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24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United States

vc10um

Ideal_Rock
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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

I follow her...I've particularly loved the Motherhood Around the World series (even thought DH and I aren't sure we're having children, I still find how the cultures of the world differ in raising children absolutely fascinating) and the My Beauty Uniform series.

The bit about napping babies in Denmark is what surprised me the most! I think I looked like this while reading it: :shock: . I love the idea, honestly, and I'm hoping to see a few prams parked outside cafes when I visit Scandinavia next summer!
 

JGator

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

Great article, tbaus. I think it's pretty accurate. I was shocked about napping babies in Denmark, too!
 

amc80

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

This surprised me-

"I was surprised that American children as young as one year old learn to say please, thank you, sorry and excuse me. Those things are not actively taught in India."

We've drilled this into B since he was an infant, and now he says please and thank you without us asking (most of the time). None of my friends' kids do this, and I figured that was more of the norm. I'm really surprised it isn't the norm in other countries.
 

JGator

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

AMC, our daughter's nanny is from a French speaking African country, and she has totally instilled it in our daughter. Our daughter learned Merci before Thank You and always used the person's name after it too - like Merci, Mama, Merci, Dada, and Merci Nanny's Name. She also responds to "What's the magic word?" with Please! So, I'm sure people in other countries are doing it too. She now says "Excuse me" all the time including when we bump into her. My MIL who is from India has told me they aren't big into "I'm sorry" in India, though. This was in reference to explaining my DH to me though!
 

monarch64

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

I guess it's interesting. Sometimes I have to wonder why we can't discuss/celebrate our similarities rather than highlight our differences, though. Joanna used to write for Glamour, so she understands the formulaic fluff and the value of comparing parenting styles for click$.

I live in a culturally diverse, but small university town. I'm still in touch with a lot of moms from our birth class and have several neighbors with kids who are all from different countries. We haven't spoken much about all the differences between cultures with raising kids. The people who bring up the differences are the previous generation, and they don't relate things to customs, they relate it to time periods, like "back when I was raising my children..." Just my casual observation.

My mother sent me an article a couple years ago from the WSJ magazine section, wish I'd kept it because I went searching and couldn't find it. It was about how a French family's children behaved at the dinner table compared to an American visitor's children, and of course the contrast was stark. Basically the author was saying the French don't make a big deal out of making rules and enforcing them at the dinner table and the effect was that the kids were behaved, ate their food, and didn't cause problems. The American kids, the author asserted, had this sort of anxiety and stress happening with a lot of rules and enforcement of them and therefore acted out and weren't able to focus for longer than a few minutes. It was interesting. I'll see if I can find it online somewhere.

YAY, FOUND IT!

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204740904577196931457473816

I remembered it a bit differently, but it's definitely the same article and a very interesting one.
 

SMC

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

I remember reading an article where a Danish couple were arrested and their child was taken away from them because they left the baby napping outside a restaurant while they ate: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/15/nyregion/danish-mother-is-reunited-with-her-baby.html

I spent a large part of my childhood in Hong Kong. One of the most surprising things about parenting in the US is the lack of help that women get once they have the baby. They're pretty much expected to be back to normal and take care of the household 48 hours after they have their babies. In Hong Kong (and other parts of Asia) women have easy access to help and postpartum doulas so they can basically lay in bed and recover for a whole month before they're expected to vacuum and clean and take care of the other children. It's hard because society treats pregnant women really well (fawning and fussing over them in their last trimester), but once the baby is out (and labor is not an easy thing no matter how much your body is "designed" for it), you're just expected to "be a mom" and go back to all the duties of running a household. The first postpartum doctor visit isn't even until 6 weeks after the baby's out!

Another thing that annoys me about having my child here is the lack of maternity leave. I get 8 weeks paid plus 12 weeks unpaid, and I've been told that is "quite generous." Employers aren't required to provide any paid maternity leave (and they don't need to provide unpaid leave for job protection if the company is smaller than 50 employees). My friends in Canada have a whole year of paid maternity leave and I've been told some European countries give more.
 

Bella_mezzo

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

So interesting. I had never heard re the napping in Denmark either.

