Wouldn't the butcher give out a slice of Fleischwurst instead of gummy bears? At least, that's what they did in my childhood. And they would always ask, which I think they really should always do

The most incredible behavior (in retrospect) around alcohol I recall from my youth in the late 1980s was that after the Abitur (the big final exam of the academic track of high school) was celebrated with Freibier that was given out on the schoolyard or in the parking lot! And nobody really checked how much younger students who technically weren't allowed, drank of it. When I was around ninth grade one guy from our class got completely drunk and it was a minor scandal and I think that the Freibier was forbidden for a year or so. But I am pretty sure that it was there again when I graduated 4 years later! Of course, students over 16 were also allowed to smoke in designated areas on the school grounds! (This is forbidden now, even the official smoking age was changed from 16 to 18).

Lol. When I was in elementary school I insisted on wearing my brand new shorts to school too. It was - I don’t know - like march or so. Long story short, I froze my ass of, regretted it almost instantly but carried on anyways and never did it again. Lesson learned. But that happened in the early 80s, so nobody gave a s.

You do need a liqueur license in Germany as well, but (a) most wine producers have one and (b) I doubt anyone would care during a festival. "Wo kein Kläger, da kein Richter!" - when no-one sues, no-one needs to judge, meaning if no-one cares, you can "bend the law" a little.

The German sense of what is the proper way of doing things and what is not is a strength! Having an opinion of one's practices expressed might be annoying but it is fairly harmless as one can simply take it or leave it. My family here in the US is of mainly German ancestry and that culture was very disciplined and orderly--three generations later and it is still with us, albeit slightly diluted! I think the US pendulum has for now swung too far in the opposite direction, not that a parent cannot choose the battles, and I am sure that your children are regimented as needed, whereas I see many who are definitely not. As a tourist in Germany, I found that one way to begin a conversation with the natives was to accept well-intentioned advice when I was seen as doing something wrong; then the talk would often continue for a while. Frequent questions involved life and economies of the different countries. 😉

yeah i (native German) occasionally see parents wrestling their children to put on a thick puffy coat when the sun is out and it's like 18°C outside and honestly i often felt like i _should_ tell them that it's too hot and they should rather carry the jacket and wait till the kid says they are cold. but i never do. and i always had the impression that kids walking barefoot was pretty normal here (Munich region, but i figured at least Southern Germany in general) ..may have changed though. i say let them walk barefoot - glass is rarely an issue, and if they don't want to wear shoes the shoes are probably shite.. or it's just a phase and they'll grow out of it.

Oh well, my son, just turned 18 and a native Northern German from Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein (Baltic Sea) has always preferred to wear short pants from March to December. Don't know why, but he didn't freeze to death yet. Then I have often enough demanded (in vain) that they (his brother, too) should put on a jacket because I feel cold. They both live, and I am still freezing all winter🙈. So what😅

Things are often connected. The reason why germans are so laxed with alcohol is the social control when someone tells you how to do in public. You're not allowed to overdo things because of random strangers on the street.

I have two (now adult) children, both loved to walk barefoot when they were young, and I have never experienced other people telling me that my kids should wear shoes / a jacket / long trousers or something. In Kindergarten we sometimes had discussions about clothing, but that is a different topic I think. On the streets, people would ask my kids if their feet don’t hurt without shoes, but no one ever told them or us parents what they should wear. I live in Northern Germany. Maybe it’s more common in the South? I absolutely agree with you that some German parents overdo it with warm clothing for their children. Sometimes you see children with tomato red heads that are almost boiling in their strollers 🥵 Not sure why that is. When I was a kid, back in the 70s, they did not "overdress" kids in terms of warmth here. Looking at old pictures, we all, my siblings, friends, neighbours and school mates, were usually even dressed a bit too cold. I remember that it was quite normal to have icy cold, badly hurting feet that needed to be "defrosted" regularly after playing outside. Most of us survived 😉⛄️

Ein Glas Federweißer mit einem elsässischem Flammkuchen? Das geht nicht besser - genau darum mag ich den Herbst in Süddeutschland so sehr!

Not only New Zealanders find Germans' outspoken "Besserwisserei" offensive.

Well, Federweisser has just around 5% of alcohol... I wouldn't describe that as strong beverage... 😏

i dont think allowing alcohol causes binge drinking i think forebidding it does, if you can have something whenever you feel like it you use it less then when you can have somthing only in certain situations . i noticed this with smokeing , i caught myself smoking more than double on holiday than i do at home because i never know when the next opportunity to smoke will be because its forebidden in so many places, so abroad i smoke whenever i possiby can, at home i just smoke when i feel like it. i think that is translatable to alcohol as well.

