painting and eating eggs.
SUMMER VACATION
Summer starts in mid-June and school closes for eight weeks. Many people go to their summerhouse and some children attend camp. Everyone swims. There are thousands of lakes in Sweden and the Swedish coastline is 2,700 kilometers long (the same distance from Montreal to Miami).
MIDSUMMER
The sun reaches its peak on midsummer, which is around June 20. Most Swedes celebrate Midsummer Eve. Maypoles are dressed in leaves and flowers, and children as well as adults dance around them. Traditionally, you eat pickled herring or meatballs and new potatoes for lunch, followed by strawberries. Staying up all night is easy since the sun never really sets.
FALL
In mid-August, the fall school semester begins and the leaves on trees turn red, gold and orange. More than half of Sweden is woodland, and it’s popular to go mushroom and berry picking at this time of year. In late October/early November, there’s a week off school.
LUCIA
On December 13, Swedes celebrate Lucia. Lucia traditionally lights up the dark Swedish winter. In every school there is a Lucia procession. Dressed in white and wearing a crown of candles, Lucia leads a choir singing Christmas carols. The unwritten rule is to eat sweet saffron-flavored buns and gingersnaps.
CHRISTMAS
School ends right before Christmas Eve (December 24) and stays shut until the beginning of January. This is a time for family. Most homes have Christmas lights and a tree decorated with tinsel and ball ornaments. Traditional Christmas dishes include ham, salmon, herring and meatballs. New Year’s Eve is celebrated with good food and fireworks.
THE ROYAL FAMILY
Sweden has a royal family, but the king doesn’t actually rule. That’s up to the government. King Carl XVI Gustaf is married to Queen Silvia and together they have three children: Princess Victoria, the heir to the throne; Prince Carl Philip; and Princess Madeleine.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Sweden has eight climate zones and four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. The temperature varies from north to south. The warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic means that the Swedish climate is milder than you might expect so far north. The average temperature in Stockholm is about 18°C in summer and -1°C in winter. In springtime, there can still be a lot of snow up north while flowers start blooming in the south. In the far north there is round-the-clock daylight in summer – known as the midnight sun – while in December there is hardly any daylight at all.
WHAT YOUNG SWEDES READ
The late Astrid Lindgren, “mother” to Pippi Longstocking, Emil, Karlsson-on-the-Roof and numerous other characters, is the most read children’s author in Sweden. Her books have been translated into more than 90 languages, and many have been turned into films or plays. Sven Nordqvist’s Pettsson and Findus stories and Anders Jacobsson’s and Sören Olsson’s Sune books are widely read, too. Martin Widmark’s Lasse Maja series has been translated into 19 languages.
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There is something wrong in a government where they who do the most have the least. There is something wrong when honesty wears a rag, and rascality a robe; when the loving, the tender, eat a crust, while the infamous sit at banquets.
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