Different Cultures

A dear friend recently visited her native country, Australia. My friend has lived in the U.S. for the last 10 years. As my friend's family visited museums, restaurants, shopping centers and parks, she noticed that about 75% of the children (under age 10) were barefoot and wearing rumpled, lived-in clothing. She remarked about how in the U.S. children wear shoes everywhere. Parents make sure that their children are neatly dressed with recently groomed hair. Children who look as if they had been playing outside for several hours would be tidied up before venturing out in public. Disheveled children are considered neglected or a sign of poor parenting.

Australian parents feel that children who are well-turned out are being suffocated by their parents. The children are not allowed to explore and make choices, because the parents are too focused on appearances. My friend mentioned a recent episode of Wife Swap where a mom was appalled that a child slept in clothing and then wore the same clothes to school the next morning. In Australia, parents are encouraged to dress their children in comfortable clothing the night before. The child wakes up dressed for the day and last minute hassles are avoided.