What are some things from your country that you think the world would be better off if we adopted them? ❤🌍

Back in the late seventies, I went to work for a father-and-son carpentry outfit. They were from Sweden, but had been living in America for a number of years. I was in my early twenties, and this was only my second carpentry job, so I had alot to learn. They showed great patience while I learned how to frame houses with them for several years. For those who don't know, framing houses is hard and physical work, and you also need to be intelligent and have good math skills. We worked throughout the year, in summer heat and frigid cold. Looking back, I am impressed by their honesty and tremendous work ethic! They always treated their employees with respect and patience, and I will always be grateful to them for inspiring me to develop a good work ethic. I really was quite fortunate to have met them and had them leave such a long-lasting impression on me! I don't know if either of them are still alive, but if they are, I'd like to say "Thank You" to Joel and Roger Sandholm. You were two of the most decent and respectable people that I worked for in my more than 40 years in carpentry! They certainly made a good impression of Swedish people on me!

I'm Canadian and a few years ago we went on a trip through Estonia, Finland and Sweden. There were lots of families in the areas we were in and yet we never heard any parents and children bickering. Several times we heard kids ask for things or ask questions but the parents calmly answered yes or no and explained what the children wanted to know. The kids might ask follow-up questions and time was made for that as well. And then the kids would accept whatever was said even if it wasn't what they had wanted. It was awesome! When we got back to Canada, we didn't make it out of the airport before hearing parents barking at kids who are whining trying to get their attention to ask a question. #7 is something that we absolutely should adopt here!

”Whole and clean” dont mean ”always represent yourself at your best”. It means that clothing are optional as long as you are washed and don’t show up in clothes that is broken or really in bad shape. It’s a old saying but something we can still use if someone asks if there is a dress code. For a party or even a funeral. That gives the person the freedom to choose whatever clothes they want to wear.

My Morfar came from a village called Garsas near Mora. My Mormor came from Sandviken. I loved all the Viking stories I was told. All the holiday traditions. All the wonderful things my Mormor cooked. I am very proud of my Swedish heritage. I was fortunate to go to Sweden with my Morfar and my Mom.

In my opinion, the kindness toward children is the real story here. Growing up with constant screaming and anger in home and at school left me with serious lifelong anxiety and psych problems

I'm surprised you left out the hand towels in the bathroom! That was something I grew to respect very quickly and brought home to my family in Canada. Every family member having their OWN hand towel/towel hook AND and extra one labelled for guest. This just makes so much sense!

Norwegian here - grew up with duvets, and "hate" the top sheet & blanket thing. Such a messy bed by morning, because I can't sleep in the tight cocoon of the sheet thing.

Yes, "from scratch" thing is so confusing. I love cooking videos and use to get really upset about "Ah I mix this can with this jar and add some bag to this". In my country store-bought canned food are for students and camping(ers?), not for everyday adult life.

My Swedish father was indeed quite humble and never complained about anyone or anything. He was quiet, but was a very nice person to be around.🇸🇪

One thing you didn’t mention: no small talk! We hosted a Swedish exchange student for 2 years, and he was most surprised by the amount of casual/short and even cheap conversations. He was always happy to talk, but he would patiently talk at length. Sweden sounds like a wonderful country to live, especially the Fika! ❤

I practice several of these, & I'm a southern American, but have felt different from other Americans. No Swedish background, just logical😊

My father was Swedish. I love learning more about Sweden. Thank you.

I totally believe in treating children as human beings that deserve respect. ❤ I agree with all of the points about children.

My spouse and I have used separate duvets for our entire 20 year marriage and it's one of the secrets of our success! We have very different temperature and texture needs. I run hot at night and usually only use one very cool cotton sheet even in winter, whereas he likes to be cosy with a heavier and warmer blanket. Even if you perfectly match your spouse in temperature needs, having separate duvets means you never fight over who gets more of it. Highly recommend for every married couple.

I lived in Sweden, near Växjö for 7 and a half years. There are many good things about Sweden but one of the most common complaints that I heard among other immigrants was what we referred to as "Svensplaining." Unfortunately, it's very common for Swedish people to think that their way is the right way but also the only way. I have been stopped by strangers and told how to: 1. Walk my dog 2. How to dress my children 3. How to dispose of the trash 4. What color to paint my home. 5. How to walk in the mall (not kidding). I could go on, the list is endless. What you feel after a while is that no matter how hard you try, Swedish people by and large will tolerate you but never accept you as you are not "correct," or rather plainly, Swedish.