SMC_yes! the recovery time (or lack therof) and maternity leave issue is huge. I am the sole breadwinner for our family and with both my children had no paid maternity leave, just the 12 weeks FMLA which the job I had with my older son literally told me was a vacation (so they denied my request to take accrued vacation three months after I was back from maternity leave). I changed jobs about eight weeks later...
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

vc10um|1412940793|3765320 said:
I follow her...I've particularly loved the Motherhood Around the World series (even thought DH and I aren't sure we're having children, I still find how the cultures of the world differ in raising children absolutely fascinating) and the My Beauty Uniform series.

The bit about napping babies in Denmark is what surprised me the most! I think I looked like this while reading it: :shock: . I love the idea, honestly, and I'm hoping to see a few prams parked outside cafes when I visit Scandinavia next summer!

Me too vc10um! We went on a cruise that covered some Scandinavian countries in May of this year with my family and I remember excitedly telling DH and my sisters that there would be BABIES napping OUTSIDE RESTAURANTS!!! Disappointingly, though maybe we just explored the wrong places, we did not see any evidence of this whatsoever :blackeye: I hope you have more luck than we did. If not, there is so many other interesting things to be looking out for, it is a great place to explore :wavey:
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

JGator|1412949050|3765373 said:
Great article, tbaus. I think it's pretty accurate. I was shocked about napping babies in Denmark, too!

Thanks JGator, I don't usually pass on these kind of things. But I do find this topic fascinating and was really interested to hear other people's take on it as well!
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

amc80|1412960269|3765453 said:
This surprised me-

"I was surprised that American children as young as one year old learn to say please, thank you, sorry and excuse me. Those things are not actively taught in India."

We've drilled this into B since he was an infant, and now he says please and thank you without us asking (most of the time). None of my friends' kids do this, and I figured that was more of the norm. I'm really surprised it isn't the norm in other countries.

amc80, that is really interesting that none of your friend's kids say please or thank you. Good on you for teaching B good manners! I have been to the US a few times and have always been impressed with how well spoken and polite the children are. I'm a teacher in Australia and we definitely drill it into the kids here as well!
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

monarch64|1412964459|3765496 said:
I guess it's interesting. Sometimes I have to wonder why we can't discuss/celebrate our similarities rather than highlight our differences, though. Joanna used to write for Glamour, so she understands the formulaic fluff and the value of comparing parenting styles for click$.

I live in a culturally diverse, but small university town. I'm still in touch with a lot of moms from our birth class and have several neighbors with kids who are all from different countries. We haven't spoken much about all the differences between cultures with raising kids. The people who bring up the differences are the previous generation, and they don't relate things to customs, they relate it to time periods, like "back when I was raising my children..." Just my casual observation.

My mother sent me an article a couple years ago from the WSJ magazine section, wish I'd kept it because I went searching and couldn't find it. It was about how a French family's children behaved at the dinner table compared to an American visitor's children, and of course the contrast was stark. Basically the author was saying the French don't make a big deal out of making rules and enforcing them at the dinner table and the effect was that the kids were behaved, ate their food, and didn't cause problems. The American kids, the author asserted, had this sort of anxiety and stress happening with a lot of rules and enforcement of them and therefore acted out and weren't able to focus for longer than a few minutes. It was interesting. I'll see if I can find it online somewhere.

YAY, FOUND IT!

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204740904577196931457473816

I remembered it a bit differently, but it's definitely the same article and a very interesting one.

monarch. thanks for posting such an interesting article! I agree, a lot of what Joanna posts is for page clicks. But I really did love this series that she did and found the comments within the post just as insightful. I think for me, as someone who loves to travel often and to pretty obscure places I love to see and experience different cultures. Some of these things stick with me, and I find that I now incorporate them into my everyday life (no shoes in the house, for example). And since we are TTC I guess looking at different parenting styles is now something that I am researching.

FYI, I have travelled to France a few times and while what they say in the article is true, there are still some anomalies in that equation. I have seen children throw tantrums all over the world! Haha :bigsmile:
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

SMC and Bella- Maternity leave is always a hot topic! I am actually at the end of my maternity leave and returning back to work next week. I gave birth to my son a day shy of 22 weeks and am so incredibly thankful to my employer and our government that even though (in some people's eyes) I shouldn't have been eligible as I didn't actually have a baby to care for I was able to take the time off that I needed and be paid for the majority of it. Physically, I would have been able to work. Mentally, I'm still not sure how I will go...
 

mayerling

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

Very interesting read.