Hi, I just stumbled upon this video, I am German but quite familiar with English speaking countries. Listening to your different points, I just thought that maybe one presupposes the other. Eg. The fact that Germans don’t mind telling you off/ giving their opinion on certain personal matters (like with letting your child be barefoot). If we interpret this as looking out for each other (which it may not be the case all the time, but even if it’s judgemental my point still makes sense), it would explain why Germany has less strict eg. on alcohol. At the pool for example, if parents would get wasted there would definitely be people telling them off, maybe even taking care of the child or call authorities.

Yep, as a German I can confirm that annoying habit bugging into other peoples life for no reason giving "advice". Something I don't like. Especially if the kids are running around "unprotected from cold" - they will tell when they feel cold. And if they mess up the choice with something not warm enough for the day they will learn :D. Giving candy to kids is USUALLY only done when the parents, a teacher or nurturer is around. When someone give candy to a kid without someone around watching the red alarm goes on, very loud.

Hello Neighbour! Just found your channel and its soooo interesting to hear about all the little differences. Greetings from the same wine region ^^

Very good topic!!!!

I was really happy when I turned 18 and went to Stuttgart with some friends and some random people with a standing table handing out flyers and alcohol just yelled at me to ask if I wanted champagne, bc they were giving out flyers and mini bottles of champagne. I gladly accepted and handed my friend the bottle cuz I don’t like that kinda taste hahaha

Polish parents are the same way with their babies. The babies look like mummies and when they get older if they get cold or a little bit damp, they get sick.

Keep in mind that selling alcohol is not entirely unregulated in Germany. Shops and establishments that sell alcohol (outside of Weinfests) are in fact required to make sure their customers are 16 years old for beer and wine, and 18 years old for everything stronger. I work in a supermarket, and the cash register's computer will tell me to verify the age of the buyer every time I sell anything that contains alcohol, like Tiramisu or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake). (As a customer, I've had the same thing happen to me when I bought a bar of "Rum-Traube-Nuss"-chocolate, which contains about 0,5 grams of alcohol.) Edit: Also, public swimming pools have a life guard. I don't even see why parents shoudn't be (theoretically) allowed to have a beer at the swimming pool if they would like. But I doubt parents of small children are usually drinking heavily at the swimming pool, of all places…

The shoe part reminded me of the story my mum keeps telling me over and over again. When I was around 10/11 one of the older guys in our street (village of maybe 800 ppl) came to her, informing her that I was running around the neighbourhood with LOOSE SHOELACES. And that this is a NO GO. Can you imagine that? Hahaha! We still laugh about this today, and I am 44 now :D

A security guard at the Underground showed the candy the mom, the children couldn't see that it was candy. He asked if it was okay for him to gift it to the children. I think it is good approach to ask a parent without the children knowing what it is about, because then the children won't beg or be disappointed and the parent can freely choose to reject it.

What are your Mom impressions on NYC? 😊 After arriving to the US Ive been there 2 times, liked it more than other places but for me it's incomparable with Europe. I miss it, and I miss home even more..

As a German, I can say that I understand your thoughts about serving alcohol at public swimming pools. In New Zealand they probably don't put water in the basin either - imagine if there was water in the pool. Everyone would jump in and have fun! Unimaginable! 😂 Tsk tsk tsk

Europe in general has a tradition of drinking in a pleasant way, for the taste and pleasure of the drink, not on purpose to get drunk. (of course we have our share of drunkards, but that's exception, not the rule) so we don't need to be so strict on alcohol laws. You can enjoy a drink and that doesn't necessarily mean you will drink three, or eight. So I don't see anything exceptional about drinking a beer in a hot sunny day at the swimming pool. It would be different if the drink was a double whiskey, but a 5% alcohol beer can't harm anyone. (oh, and I am not saying that for me, I hate beer!) 😁😁

You and Jonna Jinton are the nicest KZfaqr I know!

Federweisser is wonderful. It is not really alkohol... Who ever joines a winefest is allowed to have some wine

I actually stepped on broken glass a few times when I was little and running around barefoot so I get the concern!!! :)

Me today: Wearing a winter jacket, wooly hat, gloves and a scarf and still freezing at the bus stop. Some kiwi-kid "I don't wanna wear long pants" - I'm frozen even thinking about that.

Hello Antoinette, I´m sorry to ask you here but I´ve been thinking about what was the name of the web you came up with some two or three years ago... it was about various countries... actually comparing them :) population, hdp and many others :) I´ve been thinking about it since last week. Any idea?

