Winter Parenting and Falling Birth Rate

Western women will not say it, but they envy women in the so-called underdeveloped countries because over there, a child is raised by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins: the whole proverbial ‘village.’

The sun also helps because after school, kids take off the school uniform, eat, do home chores and off they go to jump rope in the yard, go to climb trees, swim in the ocean, play soccer and cricket and only come back when stomachs start growling. They create their own playing. That’s not the case in western countries.

Winter parenting is one of the reasons why women in Europe, Canada and U.S. decide not to have kids. They might have one, two max. What is seldom talked about is the mental and physical strength needed to bring up kids in cold continents, where women lug heavy sports bags full of hockey sticks and skates to the car, the skating rink and back home. Some parents don’t have a car so snow sleighs get on the bus.

Winter parenting is not only the drop off and pick up duties. It’s taking younger kids to the bathroom, unzip their snow suits and help them do their business, then zip them up again. Mothers must monitor school activities associated with winter sports, buy snow clothes when they outgrow them and wash them.

It’s a lot of work for one person, something women in other countries might not understand. Work? How can raising little darlings be work?

It’s work if it’s for one person who is not appreciated and might be divorced when she loses her figure and looks. So, women in Italy, Canada and U.S. decide not not to have kids. 

By: Nonqaba waks Msimang.