On "please" and "thank you"; DH drills these into N all the time in English, but I certainly don't in my language. It stems from how important these formulaic expressions are in the culture itself. Most Northern cultures have what is called "negative politeness" where you basically feel that you're imposing on others so you need to use expressions that show that you acknowledge this imposition. Most Southern cultures have "positive politeness" where you would only use such expressions if you really are performing an imposition. For instance, in a US/UK/other restaurant you would order food ending your order with "please" and say "thank you" when the waiter brings it over. In a Greek restaurant, for instance, you would not use either; the waiter is doing his job and you're not imposing by ordering and getting your food. Please and thank you are reserved for when you're asking something of somebody that they're not "supposed" to do for you.

And just to clarify, neither way is better than the other. It's just how cultures work.
 

Trekkie

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

SMC|1412971551|3765557 said:
I remember reading an article where a Danish couple were arrested and their child was taken away from them because they left the baby napping outside a restaurant while they ate: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/15/nyregion/danish-mother-is-reunited-with-her-baby.html

I spent a large part of my childhood in Hong Kong. One of the most surprising things about parenting in the US is the lack of help that women get once they have the baby. They're pretty much expected to be back to normal and take care of the household 48 hours after they have their babies. In Hong Kong (and other parts of Asia) women have easy access to help and postpartum doulas so they can basically lay in bed and recover for a whole month before they're expected to vacuum and clean and take care of the other children. It's hard because society treats pregnant women really well (fawning and fussing over them in their last trimester), but once the baby is out (and labor is not an easy thing no matter how much your body is "designed" for it), you're just expected to "be a mom" and go back to all the duties of running a household. The first postpartum doctor visit isn't even until 6 weeks after the baby's out!

Another thing that annoys me about having my child here is the lack of maternity leave. I get 8 weeks paid plus 12 weeks unpaid, and I've been told that is "quite generous." Employers aren't required to provide any paid maternity leave (and they don't need to provide unpaid leave for job protection if the company is smaller than 50 employees). My friends in Canada have a whole year of paid maternity leave and I've been told some European countries give more.

These are the two things that always shock me about the US. Most South Africans have help at home, even if it is just someone to do a weekly deep clean. When our baby comes we could get daycare at a cost of $120 a month or a fulltime nanny at home for $250 a month. For us getting a nanny is just a no-brainer.

In SA a nanny's salary isn't great, but that's because it's essentially an unskilled position. Some families send their nannies for infant CPR and cooking lessons, but this is not the norm. The family often supplements the salary with food and paying her transportation to and from work and by paying her children's school fees (schooling isn't free in SA) and providing stationery at the beginning of the school year. DH and I feel strongly that education is the best way to break the cycle of poverty, so educating our nanny's children will be a guaranteed part of her salary package. For us the best part about having a nanny is that the nanny becomes part of your family. Twenty years later I'm still in touch with my old nanny.

As far as maternity leave goes, your job is guaranteed (I thought that was a given in every country, boy was I mistaken!) and the state has an insurance policy that pays out around 38%-58% of your gross salary for 12 weeks. You're entitled to a minimum of four consecutive months of leave. I live in a shitty little town in the middle of nowhere and I get six months at full pay. I currently have around 23 leave days I can add to this, bringing it up to seven months and I can negotiate more if I need it. A colleague was placed on bedrest when she was pregnant and not only was her job guaranteed, she had five months of bedrest and six months of maternity leave... All at full pay.

I really don't quite understand why things are the way they are in the US...
 

partgypsy

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

I also agree about in the US, the way an expectant mom is treated, and one with kids are treated differently. Towards last trimester with last kid, people asking questions, making sure to keep door open for me, etc. Once baby is born, just expected to fall back into regular schedule. I also took only 8 weeks off for each child, one more like 7 weeks because I stopped going to work after the due date but she was late a week.

Fast forward to say 6 months later, where I stupidly tried to grocery shop with both my almost 4 year old and a 6 month old infant. My husband must have been away or something but I needed things at grocery. Now I felt the only responses was contempt/annoyance at "woman with kids". I normally am pretty self-sufficient, but no one offered to help me pack bags, or escort me to car, even though it was clear I was having some difficulty. What a let down!
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

Mayerling- I understand what you are saying and am fascinated that I have never picked this up before. Whenever we travel we always make a habit of learning the basics to get us by, two of those always being please and thank you. When we travelled in Greece and would say "efharisto" they would always smile and say chirpily "parakolo!" I agree, neither way is right or better, but as someone who comes from a culture where it has been instilled in me I think I would have trouble not saying them!