I have brought up three children and am now a grandmother, but have in over 40 years never had anyone come up to me in the street and tell me what to do with my children/grandchildren or give me unsolicited parenting advice. I may be guilty of it myself, though, because I occasionally give a warning to young parents when I see them with two children in a supermarket trolley, one sitting and one standing. I gently inform them that there is a danger that the trolley can tip over, as that happened to my two eldest when they were about 2 and 4. They were fortunately unhurt but it was a shock at the time! Supermarket trolleys are still built to the same design these days, so it could still happen. You should have been here 40 years ago. The crowds standing along the street watching the Faschings parades would pass bottles of schnapps along the rows and everyone took a swig and passed it on. At the butcher's, I have onlrever seen the children be offered a slice of sausage or a half a wienerle. Never sweets. My daughter-in-law has stopped my granddaughter going to her piano lessons because the teacher would give her sweets at the end of each lesson. On the same subject, do New Zealanders call swetts "lollies" like the Australians do?

👍👍👍

You know, it's not common in Germany to get alcohol for free. Perhaps it is common at a festival like a parade, let's say for example carnival in Cologne or something. But for me, it never happened, because I'm not living in a carnival city. The most similar situation I can think of that happened to me and my family was a boat tour where we were given sausages from a grill while we were still on the water. The people who did this put their grill up on a pond, so we were both on the water so to speak. This happened about 35 years ago though...

Giving and taking candy by "strangers" is maybe not that a problem because the fear of child kidnapping in germany is also way lower than in other countries... i dont know. I knew i werent allowed to go / walk with / talk to a stranger but when I was with my mom at the grocery store its a whole different situation?!

You could explain only if.a parent is with you otherwise not to accept. How does the cost of visiitng a dentist in Germany compare to NZ?.Quite.expensive.in Australia.

Yay, new video! I comment first! :)

When a random stranger comes up to you, telling you that your child needs to put on shoes, then you tell that person he or she needs to efffing mind their own business. I'm German, but really hate it, when strangers give me unwanted "advices"!! That's so annoying!! I am a kindergarten teacher and I let the kids choose what to wear. They put on a jacket, when they get cold. No problem at all.

I mean it is generally considered a bad habit to openly tell strangers that you disapprove of their life choices, however I do consider children kind of a gray area, simply because being underdressed isn't always just the child being bratty but sometimes a sign of child abuse or neglect from the parents.

Long trousers, shoes: Let them speak. I know it´s not that easy. The kids have their uinque personality - let them wear what they want to wear. Alcohol: I´m fully with you. A little alcohol is not the problem, but dead drunk parents aren´t accepted here - sadly still happens. Sweets: I have - now - adult children. They always got sweets - not too much (whatever that means). Neither one needed a dentist to drill. Sweets given by strangers: Thanks god the crime rate on children is rather low here - and it´s considered one of the worst crimes at all. Fact is, that the major number of child abuse is not caused by strangers but by rather familiar people. Many years ago I lived in a multiple appartments house. One girl - surely below 6 - frequently knocked on my door. Somehow a strange situation - I solved it by letting the door wide open, so that she always can be seen from outside and I avoided to be between her and the door. So I showed everyone I have nothing to hide and the child is free to go at any time.

Receiving and taking candy from strangers was ok, but I did have to bring it home. I never ate, as a kid, what I received unasked from strangers. In the neighborhood they might have been strangers to me, but they might have known me and my parents.

It's completely normal and an old tradition, that kids get a tiny lollipop or a bit of sausage at a farmer's market etc. Usually when the mom's around. But that's an isolated situation and the only one in which it's acceptable. I see it as some sort of advertising and I have some happy memories from my own childhood, always loved the little cherry suckers. And what you said about strangers giving advice about childcare - maybe it's a cultural thing, but in Germany your kids are not entirely your own. That starts with baby names (you can't just call your kid whatever you like). The Jugendamt is always in the background and can be contacted by any concerned neighbor. So the whole community makes sure that all kids are well protected. And walking around without shoes can be relatively dangerous - on public playgrounds you'll find a lot of broken glass, or worse, same on the streets. Of course our kids can walk barefoot in a Freibad or their own garden, but otherwise it's not safe.

Taking a stand in public if you consider something to be wrong is kind of a positive habit, I think. Sometimes people need to be given feedback if they do something wrong. Usually that should be done in a polite way (Isn't your kid freezing in those shorts?), sometimes clear words are needed (hand the toy back to the boy) or the famous "Do not cross the street unless the indicator for pedestrians turns green". Germany is densely populated and people have to respect the obligations this requires. Doesn't mean the rules of other places are wrong. Our rules work here, different rules may work at different places.

