Parenting

There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)

There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-13 06:55:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Linda Åkeson McGurk
  • ISBN：1501143638
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Bringing Up Bébé meets Last Child in the Woods in this “fascinating exploration of the importance of the outdoors to childhood development” （Kirkus Reviews） from a Swedish-American mother who sets out to discover if the nature-centric parenting philosophy of her native Scandinavia holds the key to healthier， happier lives for her American children。

Could the Scandinavian philosophy of “There’s no such thing as bad weather， only bad clothes” hold the key to happier， healthier lives for American children？

When Swedish-born Linda Åkeson McGurk moved to Indiana， she quickly learned that the nature-centric parenting philosophies of her native Scandinavia were not the norm。 In Sweden， children play outdoors year-round， regardless of the weather， and letting babies nap outside in freezing temperatures is common and recommended by physicians。 Preschoolers spend their days climbing trees， catching frogs， and learning to compost， and environmental education is a key part of the public-school curriculum。 In the US， McGurk found the playgrounds deserted， and preschoolers were getting drilled on academics with little time for free play in nature。 And when a swimming outing at a nearby creek ended with a fine from a park officer， McGurk realized that the parenting philosophies of her native country and her adopted homeland were worlds apart。

Struggling to decide what was best for her family， McGurk embarked on a six-month journey to Sweden with her two daughters to see how their lives would change in a place where spending time in nature is considered essential to a good childhood。 Insightful and lively， There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather is a fascinating personal narrative that illustrates how Scandinavian culture could hold the key to raising healthy， resilient， and confident children in America。

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Reviews

Thanawat ，

เพลิดเพลินและ motivate มากเนื้อหาในหนังสือคือตรงๆ จากชื่อหนังสือเลย เน้นเล่าและแสดงถึงความสำคัญของวัฒนธรรมที่สนับสนุนให้เด็กๆ การออกไปเล่นนอกบ้านของชาวสวีดิชเรียกได้ว่าวัฒนธรรมนี้เข้มข้น สร้างกันตั้งแต่แบเบาะเลยพ่อแม่ผู้ปกครองให้ลูกน้อยวัยทารก ออกไปงีบหลับนอกบ้านในอุณหภูมิลบยี่สิบเซลเซียส！นอกจากนี้ยังส่งเสริมให้เด็กๆ ออกไปเล่น ไปเลอะเทอะ ไปเรียนรู้อยู่กับธรรมชาติไม่ว่าจะฤดูไหน จะหิมะตก ฝนตก หรือหน้าร้อน （ที่ไม่ร้อน） พ่อแม่ผู้ปกครองก็จะสนับสนุนให้ลูกหลานออกไปเล่นกลางแจ้งอยู่ดี แค่เตรียมตัวให้สอดค เพลิดเพลินและ motivate มากเนื้อหาในหนังสือคือตรงๆ จากชื่อหนังสือเลย เน้นเล่าและแสดงถึงความสำคัญของวัฒนธรรมที่สนับสนุนให้เด็กๆ การออกไปเล่นนอกบ้านของชาวสวีดิชเรียกได้ว่าวัฒนธรรมนี้เข้มข้น สร้างกันตั้งแต่แบเบาะเลยพ่อแม่ผู้ปกครองให้ลูกน้อยวัยทารก ออกไปงีบหลับนอกบ้านในอุณหภูมิลบยี่สิบเซลเซียส！นอกจากนี้ยังส่งเสริมให้เด็กๆ ออกไปเล่น ไปเลอะเทอะ ไปเรียนรู้อยู่กับธรรมชาติไม่ว่าจะฤดูไหน จะหิมะตก ฝนตก หรือหน้าร้อน （ที่ไม่ร้อน） พ่อแม่ผู้ปกครองก็จะสนับสนุนให้ลูกหลานออกไปเล่นกลางแจ้งอยู่ดี แค่เตรียมตัวให้สอดคล้องกับสภาพอากาศเล่าเรื่องวัฒนธรรมใกล้ชิดธรรมชาติโดยมีงานวิจัยต่างๆ แบบไม่หนักหัวมารองรับอ่านแล้วแทบจะพาลูกออกไปเดินป่าแต่ช้าก่อนการที่ชาวสวีดิชจะยินยอมพร้อมใจ รวมไปถึงยึดถือวัฒนธรรมอันแข็งแกร่งนี้ได้มันไม่ได้เกิดขึ้นง่ายๆ จากตัวปัจเจก จากพ่อแม่ลูกครอบครัวใดครอบครัวหนึ่งมันจะเกิดขึ้นได้ก็ต่อเมื่อ public space นั้น ใกล้ชิดธรรมชาติ， เป็นมิตรกับการเดินด้วยเท้า， มีความปลอดภัยในชีวิต รวมทั้งมี social trust ระหว่างกัน มันถึงจะเกิด social norm ที่ไม่มีทางเกิดขึ้นในประเทศไทยแบบนี้ได้ผู้เขียนเล่าให้เห็นภาพใหญ่ มุมมองและการปฏิบัติระดับปัจเจก พร้อมกับคำแนะนำสำหรับคนที่อยากทำตามไว้เส็จสรรพเป็นหนังสือที่สร้างแรงบันดาลใจในการเลี้ยงลูกที่ดีเล่มนึงเลยที่เดียว 。。。more

