Family life — how carefree are Germany's children? - video Dailymotion

DW (English)

What does family life look like for children in Germany? What are daycare, school and free time like for them? What values and responsibilities do they take on?

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00:00This is Lena, 11, and Max, 9.

00:08The two siblings are on their way to school, alone, without their parents.

00:12For us, it's actually quite normal.

00:17It's more fun to go with friends.

00:21What's normal everyday life for parents Michael and Rebecca Strothmann and their children

00:25is also normal for families across Germany.

00:30Children need to have their own experiences in certain areas.

00:34It's important for German children to learn self-reliance and personal responsibility.

00:39But what else can be said to be typical of family life in Germany?

00:45The Strothmanns from Emsland and the Schmitt family from Berlin are two quite average German

00:51families.

00:52The majority of the 8.5 million families in Germany have one to two children.

00:56Among them are 1.7 million mothers or fathers who are raising their children solo.

01:03At that moment, at the very latest, it has to be clear who is minding the baby.

01:08For Beate Schmitt and Konrad Kalisch from Berlin, it was clear from the start that they

01:13both wanted to share the parenting and housework equally.

01:16For up to 14 months after the birth, most parents in Germany receive 65% of their monthly

01:22income.

01:23And both parents are free to split the parental allowance between them.

01:27This is supposed to ensure more equality in parenting.

01:32The time comes when they start to move around, learning to walk and so on.

01:37I was still on parental leave and I got to experience all of that.

01:40It's really great.

01:42I wouldn't want to miss it.

01:44I'd recommend it to any father.

01:47But three-fourths of fathers only take this career break for the minimum period, which

01:51is two months.

01:52As a result, housework and child-rearing is still mainly done by mothers.

01:58Beate and Konrad's son Kasimir goes to a daycare center in Berlin.

02:03In Germany, all toddlers are entitled to daycare from the age of one, but most start at three.

02:08The motto here is learning while playing.

02:13The child has to deal linguistically with other opinions during play.

02:17They're independent, but constantly exposed to conflicts and contradictions with playmates.

02:24And they have to learn to compromise and to tolerate frustration.

02:29This is practiced automatically during play.

02:32And that's why playing is so important.

02:36Children are cared for in this daycare from Monday to Friday, 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

02:42In some German states, daycare is free of charge.

02:45In others, parents have to pay up to 1,000 euros a month.

02:48And what's it like when the children start going to school?

02:51Let's take a look at the Strothmann family in Emsland.

02:55Lena and Max come home from school hungry.

02:58Around half of school kids in Germany eat lunch at home instead of at school.

03:02Rebecca works part-time and cooks for the family every lunchtime.

03:06Lena and Max usually get home from school between one and two o'clock.

03:10Until the meal is ready, they prepare their own snack.

03:13And they have practice using a sharp knife.

03:16That's completely normal for us.

03:19At some point, they just wanted to try to cut something themselves.

03:23And then you let them, of course.

03:25Michael, who works nearby as a car salesman, is also there for lunch.

03:30But the kids, like all kids, are picky and don't eat the curry.

03:34They want the homemade pizza from the day before.

03:37Lena and Max each have their own room, where they do their homework.

03:40They usually finish all their assignments in around 30 minutes.

03:43Then they have free time.

03:49I think you shouldn't impose too much stress on a child at such a young age.

03:55You should give the child enough free time to do whatever they want and not schedule

04:00their whole day.

04:09It was important to both of us that the children practice at least one sport, whatever they

04:13want, where they meet other kids and also learn to experience successes, but also failures.

04:22Both children are active in sports clubs outside of school.

04:26Max plays soccer, Lena is a competitive gymnast.

04:29In Germany, around half of children and young people play sports in a club.

04:35The most important thing, I'd say, is the family, togetherness.

04:39That the children feel secure at home.

04:42It's important that the kids can be kids and can simply develop pretty much as they

04:47wish.

04:50We want them to grow up feeling safe, that they know they are valued and that they feel

04:56loved with all their quirks and differences.

05:03The Schmidt family and the Strothmann family.

05:06Two quite different families who have one big thing in common, they are both raising

05:11their kids in a typically German way.

Family life — how carefree are Germany's children?

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