Actually you technically do need a licquor license to serve alcohol on public ground (costs 20 bucks or so), and you do need to do the age verification. It's just that no one cares during those traditional festivals.

@2:58 If there are too many Almanns in your region, that might be the case.

The more I heard you speak about the German attitude towards alcohol and the binge drinking in NZ, the more I laughed. The reason being, it just makes sense to me that if the alcohol has a strict set of rules attached, whether it be by law or by social norms, of course people will drink to excess and be irresponsible. If alcohol was more integrated, like in Germany, then I feel we wouldn't have such a alcohol problem. Of course it runs deeper than something that simplistic, however, I am sick of going to work functions or boring house parties here in NZ and if I decline alcohol because I'm driving, I get looked at with such honor and amazement... Lol

You say bare feet and wearing shorts like they are the same thing 😂

Yeah Germans need to calm down on kids and clothing. Kids will definitely tell you when they are cold. For example my daughter refused to put a jacket on in Switzerland. It was cold and rainy. Instead of struggling get a jacket on my daughter in the stroller and my daughter having a tantrum at the frontdoor of Manor I took her outside. 5 seconds later she was tugging at her jacket. She leaned forward to get her jacket on. Other instance my cousins son wouldnt put a jacket and long pants on during the winter in Chicago (its colder than Germany). He went to school in shorts and a t-shirt. He came home and said "you were right mom. I was freezing all day." Never again did she have an issue with her son putting warm clothes on. Sometimes you have to learn through experience. Going out in the cold with no shorts on isnt going to hurt or kill you. Itll just make you uncomfortable. *Edit the grocery store I worked for would hand out a free cookie to kids. The store found out if you keep mouths busy they are less likely to be brats. At the deli I would give kids a slice of whatever I was slicing (if I thought they would like it). I would always ask the parents. You never know if their kid is allergic to something. When the kids ate the slice it always kept them quiet. I didnt have to listen tp their kid screaming. (Selfish on my part I know 😂).

But always remember... not all Germans are like that or do everything like that

This guy shows the difference in buying alcohol in Austria (same as in Germany) and New Zealand perfectly: kzfaq.infojEIYfkaYPPk 😂

Things happen to kids much more often by people they know… stranger danger is much less happening

Absolutely EVERYTHING you mentioned wouldn't fly in Canada either! 🇨🇦 😂

I’ll just tell you about some culture shocks I’ve had within Australia. I live in Adelaide in South Australia. In late June, my husband and I went for a holiday in northern New South Wales, just south of the Queensland (and Gold Coast) border. Remember that June is in the middle of winter in Australia, and our holiday included our shortest day in the southern hemisphere. We were shocked by the number of people wearing shorts and walking around barefoot, even in the shops! This would never happen in conservative, orderly Adelaide! And although the weather was really pleasant during the day, (around 21 C) the nights were really cold. The got down to about 5 C! But this didn’t seem to stop people walking around in bare feet in the evening! In Australia, we have laws about wearing bike helmets, and in Adelaide we always make sure we wear them. But in northern NSW everyone, including children were riding around WITHOUT bike helmets! This made me wonder if they have different laws about wearing bike helmets. So I asked some people at a cafe I went to: both the worker and another guest. They both sort of laughed and said, it IS the law to wear bike helmets, but nobody obeys the law 🤔 I asked what the police do about it, and they said that it depends on what mood the police officer is in at the time 😳

I actually don’t think Germans drink more responsibly (look at Cologne tomorrow 11/11)😂

Wearing shoes is a hygiene theme. I would say. In Europe we have many many dogs. Yes, you wouldn't see many dog poo on the streets because you have to pick it up. But there would still be a rest of that poo on the streets and your child steps probably in...

What a funny experience you made people telling you off about your parenting. I never saw this here when our kids were little and very young. I - and my wife - would have responded to such people to mind their own business and that they could trust we knew what to do. In our place at the butcher's children usually are given a slice of Gelbwurst or two.

Zum Thema, dass Kinder in Geschäften was geschenkt bekommen gibt es ein schönes altes Kinderbuch "Beim Milchmann gibt's kein Briefpapier". Darin kaufen Kinder in verschiedenen Geschäften ein und lernen, was es so gibt. In jedem Geschäft bekommen sie etwas geschenkt. Beim Bäcker gibt es Kuchenrand, in der Apotheke Salmiakpastillen, im Stoffgeschäft gibt es Stoffproben etc. Leider machen gibt es seit einigen Jahren den Trend, dass Gummibärchen verschenkt werden. Das finde ich schade und auch ein bisschen dumm aus Verkäufersicht. Ich würde doch versuchen, meine Ware den Kindern "schmackhaft zu machen". Der Gemüseladen, bei dem wir oft einkaufen verschenkt auch Gummibärchen und es würde so viel mehr Sinn machen, den Kindern statt dessen Karotten zu schenken - da könnte man sogar die verschenken, die zu klein zum Verkaufen sind....