Mary pisano ，

GratefulSo grateful for this honest reflection of motherhood。 Makes me want to move to Sweden！ Now I know next steps for my kids

Gabriela ，

I really appreciated all the tips on how to implement outdoor play。 I also liked that the author cited different works for her claims。 I’m giving 3 stars because I was hoping more from this book like more anecdotes from older generations of Scandinavians or perhaps a broader survey rather than just her hometown。

Mountain Springs Academy ，

Highly recommend this book to parents of young children or new parents。 My big takeaways here: 1） the importance of outdoor play for physical development 2） teaching children about the environment and nature so they feel connected with it。

Kjersti ，

Disappointed in this book as it was massively boring。 Mostly her complaining about American life。 We get it， so where are the instructions on how to break out of it？ I moved to a rainy climate and am having the hardest time finding weather appropriate clothes for my kids。。。would’ve liked some guidance with that。

Laura ，

2。5 probably。 Books about parenting in non-American cultures are a guilty pleasure for me， and this one fell flat。 Nothing really *wrong* with it， but not much really insightful or surprising either （except the part about babies sleeping outside）。 The main lesson was that kids need to be in nature， which seems right， but it didn’t go far beyond that。 And I found the suggestions at the end kind of overwrought。 A few touching moments in the memoir portion seemed disconnected from the parenting les 2。5 probably。 Books about parenting in non-American cultures are a guilty pleasure for me， and this one fell flat。 Nothing really *wrong* with it， but not much really insightful or surprising either （except the part about babies sleeping outside）。 The main lesson was that kids need to be in nature， which seems right， but it didn’t go far beyond that。 And I found the suggestions at the end kind of overwrought。 A few touching moments in the memoir portion seemed disconnected from the parenting lessons。 。。。more

Sara ，

Really liked the message of the book and the learnings of the author。 However， I found it a bit repetitive！！！

Monica ，

I couldn't even finish this book due to the authors opinion of anyone who doesn't hold her same point of view。 I really wanted to enjoy a read about getting kids outside but she down talks to anyone who doesn't get their children outside all the time or thinks slightly opposite of her。 Even just staying how people in America drive everywhere and no one walks。 Try getting around with 3 children in tow and all their stuff without a vehicle。 It would take HOURS to make a trip out and would be unabl I couldn't even finish this book due to the authors opinion of anyone who doesn't hold her same point of view。 I really wanted to enjoy a read about getting kids outside but she down talks to anyone who doesn't get their children outside all the time or thinks slightly opposite of her。 Even just staying how people in America drive everywhere and no one walks。 Try getting around with 3 children in tow and all their stuff without a vehicle。 It would take HOURS to make a trip out and would be unable to go anyplace outside of the local area。 Sorry but if you feel Americans are lazy you should probably have stayed in Sweden to raise your kids since they do it so much better than us。 I would also be curious as to where she finds her facts， I know my kids definitely do not get 53 hours a week of digital entertainment like she states in the beginning of the book。 I would not recommend this book for reading。 Rant over。 :） 。。。more