Trekkie- my family is originally from South Africa and immigrated when I was six. We had a full time housekeeper/nanny and then moved to Australia where Mum had to step up and clean/cook etc as well as work. I still have very fond memories of our housekeeper, she would pick me up from school and carry me all the way home on her back. We have been in Australia for 25 years and my parents still send money back and would bring her to visit every time we went back to SA to visit family. Housekeepers and nannies are only for the really well off here, as there is no one willing to do the work! Even those from impoverished families are well looked after by our government.

part gypsy- I'm afraid I am one of those people who never offer to help, probably caused by some overly racist people over here who think because of my skin colour that me "helping" means I must have an ulterior motive. So I tend to shy away from helping, unless it was in a particularly hairy situation I think.

Another shocking part of this series that I remember reading was, I think maybe the Parenting in China article? The mother spoke about how children in China don't wear diapers but instead wear split pants, with some taught to 'go' on command. I can't rememember if it was the interviewee or someone in the comments who said it was good until your child slid through someone else's bodily waste on the slide!!! :errrr:
 

Trekkie

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

tbaus|1413360848|3767291 said:
...

Trekkie- my family is originally from South Africa and immigrated when I was six. We had a full time housekeeper/nanny and then moved to Australia where Mum had to step up and clean/cook etc as well as work. I still have very fond memories of our housekeeper, she would pick me up from school and carry me all the way home on her back. We have been in Australia for 25 years and my parents still send money back and would bring her to visit every time we went back to SA to visit family. Housekeepers and nannies are only for the really well off here, as there is no one willing to do the work! Even those from impoverished families are well looked after by our government.

...

No ways! It's always so awesome to stumble across another South African (well, sort of Saffa, haha) on the internet. May I ask what part of SA you're originally from? Do you speak any South African languages? My Cape Malay friends whose parents settled in Perth waaaay back in the eighties all still speak Afrikaans at home and when I visited them in 2009 I was shocked at how much Afrikaans I heard in and around Perth. :)

It sounds like you were raised the South African way! I think at some point we're all carried on someone's back using nothing but a couple of towels and good, strong nappy pins! Ergo baby wearers? Pffffft! Who needs those?!

It is amazing how one's help at home really becomes part of one's family. When my mother passed away in 2011, my uncle drove six hours away into the Transkei to fetch my old nanny so that she could be at my mother's funeral. She is getting old, so we didn't want her taking public transport. As part of her "pension plan" my family built her a house (on land her family owned) and my uncle says even at her age (70+) the house looked immaculate and the front stoop was polished. She admitted that she struggled with polishing the steps, so we bought tiles and when he took her home, he tiled the stoop for her. It sounds so minor and insignificant, but this woman essentially raised me and making her old age a little more comfortable is the least we can do.

I'm not at all surprised that your family sends money to your old nanny. It is such a wonderfully generous thing to do, yet so typical of the relationship between nanny and family. :)

It is great that Australia takes such good care of her people, but I would DIE without help at home! Everyone was surprised that I came back to SA after my visit (they kind of assumed that because DH had worked there before we were looking for an opportunity to stay), and I just joked, "I had to! They don't have maids there! I even had to do my own laundry!" :razz:
 

tbaus

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

Trekkie|1413391273|3767427 said:
tbaus|1413360848|3767291 said:
...

Trekkie- my family is originally from South Africa and immigrated when I was six. We had a full time housekeeper/nanny and then moved to Australia where Mum had to step up and clean/cook etc as well as work. I still have very fond memories of our housekeeper, she would pick me up from school and carry me all the way home on her back. We have been in Australia for 25 years and my parents still send money back and would bring her to visit every time we went back to SA to visit family. Housekeepers and nannies are only for the really well off here, as there is no one willing to do the work! Even those from impoverished families are well looked after by our government.

...

