I enjoyed Russell’s ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ and so was pleased to be granted an eARC of ‘How to Raise a Viking’. I’m really intrigued about the Danish/Nordic/Scandi way of life and loved Russell’s chatty and self-deprecating wander through her experiences of (firstly) living Danishly and (now) raising Viking children.
This book picks up a good few years after ‘The Year of Living Danishly’. Russell’s husband’s job at Lego – initially anticipated as a short-term one or two year stay in Denmark – has become more permanent and three children have since arrived in the Russell family home. This is Russell’s experience of having and raising those children in Denmark, from navigating the births, the weather, the childcare systems, the schooling and lots of other things.
This is a witty and lively account of early motherhood with the added complication of trying to do things the Danish way. For the most part, the Danish way seems brilliant to those of us who have handed over vast sums of money (easily the equivalent of a monthly mortgage payment or more) to childcare providers in the UK – yes, taxes are high in Denmark, but quality childcare costs are low and supporting working parents the norm. Indeed, a lot of the Danish way seems quite refreshing – lots of time for children to play, starting formal school at an older age than in the UK, liberal attitudes, lots of childhood independence and lots of outdoor walks in sensible clothes!
However, it doesn’t present a Viking childhood as an absolute ideal. While there’s lots that’s excellent, there are some issues around teen drinking and over-use of technology that grounds the book in reality – there is no one perfect way to raise kids, so let’s pinch some bits the Danes get right and work on the rest. To a UK mum, there are also some startling health and safety approaches in the childcare settings, but that’s probably just what I’m used to!
As I mentioned, it isn’t a purely Danish childhood that Russell is exploring – although she lives in Denmark, she widens the scope to a Nordic/Scandi/Viking approach so there are lots of snippets of information about Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway too. This provides some rich cultural details, especially in the final bonus chapter where we read about all the various festivals in the different countries – or all the excuses to eat cake, as Russell thinks of them!
This is an enjoyable and interesting look at a different way of life, and one that we could learn a lot from in the UK.
Header photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