Amanda ，

Awesome book！ A must read for all parents。 It’s the encouragement we need to get our kids outside in nature every day。

Roxanne Marshall ，

Decent read。 I like the suggested reading within the book。

Susan Bazzett-Griffith ，

An interesting look at differences in parenting and schools and connection to nature between the US and Sweden， this book follows a mom of 2 girls to her home country for 6 months， where she helps care for her father and writes this book。 The book actually had a lot of great info and was well written- anyone who liked the Bringing up Bebe book would probably also like this one， and its fairly well researched and quite readable。 I didn't really like it though。 Being a super indoorsy person myself An interesting look at differences in parenting and schools and connection to nature between the US and Sweden， this book follows a mom of 2 girls to her home country for 6 months， where she helps care for her father and writes this book。 The book actually had a lot of great info and was well written- anyone who liked the Bringing up Bebe book would probably also like this one， and its fairly well researched and quite readable。 I didn't really like it though。 Being a super indoorsy person myself and having raised a kid who is turning into a hardcore gaming nerd， I legitimately felt kind of guilty reading a lot of this book- In Sweden， I'd be conidered an awful mom。 I hate camping and the woods and ticks and sweating and being outside in the rain or the cold。 I love nature， just in very small doses and ideal conditions- like the beach on a sunny day， or a walking trail in autumn when its in the 60s， or from the air conditioned seat of my car。 So I can give it 3 stars， recognizing its a great book， but no more than that because I could never enact much of any of her proposals for a healthier/more natural way of communing with the great outdoors for myself or my kid。 。。。more

Alana/MiaTheReader ，

Loved it。 I wholeheartedly agree: kids require HOURS of outdoor play and fresh air and sunlight， and grown ups need more of it， too！ The only downside of this book is that it has lots of ideas on how to play outdoors in cold or rainy weather， but has virtually no tips on how to prepare children to play outside for hours in hot climates。 As a mom of five kids on the Southern Atlantic coast of North America， I can tell you that kids will certainly play outside for hours in heat if they're allowed Loved it。 I wholeheartedly agree: kids require HOURS of outdoor play and fresh air and sunlight， and grown ups need more of it， too！ The only downside of this book is that it has lots of ideas on how to play outdoors in cold or rainy weather， but has virtually no tips on how to prepare children to play outside for hours in hot climates。 As a mom of five kids on the Southern Atlantic coast of North America， I can tell you that kids will certainly play outside for hours in heat if they're allowed to go barefoot， wear minimal clothing （think athletic shorts and tanks）， drinking lots of water and incorporating as much water play as possible。 Let them get wet and stay wet when it's 95 degrees Fahrenheit， as it often is here for several months of the year。 Mosquitoes and sun exposure are not nearly as dangerous to our children as a sedentary lifestyle！ Give them very few options for anything else （read: severely limit screen time。 In summer， my kids are allowed a half hour to forty five minutes of TV a day during the hottest part of the day）。 Go outside with them， too！ You may just find you can build up your endurance of hot weather， and research shows both kids' and grown ups' mental health will improve in amazing ways！ 。。。more

Laura Fisher ，

Loved this book！ Lots of helpful tips for helping kids engage with the outdoors。 Inspired me to get outside more too！