I have part Swedish ancestry and often wonder if this is why I'm so drawn to the country and culture, or whether it's because Swedish systems makes so much sense to me. I've never visited, unfortunately, but would love to immerse myself for a long stay some time.

I'm half Swedish, half American and brought up in London, UK. One thing we should learn from other countries is talking to your neighbours and strangers. You might have seen the memes "Waiting for the bus like a Swede." that kind of scepsis towards other people is real. While when I'm abroad people actually talk to eachother on the train, they invite you to their table in pubs, say good morning on the street etc. It's very easy to feel unseen or lonely in Sweden.

German here - it seems we have a lot in common! Separate duvets, duvet covers, respect for children, loving the outdoors, never having to fill in forms about race.... there are some differences but a lot of things sound really familiar to me.

The duvet cover is apparently useful if you live in cold climate regions. If you are here in the US, top sheets are a godsend during the summer while duvet covers are useful in the winter..

Back in the early 2000s I spent 6 summers (and a short winter stay) mostly in central Sweden: Dalarna, Härjedalen, and Jämtland, preparing for and participating in Uppdansningen för polskdansmärke (known in the U.S. as “medal testing”) and hanging out with fellow folk dancers and musicians. Those of us from the U.S. generally stayed with local dancers or in cabins here and there, and the hospitality was truly heart-warming. One “weird” Swedish practice that I thought characteristic and well-intentioned (though prone to being taken rapacious advantage of by various European visitors) was allemansrätten-the right of free access anywhere in the countryside, even on private property, for camping and even picking berries, with proper respect for ownership (some wild stories there about violations of respect-and their consequences). It’s not just Swedish-the same can be found in Norway (with similar tales and outcomes). That might merit further explanation, Johanna. And another, minor bit: the ubiquity of the brightly colored dalahästar or “Dalarna horses” in many people’s homes.

Many of the mentioned points are common in Eastern Europe too, but for ex. if you're having guests over, not only the house needs to be polished to shine but also a tooon of food will be prepared so that you not only don't leave your guests go hungry out of your home but basically roll back to theirs😂

I have to agree with other Germans here in the chat that there is quite some similarities between Sweden and Germany. I found the point about the kids worth considering - I think we are treating teenagers in a more „adult“ way than in other countries (a thing that our Japanese exchange daughter pointed out) but I think it would do us good to also adopt the more respectful approach for younger kids (by the way, being respectful does not mean that you don’t parent!). - A thing about Germany I am loving more the more I experience other countries is our body positivity. Of course there is still pressure on young people from social media to look „instagramable“ but overall there is a very free and relaxed atmosphere for example about nudity at beaches, in the sauna etc. People before and beyond puberty are overall very relaxed about the way they look. For me that is a big part of feeling comfortable in Germany.

I just moved to Sweden about 6 or 7 months ago, but have visited several times over the past few years. The biggest change that I, at first, hated but now love is the duvet thing. My wife and I have separate duvets and while sometimes it'd be nice to have one big one for cuddling, I MUCH prefer it over the seemingly endless amounts of blankets and sheets that we had in Canada. Also the respect thing with kids. Telling my Swedish wife about childhood things like arguments with my parents or how schools would treat kids she was blown away because I was very much raised with the idea of "Respect your elders at all costs" even if they were being total dicks.

I live in Scotland and many of those things are normal here as well. As an Italian, I can assure you that we use scissors to cut pizza at home, but never in a restaurant 😊

I am a 73 year old American woman living in Sweden and I have a “best”, American, friend from the time we were eight. She was a Montessori pre-school teacher in her own home for children from infancy to three years old. I used to spend my vacations visiting with her, staying in her home and experiencing her days with the children. In over twenty years I never once heard her raise her voice or respond with anything less than the utmost respect. Partly this was her Montessori training, but mostly it was her nature. She and her husband raised their son the same way. This past summer their son (now in his forties) paid for my husband and I to travel from Sweden to Greece to join them on a vacation he had dreamed of for years. They have two sons, nine and eleven, and I experienced the same level of respect for their children as he had experienced from his parents. The boys were delightful! The vacation was unforgettable!

Please do keep sharing things like this. We could learn a lot from Sweden.

