Our surveys on happiness do not historically suggest a land of contented kids, but the Department for Education’s paper this month on children and young people’s wellbeing shows that there are now signs of recovery after a fall in the first year of the pandemic. Happiness within family relationships has seen a boost, with researchers at Our World in Data revealing that university-educated mothers and fathers in Britain are spending an average of 150 and 120 minutes respectively each day – up there with the best in the world (indeed, the same as Denmark) and twice as much as 50 years ago.
Best of all, there’s proof that British bairns turn into impressive adults. Artists like Ed Sheeran and Adele dominate the music industry, our actors win Oscars and we are second only to the US in our number of Nobel Prize winners. Where then is our parenting manual and what homegrown tips might the Duchess of Cambridge share with the Danes?
1. Tea time for kids, supper for grown-ups
My continental friends used to be horrified by our rigid 5 o’clock children’s tea, with an adults-only meal later, preferring everyone eating together and children roaming the table at 10pm. Yes, it was hard putting in a double shift of cooking and surface-wiping, but gosh it was worth it when they were in bed by 7.30pm and grown-up food and conversation could be enjoyed. It’s been suggested that this is all about “wine o’clock” and our desperation to drink but, in reality, the alcohol was only a marker for the joy of sharing a meal with someone who didn’t need their food cut up for them.
2. Outdoor learning, Brit style
A garlanded Scandinavian concept is friluftsliv, the Norwegian word for the art of enjoying the great outdoors. Parents and nurseries leave babies to sleep outside during the day, whatever the weather (although health authorities do suggest bringing them in when the thermometer hits -10C). The Duchess was photographed splitting wood with a hammer at a Danish forest kindergarten to learn about how they harness the power of nature.