Anna ，

I would say this book is more like 3。5 stars。 It was very readable。 I have been making an effort to get my kids outside more often ever since。 She made a good case for the importance of outside play on children’s development。 I would have liked some ideas for how to keep them outside more often in extreme heat， but I guess you don’t experience that so much in Sweden。 ;）

HRH ，

Did not finish because it was too much “at my old school。” It was a good deal of time spent on how America sucks and life is ideal in Sweden， which is not helpful unless I move。 Also， I’m not sure it’s so very dire in America。 And I’m not sure the fixes are so easy for America。 It’s all more complicated than the author realizes。 She seems to believe all communities— from Washington State to inner city Chicago could be a bit more Swedish and has to ignore socioeconomic factors and even weather。 A Did not finish because it was too much “at my old school。” It was a good deal of time spent on how America sucks and life is ideal in Sweden， which is not helpful unless I move。 Also， I’m not sure it’s so very dire in America。 And I’m not sure the fixes are so easy for America。 It’s all more complicated than the author realizes。 She seems to believe all communities— from Washington State to inner city Chicago could be a bit more Swedish and has to ignore socioeconomic factors and even weather。 A lot of time is spent on how to handle cold weather which is what Sweden is but we have a lot of hot weather in America— see Arizona。 It wasn’t practically helpful and it just seemed like she was being mean to America which is frustrating if you plan to live in America。 。。。more

Melanie Bradshaw ，

I was hoping for more actual tips and tricks than justification。 I am on board with and was already aware of the benefits of nature play and risk taking。 I want more about how to put it into practice - what base layers to dress my toddler in to make sure she can play for hours outside in the winter safely， etc。 This is a great book for anyone who wants info about why free and wild play is so important。 I am interested in checking out some of the further reading that is included and did appreciat I was hoping for more actual tips and tricks than justification。 I am on board with and was already aware of the benefits of nature play and risk taking。 I want more about how to put it into practice - what base layers to dress my toddler in to make sure she can play for hours outside in the winter safely， etc。 This is a great book for anyone who wants info about why free and wild play is so important。 I am interested in checking out some of the further reading that is included and did appreciate the reminder to just get outside！ 。。。more

Andrea Berardi ，

I was SO excited to read this book。 I grew-up playing outside in the country。 Spending time outdoors every day with my 1 year old daughter is also incredibly important to me。 Sadly， I think parts of this book were just too “crunchy” and reckless for my parenting-style。 One example was the author complaining she was issued a ticket for letting her kids to swim in a prohibited area of a nature preserve （because of health hazards and the risk of e。coli due to manure from an upstream farm）。 She basi I was SO excited to read this book。 I grew-up playing outside in the country。 Spending time outdoors every day with my 1 year old daughter is also incredibly important to me。 Sadly， I think parts of this book were just too “crunchy” and reckless for my parenting-style。 One example was the author complaining she was issued a ticket for letting her kids to swim in a prohibited area of a nature preserve （because of health hazards and the risk of e。coli due to manure from an upstream farm）。 She basically felt victimized stating it is a CRIME that American children cant enjoy the simple joys。I don’t believe that children should be allows to roam unchaperoned though neighborhoods and the woods。 The author comes off as very smug and the entire book felt very judgy。 。。。more

Joanna ，

Ale głupi ci Amerykanie。

Annalee ，

*3。5。 As with most books in this vein （“parent like the _____ do！”） there’s some good to consider here。 The main thesis is that outdoor time is good for kids’ development and will set them up for adulthood of valuing the outdoors too。 It might have taken too many pages to make that simple point， but in a culture that seems to stay inside too much， it’s one well taken。

Julie ，

Nothing I didn’t already know， but I truly enjoyed reading the author’s experiences with her two young children in Sweden。

Linda ，

No much advice about how to love bad weather， so that was a bummer for me。But inspirational nonetheless。Made me want to move to Stockholm。。。 And I hate the cold so that's saying something。 No much advice about how to love bad weather， so that was a bummer for me。But inspirational nonetheless。Made me want to move to Stockholm。。。 And I hate the cold so that's saying something。 。。。more