No ways! It's always so awesome to stumble across another South African (well, sort of Saffa, haha) on the internet. May I ask what part of SA you're originally from? Do you speak any South African languages? My Cape Malay friends whose parents settled in Perth waaaay back in the eighties all still speak Afrikaans at home and when I visited them in 2009 I was shocked at how much Afrikaans I heard in and around Perth. :)

It sounds like you were raised the South African way! I think at some point we're all carried on someone's back using nothing but a couple of towels and good, strong nappy pins! Ergo baby wearers? Pffffft! Who needs those?!

It is amazing how one's help at home really becomes part of one's family. When my mother passed away in 2011, my uncle drove six hours away into the Transkei to fetch my old nanny so that she could be at my mother's funeral. She is getting old, so we didn't want her taking public transport. As part of her "pension plan" my family built her a house (on land her family owned) and my uncle says even at her age (70+) the house looked immaculate and the front stoop was polished. She admitted that she struggled with polishing the steps, so we bought tiles and when he took her home, he tiled the stoop for her. It sounds so minor and insignificant, but this woman essentially raised me and making her old age a little more comfortable is the least we can do.

I'm not at all surprised that your family sends money to your old nanny. It is such a wonderfully generous thing to do, yet so typical of the relationship between nanny and family. :)

It is great that Australia takes such good care of her people, but I would DIE without help at home! Everyone was surprised that I came back to SA after my visit (they kind of assumed that because DH had worked there before we were looking for an opportunity to stay), and I just joked, "I had to! They don't have maids there! I even had to do my own laundry!" :razz:


My dad is from Pretoria, Mum is from Durban, but they built a house and I grew up in Pietermaritzburg. Dad speaks fluent Afrikaans, but we are an English speaking family, My parents, and my 2 older sisters (who both went to school in SA and learnt Afrikaans) think it is funny to have secret conversations without me though! Yes, there is lot of Saffas in Perth. The suburb my parent's live in is nicknamed "Little South Africa" by the locals. The local grocery store even has a whole aisle full of SA groceries! I like to stop in for my nik nak fix :love:

Yes, I was definitely brought up the South African way. Even just talking about it now I can so clearly remember the smell of Elda's (my nanny) hair. She used to sing to me all the time as I "helped" her clean the house, and had the most beautiful voice. When I used to try and sing with her she would say "No, nunu, just listen" (her way of saying I suck! Haha). She passed away fair few years go, but I still think of her often. It really is a special bond, isn't it? My Dad's housekeeper from when he was a child moved from my Ma's house to my Aunty's house when she passed away, and recently she forced her to retire as she was so blind but she refused to give up. Bless her, I think she is enjoying the time with her family now,

I think you just adapt to cleaning your own home! But it would be nice to get someone in for a deep clean once a week, and to scrub my shower. Haha, your comment about laundry reminded me of something else! My niece met an SA boy, and he has moved over here to study. One day they pulled up to the petrol station and she asked him to go and fill up while she went in to pay. He sat there looking embarrassed until he finally admitted her didn't know how to fill up with petrol! So my 22 year old niece taught her 23 year old boyfriend how to use a petrol bowser! Still makes me laugh!

I threadjacked my own thread! Hehe. So good to reminisce though. Thanks Trekkie! :wavey:
 

Trekkie

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

tbaus said:
Trekkie|1413391273|3767427 said:
tbaus|1413360848|3767291 said:
...

Trekkie- my family is originally from South Africa and immigrated when I was six. We had a full time housekeeper/nanny and then moved to Australia where Mum had to step up and clean/cook etc as well as work. I still have very fond memories of our housekeeper, she would pick me up from school and carry me all the way home on her back. We have been in Australia for 25 years and my parents still send money back and would bring her to visit every time we went back to SA to visit family. Housekeepers and nannies are only for the really well off here, as there is no one willing to do the work! Even those from impoverished families are well looked after by our government.

...

No ways! It's always so awesome to stumble across another South African (well, sort of Saffa, haha) on the internet. May I ask what part of SA you're originally from? Do you speak any South African languages? My Cape Malay friends whose parents settled in Perth waaaay back in the eighties all still speak Afrikaans at home and when I visited them in 2009 I was shocked at how much Afrikaans I heard in and around Perth. :)

It sounds like you were raised the South African way! I think at some point we're all carried on someone's back using nothing but a couple of towels and good, strong nappy pins! Ergo baby wearers? Pffffft! Who needs those?!