You make me wanna move to Sweden, I also adore the show called Melodifestivalen which very popular in Sweden and as a Eurovision fan it’s a pleasure for me to watch Melodifestivalen too and enjoy the amazing songs every year, you are so sweet, thank you for your videos and kindness, I can say from your eyes that you have a huge good heart 💛

My mom was a Swedish immigrant to the USA in 1924. I wish she and my grandparents would have spoken to me in Swedish so I could have learned the language. They spoke it in the home only, and English outside the home. I was raised on lots of Swedish foods. I am happy to have run across your channel.

I am from Ireland and have been using a duvet since the 70s . I always put the duvet inside a cover plus use a fitted bottom sheet and a flat top sheet.

I am from Latin America, Argentina. We use sets of sheets and wash them weekly :) and here we don’t ask about ethnicity or race neither. The same goes with the cake, we make it from scratch. We also cook a lot and eat at home. I love the part of being ready to be outside no matter what the weather is ❤

One Week in Sweden, what did I notice? yes the seprate duvets, I do that now at my house. I learned to use more candles- they were everywhere. The way the high school graduates celebrate, like a long lasting parade like hay rides, in safe trailers that are pulled by parents. We were in Trolhatton? (Spelling) and our hotel had 2nd floor balcony's it was very entertaining for them to come by. (think spring break with chaparones on wheels?). Also, even in that cold of a climi\ate, bike lanes were awesome, double striped, two ways, their own red lights, lots of bike racks.

Yes, I grew up in a snowy climate- BUT, we always had the proper clothing for it. You don't dismay the weather- you simply buy nice warm clothing that you love. Then you look forward to wearing your pretty winter clothing.

I’m from New Zealand and it is common to use both a duvet cover and top sheet here. We wash the sheets AND the duvet cover 😊. I also air the duvet inner outside whenever possible. And there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing choices!

Thank you for all the research and work you do .. Truly appreciated 🙏

Thank you so much for sharing all about Sweden with the world. 🙏💜

I love how proud you are of Sweden and the fact you should be.

One aspect of sweden i love is that dating is a lot more equal. Its not taboo/weird for a woman to initiate, and the man is not expected to pay all the time. You either split or take turns. I've also noticed we are a lot more equal in splitting housework, childcare etc than many other countries.

Right after graduation from architecture school, I traveled to Landskrona to work for its Stadsarkitektkontoret. My girlfriend was studying law at Lund University. I didn't find southern Swedes weird at all. There were absolutely no social conflicts. At least in Southern Sweden, young adults DID go on dates. My girlfriend and I preferred going out in nature for our dates, not going to discos or bars. We did go to big dances at Lund University. One time, the singers of the band were Agnetha and Ani-frid - before they were the A's in ABBA. Neither one of us drank anything stronger than beer or wine, We especially enjoyed picnics beside the Oresund Channel. I attended a Methodist church in Landskrona. KZfaq videos make it seem that Swedes and Americans are very different and don't get along . . . but I found that a young man from Atlanta, GA got along exceedingly well with a flycka from Malmo, Skane and all of her friends. Maybe if I was from New York City, things would have been different.

I am a US citizen living in the USA. Both my grandfathers were Swedish and both my grandmothers were Norwegian. I had a large and close-knit family. My deceased husband was German from a very patriarchal family. THAT was a shock to assimilate into that kind of family. LOL My #2 husband is Swedish. Ahhh, the calm again. LOL Many years ago I lived in Houston, TX in the USA. I lost track of how many people asked me where I was from! Apparently not only my extremely fair skin and hair were an anomaly but my mannerisms, ideas and my general lifestyle as well. I learned a lot living there and I hope I passed on some good things to others.

Wow, I live in Germany and haven't realised HOW similar both cultures are! Thank you for the video ❤️