Jenny Miller ，

Had some helpful ideas。 Made me sad & frustrated though with our school system and collective fear of children playing alone outside

Michelle ，

A great motivating read to inspire you to get outside more often and think of how we can plan lives around enjoying the outdoors！

Kaitlyn ，

Some interesting stats and good reminders， but could have been much shorter as it was a bit repetitive。

Mandy Crumb ，

Nothing new here with this memoir/research hybrid。 Basic get your kids outside， buy them appropriate clothes， and don't stress the small stuff。 The research that backed up the Swedish way of life was interesting。 Recommended reading at the end of each chapter was hugely helpful。 Nothing new here with this memoir/research hybrid。 Basic get your kids outside， buy them appropriate clothes， and don't stress the small stuff。 The research that backed up the Swedish way of life was interesting。 Recommended reading at the end of each chapter was hugely helpful。 。。。more

Kaylee Crane ，

Took me foreeeeever to get through this book， possibly because our days are already spent outside。 Ultimately， the entire message is- get your kids outside no matter the weather or situation， hence the title。 While inspirational， I did find it a little overdone on how awful the US culture is in parenting， schooling， and behavior。。 while I don’t necessarily disagree in comparison to places such as Sweden， it did seem like she needed to get a point across that America does it wrong。 However， if yo Took me foreeeeever to get through this book， possibly because our days are already spent outside。 Ultimately， the entire message is- get your kids outside no matter the weather or situation， hence the title。 While inspirational， I did find it a little overdone on how awful the US culture is in parenting， schooling， and behavior。。 while I don’t necessarily disagree in comparison to places such as Sweden， it did seem like she needed to get a point across that America does it wrong。 However， if you are a parent who feels like you are in a rut and the days are long or your not spending your time in a way you want to be， this may be worth the read to inspire you。 ** to add， I did love reading up on the research of disease and behavioral diagnosis in comparison to children in the US vs other countries。 While I knew there was a difference， I had no idea what the percentages actually were and found that extremely difficult to read。 。。。more

E。 Huthchinson ，

This book has set me and my partner on what feels like a destined path to build our lives and raise our children in Scandinavia。 It's a well written， enjoyable， and heart-warming look at how kids are raised in Scandinavia。 From the perspective of an American， it's almost a bit depressing。 Our culture and society as a whole does nearly everything wrong when it comes to how we raise our kids。 From daycare， to high school: our systems consistently fail our children。I hope parents are inspired by th This book has set me and my partner on what feels like a destined path to build our lives and raise our children in Scandinavia。 It's a well written， enjoyable， and heart-warming look at how kids are raised in Scandinavia。 From the perspective of an American， it's almost a bit depressing。 Our culture and society as a whole does nearly everything wrong when it comes to how we raise our kids。 From daycare， to high school: our systems consistently fail our children。I hope parents are inspired by this book to introduce their families to a more Scandinavian way of living。 。。。more

Maggie Allyn ，

It gave a wonderful insight on the need for natural/nature play。 As well as a quote that will live with me forever- There's no such thing as bad weather。。。 Only bad clothes！ It gave a wonderful insight on the need for natural/nature play。 As well as a quote that will live with me forever- There's no such thing as bad weather。。。 Only bad clothes！ 。。。more

Suzy ，

There are a lot of good principles in this book。 But I will say that there’s not a lot of good application。 I get that Sweden and the Scandinavian school systems have a lot of good things going for them， but we need to know how to fix that in our country in a practical way。 And homeschooling is never mentioned as a viable option and it should be。

Isabella Saliba Long ，

Great book about the benefits of nature and risky play。 When she stuck to the specifics of nature play it was awesome。 Her discussion of environmental education in Sweden and her focus on individual action as a solution to the climate crisis was less impressive。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0