Actually, there are SOME Germans who feel destined to teach parents how to raise their kids. They are distributed quite evenly to give the impression that everybody is like that. In reality, there are just a few of them and the rest of us Germans is just as annoyed with their behaviour as everyone else. 😂 When my kids where babies, these people were worried the baby would suffocate, when I carried them in the baby sling, and told me they wanted to be in the sling and near to my body, when they were in the pram. 🙄 If I had listened to other people then, I'd probably have developed schizophrenia. 😂

The "giving gummibears to children" thing is so goddamn annoying to me. My little cousin has an allergy and can't have some sorts of candy, including gummibears. So you would go to a store, they would give the little girl candy, and you would have to take it away again. You can imagine how she cried before she was able to understand - and even after she understood, the disappointment obviously was still there. I don't just give dog treats to other people's dogs without asking first, because I don't know the medical background of the dog. So why would you do it with a human child???!!

Das mit dem Alkohol ist nicht überall so. Viele Deutsche sind mittlerweile deutlich sensibler bei dem Thema

Handing out sweets to kids in shops seems strange to me. I did not experience this with my kids whrn they were little. I would not have liked it either. We also never had people comment on their outfits. So things depent very much on the areas you live in here in Germany, I think.

dont worry those partens are called "helikopter eltern" thats a thing since like ~ 12 years it increased alot :/ just ignore those karens :)

Actually your observations do not sound like tongue-in-cheek pointing out some cultural differences between two countries, but more like real complaints how some things are handled here in Germany. You seem to be very outraged that in public pools in Germany it is possible to have alcoholic beverages to buy and drink because there would also be parents around who have to watch over toddlers and small children. First of all, in my over 60 decades i have never heard of one fatal child accident in a public pool because parents were too drunk to watch over their children. You point out a problem that does not even exists in Germany, very strange don't you think? In my life i knew and know a lot of parents with small kids, and never have i experienced them “binge“ drinking while having small kids or while watching over them in public situations. If this would be different in NZ, i am sorry but it is not a general problem in Germany. People binge drinking themselves mindless as soon as an opportunity arises is just not a big general problem that exists in Germany or in other EU countries, where the alcohlic laws are all pretty similar. Ofc do parents treat their children badly here as well, neglection because of alcohol or drug addiction, child abuse by close family members or friends a.s.o. But we as a society as a whole are asked for helping to protect our little ones. So if someone notices or observes that a child is not treated well or is obviously neglected we are asked as a member of said society to inform the “Jugendamt“ for them to investigate and ensure the childs well-being. Also, I know that children have their own heads and can be very stubborn, but walking around on public ground in Germany without shoes is not save! There is dogs piss everywhere, remnants of dogs poo, broken glass (esp. in public parks and playgrounds)and other waste people throw away, which i don't even want to go into more detail, you surely have enough imagination yourself. Because of such child protection rules it might be that there are people who go too far too quickly and think they need to tell parents how to deal with their children. I always would tell those people off, asking them to mind their own business.

I don´t know wtf is wrong with people. I´d say to a stranger "Kümmern Sie sich um Ihren Scheiss" or "Was geht Sie das an? Habe ich Sie um Ihre Meinung gebeten? Möchten Sie Ratschläge von Fremden hören?" I don´t have kids but if I had I wouldn´t be happy about advice from strangers about raising kids, who assume - for no reason - I´m a bad parent. Depends on the situation and my mood, but still, 90%+ of the time I´d make them know that they should stfu.

Actually wearing no shoes is pretty healthy.

candy from strangers is good. we need to trust strangers for help, not have a culture where people dont help each other.

There are some rules in Germany, u have to follow. No matter written or from society. Every Mom think she do good. But its not true. U know the case of 8 passenger Mom Ruby Franke? She didnt give her kids food and did other stuff, was 100% sure she was a good Mom. She even gave parenting advice to others. Now she facing law. What i want to say, NO u are not a good Mom only coz u think u are. I dont know u, i have no idea what kind of Mom you are. But if i would see a Kid running around without shoes where all the dirt is, dog poops, broken bottles and D*ug needles, yes i do see a problem with it. Sorry. If your kids dont wear shoes or are light dress in cold weather, dont be suprised if police or youth welfare service knocks on your door. Just saying.

I think you and your friend need to head to the USA