American here. I did cosleeping with both of my children. I didn't even know I would do this until the night my first child was born. Then an instinct kicked in that told me there was no way I was putting my son in a bassinet next to my bed. I LOVED sleeping with my kids, and I really don't understand why some people believe it to be harmful. I've since learned that cosleeping regulates the baby's heartbeat, breathing, and temperature, and that the majority of babies who die from SIDS die cold and alone in their cribs. It just makes sense to sleep with our young. Every other animal in nature does it, and for good reason. It also helps with bonding, babies sleeping through the night sooner, parents getting more sleep, and it makes breastfeeding so much easier. Funny to me that only the western world believes it to be a problem, when the rest of the world knows better, and does it with no problems Edit: to those of you who disagree, you're free to disagree, and you can present all the "facts" you wish, but the FACT that we among countless others all over the world have safely and successfully bed shared with our children isn't going to change. Yes, rarely some people accidentally suffocate their babies in bed. There are usually other factors involved besides just sleeping with the baby, and the number of people who sleep with their babies and DON'T suffocate them, as compared to the ones who do, should be an obvious indicator of how safe it IS. Unless you're a very heavy sleeper, you use drugs or alchohol, you're a very overweight person, etc, sleeping with your baby shouldn't present any danger. Simple common sense measures should obviously be taken, such as not over dressing the baby, and placing the baby more at the top of the bed, while the parents scoot down more toward the foot, so that when they pull up their covers the baby isn't covered. People really crack me up when they insist that bed sharing can not possibly be safe, when parents have been doing this since the dawn of humanity, and will continue to do so, carefully and safely. Beyond this I won't bother to argue the subject. I said what I said.

👌😌 I've just discovered this channel and I already love it. I totally understand what Saga Johanna shares: several years ago, in my Erasmus year, I made some good swedish friends. And I can relate the "quirky" ideas she gave, rather logical, I'd say 👍

This is awesome! Been learning Swedish for 2 months now, and keep getting recommended videos like this. It's like fate wants me to move to Sweden!

I live in the Netherlands and we are not that different from our Scandinavian cousins, but I still heard several tips that would make life better, especially with regard to raising and respecting children as valuable co-humans.

Well, you have given me some insight into my Swedish heritage. My grandparents came to the US before 1913. My dad was born here, but I have noticed little behaviors in my family that speaks strongly of our heritage. Things like being reserved, not putting ourselves forward, hospitality where guests are catered to, generosity. There are other things, but my dad was an open-handed, big-hearted man who gave to everyone. I can now understand why he was the way he was.

A rolling pizza cutter can also be used to cut quesadillas; I'm sure there are other uses as well.

Czech here. The more I know about Sweden the more I like it. We already share a lot of the things you mentioned. And some of the others we definitely should.

Lovely, informative presentation! Thank you. Interestingly enough, as an individual, one can live a Swedish lifestyle anywhere in the world if one chooses to. It’s a rather laid-back, independent, yet respectful way of enjoying life.

I love this discussion! I was a child when we moved to Sweden back in 1961. We first lived in the countryside outside Gorteborg, then we moved right into the heart of the city. My sister and I attended Swedish schools for 3 years and learned the language from scratch- no textbooks needed! The Swedes as a community held their children as precious, and were oriented toward what was best for their children and the future that those kids represented. They also expected respect back, and got it. One way this showed up was with the curtsy- girls would stop to curtsy if they saw an older person in the street, and boys nodded their heads in respect. Introductions included a friendly handshake with bow or curtsy. Also- speak a "goddag" to greet someone. Of course, kids always offered their seat on the bus/train to their elders. When American friends would come to visit us, and we kids gave them a warm Swedish welcome, they were absolutely amazed and delighted. We in turn were uplifted by their response to us- and grew to like and trust and respect adults. I felt well equipped to be introduced to broader society with this simple start in life.

When I was very young (ca 1960), I lived in a suburban working class neighborhood outside of Detroit, Michigan, USA. We were taught these community rules about when you can and cannot make loud noises, knock on people's doors, or call them on the telephone. The basic rule is, it is rude to disturb people at certain times; this is what it means to be considerate of others. Do not disturb people before 8 o'clock in the morning on weekdays. After that time, children can go to their friends' houses and, in a sing-songy voice, call for them (children do not knock on doors). We would sing something like, "Can Bobby come out and pla-ay?" On Saturday and Sunday the same rule applies, but you don't disturb people before 9 o'clock. That is because people may be sleeping in on those days. Do not call a business before 9 o'clock in the morning during business hours. Businesses do not call customers before that time, either. Do not disturb people 30 minutes before (while mothers were preparing the meal) or during meal start times, which were pretty much the same for everyone. Breakfast before 8:00 AM. Lunch at noon. Dinner at 5:30 PM. In general, when children were done eating, they could ride their bikes or roller skate up and down the street waiting for heir friends to come out and play. However, in the summer, when a baseball game that had been interrupted by a meal (mothers called us in to eat with a sing-songy voice; when you heard it, you better drop everything and run home), we were eager to get back to playing the game, so some children might press their noses to the screen door of their friend's house to see if they were done eating. My mother thought this was rude and did not encourage it. Come home when the street lights come on and do not disturb people after that time. Between meals and before the street lights came on, you make as much noise as you wanted outside. You could play quietly inside with a few friends. However, if friends or relatives came to visit and brought their children, and you had to play inside, you could make lots of noise so long as it didn't sound like you were squabbling. These were the days before chainsaws and gasoline-powered lawn mowers were in common use. People used hand saws to cut tree limbs and mowed the lawn with a push-mower. During the day, the fathers were all at work and the mothers were busy with house work. Neighborhoods were pretty quiet most of the time. These rules about how you show consideration for others by giving them some quiet times would be good for everyone to follow. The times could differ from community-to-community, but the basic idea is a good one. Where I live now (suburb of Atlanta, Georria, USA), there are no such rules. I call it "the endless whining sound". "

