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

Journalist and blogger McGurk explores U.S. and Scandinavian cultural differences through her experiences raising young children in this thoughtful memoir. Born and raised in Sweden with an ingrained appreciation for the outdoors, she feels out of step with American culture when she tries to reproduce that childhood for her children in Indiana. Amusing interactions, such as one with a concerned motorist who passes her pushing her daughter in a stroller and walking her dog in midwinter, pepper the story. There are also unhappy experiences, such as when officials fine her for allowing her children to wade in a local stream. These incidents inspire McGurk’s lengthy return trip to Sweden. She enrolls her children in class there, leading her to interesting comparisons with American norms; Swedish schools, McGurk discovers, still emphasize outdoor play over screen time. Each chapter concludes with a “Scandinavian Parenting Tip” (“Refuse to give in to the culture of fear that has quashed outdoor play as we used to know it”) and a suggestion for further reading. McGurk’s work will be encouraging to like-minded parents who feel American culture excessively emphasizes risk avoidance. Those enamored of all things Scandinavian will also enjoy the glossary of terms at the front. (Oct.)