Source: "The Social Guidebook to Norway"
During my first winter in Norway
I saw a baby left outside on a cold winter day
I stopped
I looked all around nervously
The parents were nowhere to be found
A small baby was left alone on the sidewalk
He was less than a year old
As I was approaching to see if it was still alive
Two women came out of the coffee shop next door
One looked at me suspiciously
She did not smile nor said anything
She came closer
She looked at the baby
She then took the stroller with the baby inside
And walked away
Without saying anything
I did not know what to do
I assumed it was the mother
I stayed there looking at the woman walking away with the baby
Did she really leave her baby outside while having a coffee with her friend?
I called my own mother to tell her the story
She smiled and said that my grandmother did the same with her when she was a baby
It was common long ago in Canada to leave babies outside unattended
My grandmother said that it was good for them to breath fresh air
My mother said she would have liked to do the same with my brother and I
But it felt unsafe in Canada at the time I was born and the tradition stopped
Norway is a safe country
With a high level of trust
It is a place where babies can get used to the winter realities from the very start
Where they can get used to enjoying being alone
In the cold and in the dark
This is good as Norwegian winters are rather cold and dark
Half of the country is plunged into darkness for several months
With temperature below 0C for half the year
If you see a baby left outside in the cold
This is normal
The mother or father are probably next door
Nothing will happen to it
And it will grow up to become a strong Norwegian
Norwegians love physical pain and suffering
Babies need to get used to it early
Norwegians just leave them outside under freezing temperature
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Read more about our amazing Norwegian friends in Our Social Guidebooks to Norway
By Julien S. Bourrelle
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