Cosleeping is so frowned upon in the USA, and it took us soooo long to figure out it's the only way to meet everyone's needs in our family.

I am Canadian and I agree most of what you describe. Because we are such a diverse culture I do discuss Race as something that is important to understand differences.

What a beautiful country. I've lived in the US my entire life, but my father's grandmother came to the US from Sweden a little over a hundred years ago. But my mother's side came over from Leiden in 1620. I've always wanted to visit this country, but when I went to college and learned more about it, I wanted to move there. From your description, it seems like such a wholesome country. The culture seems especially nurturing for children, and I love the fact they understand how healthy it is to be and play outside, and to allow kids to be kids. I love the idea of 2 separate duvet's. It makes so much sense! Thank you for this video.

I have Swedish ancestry. Watching this video explained a lot of things about my family that I didn't realize. Now I see where my behaviors came from. I grew up in a multicultural neighborhood in California and each family was so different from each other. Most proudest of sharing your beliefs on raising children.

Super interesting! Thank u so much for sharing!

So interesting to learn more about Sweden and its culture. My Grandfather was born and grew up in Sweden. However he came to America in 1899 and was naturalized as an American citizen in 1904. Sadly he died 10 years before I was born, so I'm always glad to know more about his native country. Thank you are sharing.

I worked for a Swedish organization in the USA and your description of the Swedish people is so true. A very enjoyable environment to work in. Fond memories.

As a Swedish American living in Seattle, this video warms my heart. So many common sense things we could use in American society.

What you said about cake really hit home with me. Years ago when I was first married I told my hubby I wanted to bake a cake and needed to go to the store. He took me and walked me to the cake mix isle. I told him that I didn't want a mix , I wanted ingredients. He didn't know what to say. Yes, there is an entire isle dedicated to cake mix here. Sweden sounds like a wonderful place with great ideas on how to be happy.

Ahahha i’m glad you clarified in Italian 😂😂😂 “fica” definitely means something else!!! Thanks for sharing this video, I enjoyed learning these Swedish practices!❤

I was in Stockholm and loved their culture; I was in a few European countries, and I rank Sweeden number one in Friendly, Honesty, best customer service, best first impression, and welcoming tourists 🎉.

I visited Helsingborg in 1974 with my Swedish boyfriend. He was very much as you have described. His family didn't speak English however his English was flawless. It was a lovely culture. The only thing I didn't like was that almost everyone smoked.😢

What a nice video! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you for this very informative video! Even though I am from the USA, I was raised with a few of these customs/traditions because mother was Swedish. Her grandparents immigrated to the USA in the early 1900s so I never got a chance to learn Swedish. My grandmother was fluent, and mom’s family still kept up many Swedish traditions, especially around the holidays. My mom passed away unexpectedly last year, so we visited Sweden for the first time and I felt very connected to her. I even saw a woman who looked so much like her! I will definitely continue these traditions, especially since I have been staying in Iceland for 4 months and feel so at home in Nordic and Scandinavian countries because of my heritage

I find your mannerisms voice and communication style just absolutely delightful. Thank you for sharing your culture with us!!! I hope to experience it firsthand someday.