It is amazing how one's help at home really becomes part of one's family. When my mother passed away in 2011, my uncle drove six hours away into the Transkei to fetch my old nanny so that she could be at my mother's funeral. She is getting old, so we didn't want her taking public transport. As part of her "pension plan" my family built her a house (on land her family owned) and my uncle says even at her age (70+) the house looked immaculate and the front stoop was polished. She admitted that she struggled with polishing the steps, so we bought tiles and when he took her home, he tiled the stoop for her. It sounds so minor and insignificant, but this woman essentially raised me and making her old age a little more comfortable is the least we can do.

I'm not at all surprised that your family sends money to your old nanny. It is such a wonderfully generous thing to do, yet so typical of the relationship between nanny and family. :)

It is great that Australia takes such good care of her people, but I would DIE without help at home! Everyone was surprised that I came back to SA after my visit (they kind of assumed that because DH had worked there before we were looking for an opportunity to stay), and I just joked, "I had to! They don't have maids there! I even had to do my own laundry!" :razz:


My dad is from Pretoria, Mum is from Durban, but they built a house and I grew up in Pietermaritzburg. Dad speaks fluent Afrikaans, but we are an English speaking family, My parents, and my 2 older sisters (who both went to school in SA and learnt Afrikaans) think it is funny to have secret conversations without me though! Yes, there is lot of Saffas in Perth. The suburb my parent's live in is nicknamed "Little South Africa" by the locals. The local grocery store even has a whole aisle full of SA groceries! I like to stop in for my nik nak fix :love:

Yes, I was definitely brought up the South African way. Even just talking about it now I can so clearly remember the smell of Elda's (my nanny) hair. She used to sing to me all the time as I "helped" her clean the house, and had the most beautiful voice. When I used to try and sing with her she would say "No, nunu, just listen" (her way of saying I suck! Haha). She passed away fair few years go, but I still think of her often. It really is a special bond, isn't it? My Dad's housekeeper from when he was a child moved from my Ma's house to my Aunty's house when she passed away, and recently she forced her to retire as she was so blind but she refused to give up. Bless her, I think she is enjoying the time with her family now,

I think you just adapt to cleaning your own home! But it would be nice to get someone in for a deep clean once a week, and to scrub my shower. Haha, your comment about laundry reminded me of something else! My niece met an SA boy, and he has moved over here to study. One day they pulled up to the petrol station and she asked him to go and fill up while she went in to pay. He sat there looking embarrassed until he finally admitted her didn't know how to fill up with petrol! So my 22 year old niece taught her 23 year old boyfriend how to use a petrol bowser! Still makes me laugh!

I threadjacked my own thread! Hehe. So good to reminisce though. Thanks Trekkie! :wavey:

Ha! I love threadjacks! I could talk to you all day. :) Have fun over there in Oz and have a chocolate Freddo for me! :) :wavey:
 

JGator

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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

Trekkie and Tbaus, I like your thread jack too. One of my favorite vacations ever was to South Africa! We went to the Kruger area as well as Madikwe for safaris, and then down to Cape Town for penguins, wineries, and Table Mountain. An amazing trip.
 

Trekkie

Brilliant_Rock
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Apr 21, 2010
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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

JGator|1413553460|3768512 said:
Trekkie and Tbaus, I like your thread jack too. One of my favorite vacations ever was to South Africa! We went to the Kruger area as well as Madikwe for safaris, and then down to Cape Town for penguins, wineries, and Table Mountain. An amazing trip.

Oooooh! Cape Town is an amazing city! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
 

tbaus

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
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Re: 24 Surprising Things ABout Parenting in the United State

JGator|1413553460|3768512 said:
Trekkie and Tbaus, I like your thread jack too. One of my favorite vacations ever was to South Africa! We went to the Kruger area as well as Madikwe for safaris, and then down to Cape Town for penguins, wineries, and Table Mountain. An amazing trip.

JGator your trip sounds great! Did you see the big five? I took DH over to South Africa for the first time in early 2013 and we went on a safari in Botswana as well. We only saw 2 of the big 5 (but we heard a leopard, does that count?) since it was the wrong time of year. On the same trip was my first time to Cape Town since I was a toddler and I loved it as well. Perth has no mountains so I was amazed that from almost anywhere in the city you can see Table Mountain. I would stop in the street and say to DH "How can anybody do anything around here but stop and stare at that awesomeness?" Haha :lol:
 
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