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BAD PATCHES AND DAMAGING PRAISE Naturally, plenty of old-fashioned tough love balances the openness apparent in Danish parenting. Parents rarely shy away from addressing negative events, feelings, and circumstances head-on with their children. Suppose a Danish parent is having a rough day or is upset about unexpected bad news. In that case, they’re more likely to explain to their children why their disposition is darker than usual rather than bottling up these thoughts and shielding the little ones from reality. While talking things out is the norm in Denmark, overloading children with compliments is considered bad form. For example, studies suggest that constantly praising a child’s intelligence harms their self-worth when they encounter mentally challenging tasks later in life. Instead of working through these obstacles, they’re more likely to give up in frustration. To that end, Danish parents emphasize effort over accomplishment , helping children gain greater confidence in overcoming hurdles.
DENMARK’S SECRETS TO RAISING HAPPY KIDS
In a black-and-white world, Danes embrace the gray.
parent-child relationships in Denmark thrive because of how they apply each. Stringently nonviolent, Danish parenting focuses on the inherent goodness in all children and encourages independence, optimism, and honesty. For example, parents eschew “helicopter parenting” to allow their children to engage in playtime and other activities with as little intervention as possible. Practitioners believe granting their little ones this high level of freedom enables them to develop greater self-esteem and leadership skills than if they constantly dictate their actions and give strict directions. Additionally, Danish parenting stresses the importance of validating a child’s emotions instead of telling them how to feel. This ongoing encouragement to embrace and examine feelings likely enables Danish children to develop stronger self-trust and a clearer perception of the world around them.
The University of Oxford’s “World Happiness Report” cites Denmark as the second-happiest country behind Finland. Denmark clearly knows a thing or two about fostering a culture that prioritizes contentment and personal well-being. Not surprisingly, the rest of the world often looks to Denmark for inspiration to lead a more positive life. Regarding parenting, Danish citizens have crafted a philosophical and practical approach that could benefit children in countries far from their own. ATTITUDE DETERMINES ATTITUDE First and foremost, Danish parenting is a practice steeped in empathy, caring, communication, and respect. While these core tenets aren’t particularly revolutionary,
W e C an C onnect Y ou W ith the P rofessionals Y ou N eed OUR NETWORK WORKS FOR YOU Where do you go for information when you’re looking up new restaurants, entertainment options, or retail stores in our area? Do you use Yelp? expert in their county, and introduce them. We can also connect them with a mortgage broker as they begin the process of buying their new home.
Google? Word of mouth? What about needs that are slightly more personal and less common, such as a divorce attorney or therapist? You may not feel comfortable turning to family or friends for advice, but at the same time, you don’t want to make the wrong decision. At V&T, we see that many of our clients have needs other than what they retained our office for. For example, when someone hires us for a divorce, they often need to sell a house, reorganize their finances, re-do their will, and talk to a therapist. We do not want you to go cold-searching for experts. We have connections to great resources and can provide introductions. If a client knows their divorce will require them to sell their home and divide the equity, we will look into the many Realtors we work with, find an
When parties are divorced, their wills, or portions of the will, are always impacted. So we are also able to connect them with estate planning attorneys. This works well since we have an intimate knowledge of the value of their estates, having just completed the divorce. Likewise, we refer people to financial advisors when finances need to be re-worked or retirement accounts have to be divided. We even provide connections to great mental health specialists! We can connect you with just about any type of professional! Esther is an amazing network personality. She is great at developing relationships with other professionals, allowing us to provide our clients with more than just a divorce decree or a final order. We can litigate with them and help them
with the additional resources to make the next phases of life easier. Let us know if you ever need any assistance with anything outside of our expertise! - Andrea Johnson
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