Omg I need top & bottom sheets ALWAYS! I change my bedding every few days

Lots of great information here. I enjoyed your video.💖

I loved this! I am an American 🇸🇪 Swede and have always wanted to visit Sweden but funds don’t allow me to 😢. My grandparents felt that once they came to America they were Americans and did not carry the Swedish traditions over except our large family Christmas Eve gatherings. I grew up with potato sausage, rotmos and rice pudding and so wish we had celebrated St. Lucia, Midsommer, etc. I am proud to be Swedish and thank you for your info in this video! 💖🇸🇪💖

Love this video! I studied in Sweden for 1 semester as an Erasmus student and I absolutely loved it there. Especially the idea of never being "over the top" or too loud etc., just having this more moderate approach to life. And the fact that everyone spoke perfect English was amazing, although it also meant that I did not learn to speak Swedish at all. I am absolutely with you on the duvet topic - we do the same with the duvet inner & outer here in Austria and I think it's the only reasonable approach to bedding, touching the "uncovered" blanket freaks me out whenever I'm abroad 😀

I like the way you talk about traditions - try it or do it or love it or skip it, as you please. It takes some of the weight off of society's pressures.

My family here in America has pretty much always used scissors for pizza. A rotary pizza cutter is _very_ efficient if you work in a pizzeria, especially for large pizzas, but, as mentioned, it's a single-task utensil that mostly just takes up space in a home.

I was a Rotary exchange student after high school 1978-79 and it is still the best year of my life! I LOVE the Swedes, the food, the country and the friendly lifestyle lived there!!!!!❤❤❤❤

I'm Swede and would say I agree on most things! :) True there is very little visible abuse, but there is a kind of an hidden oppression leading to high conformity, like does not Jamtelagen basically mean "don't think you are special/keep you head down" or something? And "whole and clean" comes from systematically singling out poor people in older generations in school to shame them, maybe it made us cleaner and less sick.. But again there is a side that alot of people moving to sweden might find rough as well

About the bad weather - bad clothing thing: we germans have the exact same saying. Also we do often ask others what they could eat before you host a party.

Thank you for a fascinating look at a country I know very little about, having live nearly all my life in California. Sounds like a wonderful place to call home.

I think many of these things apply to all Europeans especially the idea that you should always dress up nicely when you go out no matter on what occasion. This was absolutely clear when I went on a Summer Work and Travel Program in the US - you could see all young people from Europe ( we were mostly from Central and Eastern Europe) were always dressed well when outside compared to Americans and this made an impression on the Americans. I talked to a general store owner when I was purchasing some things and he told me that this was his store and he has been open for more than 20 years and each year he sees hundreds of young students that come from Europe to work ( mostly from countries that are considered Eastern Europe even though many prefer Central ) and they are always well groomed, clean, tidy and well dressed when outside walking around compared to Americans and actually I very much like this tradition that we have in Europe because this way when outside you are surrounded by a nice crowd of people and feel better. I think we in Europe are brought to think that when you cross the border somehow the people that live there will be completely different in any way but the truth is that we have lived on the same continent for Thousands of years and we have so much more in common in our everyday lives than we know.

Cosleeping is not bad, the issue is bed-sharing (that is often confused with cosleeping). The solution you talked about is very popular in many countries, you can buy those sort of cribs to attach to your bed, and very safe. If you put an infant between 2 adults, with pillows and blankets, it's not safe

As a German, nearly all of what you said, sounds actually quite familiar to me. Especially the point separat duvets and there is only bad clothing not bad weather

Loved watching the video, informative! you´re so sweet!

Thanks for a great video. I recognize so much of what you shared. To start with, I think that the one thing that almost every Swedish emigrant left in Sweden when they came to North America was jantelagen. Long before I had ever heard of the principles of jantelagen, I remember my dad telling us, "You're no better than anyone else, but you are no less than anyone else either. You just worry about doing your best and that is all you need to do." I grew up in Washington State just north of the city of Seattle. My dad's family were all Swedish and I had no idea just how 'Swedish' Dad was until 2011 when I was making my second trip to Sweden. My first trip to Sweden was in 1971 when I was 20. It took me 40 years to get back to Sweden and that was when I realized how absolutely Swedish Dad was. It also explained why I do so many things that felt different that most Americans. I finally began going back to Sweden more often and eventually worked in Sweden for a year in the lumber industry. All this time I was doing more and more research into my family heritage. I also did two DNA tests and found that I am 78% Nordic; most of which is Swedish with a little Norwegian and Finnish. I have been designing and building handcrafted log homes for over 50 years. I do not know how this came to be. It felt more like the career chose me than me choosing to be a log builder. About 20 years ago I discovered that min farmors far vär också en timmerman. The deeper I dug into the family history, I found that min farmors farfar, utan min farmors farfar också var en timmerbyggare. Sedan upptäckte jag att min farfar och han frufar var timmerbyggare. I was now beginning to understand that genetics may be playing a big role in why my life has turned out the way it has. All this lead to the point where I wanted to spend more and more time in Sweden. I finally gave up. I surrendered to the fact that I AM Swedish. Two weeks ago, I finished a two and a half year process of finding and buying a farm in Sweden located three hours north of Stockholm. I'm in the process of sorting out my entire life to decide what I want to bring to Sweden. I am bringing my business to Sweden. I now know why I have felt more at home in Sweden than I ever have in the US. I just had to come home.

There is much to appreciate in Swedish culture! I will clarify one thing that comes up in many multicultural societies: the reason institutions ask about race is not out of some weird curiosity or desire to classify people, but to gather data so they can make sure they are treating all clients fairly. For example, a bank could look at its records and see that it tends to deny loans to clients of color but grant them to white people in the same income bracket or with the same credit score. That kind of discrimination definitely happens, but it’s hard to see and to change without collecting statistics.

Surprisingly, I was born in Poland and I've lived here most of my life and do almost all the "weird " things you 've listed and never thought they were weird. 😄"Almost" because not everything you mentioned is up to an individual.

This video is so passive agressive 😍🥰 I love it!

Thanks for sharing about your Swedish culture! I look forward to your vids every week

I learned (a little late in life) it's arrogant for me to think I know what anyone else SHOULD do. However, I enjoyed hearing about other countries' customs

We co-slept with the exact same kind of half crib. It was wonderful, and made nursing and nighttime so much easier!

WOOL blankets are antimicrobial. Wool is healthy. It does not need constant washing. Keep a sheet between you and the blanket; air it outdoors on a sunny windy day.

My paternal grandfather's family immigrated from Sweden to the US near the end of the 19th century. As he was the youngest of 12 children, he was more American than Swedish, although he still spoke some Swedish. My other 3 grandparents were Irish. My paternal grandmother did her best to provide Swedish foods my grandfather liked such as Skorpra (sp?), similar to a biscotti with cinnamon on top with very strong coffee and, especially on Easter, that wonderful sausage we just called korv. We were lucky to have a Swedish bakery that delivered pastries and such to your door up until the 1970's. We have his birth certificate written in Swedish which looks like a page out of a manuscript; all colorfully inked and scrolled.

My husband and I were introduced to using separate duvets with no top sheets while travelling in Sweden five years ago. As soon as we got back we rushed to IKEA to buy the wider single sheets and covers and it is the best thing for sleeping comfortably and cleanly.

I'm Swedish and I never cut a pizza with a scissor nor have I seen or heard of anyone doing it ever.

Really appreciate your video! It encouraged me to clean and organize my apartment.

(1) Scissors are the only way to cut pizza!!! (2) Separate beds are even better than separate duvets! (3) Totally with you about duvets needing to have a cover! (4) Yes! Cold weather is not a deterrent when one is dressed warmly!! (5) Love everything you said about kids! (6) Agree about co-sleeping!! (7) So interesting about the dating issue!! (8) Your English is spectacular. THANK YOU - This is all so interesting!

I just wash all the sheets, pillowcases, and the duvet cover once a week. Having two sets of sheets/pillowcases can make this less of a chore, since you can do them on separate days🤷🏼‍♀️

You presented this video in such a beautiful and charming way, I wish more people were like you. ❤

Very nice for you that you are so happy with Sweden. Sounds like you will be there with your traditions for your whole life.

Growing up in the southern United States learning proper respect for adults was super important. Saying "Yes sir/ma'am" was a given, and you always addressed other adults as Mr./Mrs./Ms. and their last name. And sometimes that meant you had to hug your less than pleasing aunt or let her grab your face and squeeze your cheeks, where that insanity came from is beyond me but it was the way of the world back then.

This is the first time I've seen you. Sweden sounds so lovely & civilized. It's a breath of fresh air to hear about it. 💖

I am American I constantly had people ask how I raised such great kids. Part of it was just enjoying them and treating them like little adults

I like your channel and recording 👌. Your pullover is also perfect 👍👋 Tack 👋