00:01Gail and Artay are still a bit tired.
00:04Like most Spanish children, they go to bed later than other kids in Europe and sleep less.
00:09Last night, lights out was at 9.30 p.m.
00:13But why are Spanish kids such night owls?
00:16And what do Spanish parents do differently?
00:20To find out, we spent the day with the whole Mendez family.
00:25Carolina, the mother, is a photographer and David, the dad, is a teacher.
00:31Gail is 10 years old and Artay is 6.
00:34They live in A Coruña, a city on the Galician coast,
00:38some 600 kilometers northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid.
00:43The four eat breakfast together every morning.
00:46Today, there's toast with avocados from their own garden.
00:50For them, family meals are very important.
00:54We try to make the most of that moment to connect and be present,
00:58the four of us, without any distractions.
01:02So we can share our daily lives.
01:04Breakfast is one of the main and most important meals for starting the day
01:08with energy and getting off to a good start.
01:15Then it's off to school, which starts at 9 a.m.
01:18Spain has mandatory schooling until the age of 16.
01:22Public schools are free of charge.
01:25At the age of 3, 97% of Spanish children go to a free preschool.
01:31That was the case for Gail, too.
01:36My oldest was 3 years old when he started preschool.
01:41He started a little earlier because of the month he was born in.
01:46And that's when I started working again.
01:53Carolina works while her kids are at school.
01:56Today, 65% of Spanish mothers work, with three-quarters of them working full-time.
02:02But Carolina is self-employed and can arrange her work schedule around family life.
02:09Her photography business specializes in family photos.
02:16In most families, both parents work.
02:21So you have to be in a financial situation that allows you to take time off.
02:27Three days a week, the children stay at school until 5 p.m.
02:31But today is an earlier day.
02:34Because their parents value good food, they try to grow their own as much as possible,
02:38using Carolina's father's garden.
02:41Carolina and David take turns cooking.
02:46They're still pretty green.
02:48Look over there.
02:52I think it's important to eat a varied diet.
02:56We try to avoid too much sugar and foods with artificial colors or additives.
03:03During school vacations, the family likes going on trips with their camper.
03:07Something the kids love.
03:09The Mendez family values participation and getting involved.
03:16The kids usually help out around the house.
03:20During the week, it's a bit more complicated as they're often in a rush.
03:24But on the weekends, they make their beds and tidy up their rooms.
03:27And then during the week, when we eat together, they do set the table, clear the table, and take turns
03:32washing the dishes and other things.
03:36Spain has a total of 16 weeks of school vacation each year.
03:40How do the parents deal with childcare during such a long break?
03:46Most people have to find holiday camps for the kids.
03:49Sometimes they have to pay for them.
03:51And there are families who end up spending almost as much on those camps as they earn in a month.
03:57And a lot of the time, the grandparents step in to help out.
04:05It's 8pm, and we're starting to see why Spanish kids are night owls.
04:10Gail and Artay are just now back from taekwondo class.
04:14They often have scheduled after-school activities into the evening hours.
04:19Dinner is generally late in Spain, and no Spanish parent would ever let their kids eat on their own.
04:27Come on, sweetie, bring me a plate.
04:30It's late, yeah, but, well, that's just how the schedule works here.
04:34Since people wake up late, they eat late, and they go out late.
04:41Our day usually ends at 9.30, which is pretty late, so typically bedtime is between 9.30 and 10.
04:51But a long-term study found that almost 45% of Spanish kids don't get the recommended amount of sleep.
04:58However, the Mendez kids seem happy all the same.
05:02Good night very much one.
05:05I'm ready to do this one.
05:05Does the Mendez kids need to be eaten if they aren't scuffed?
05:06This year willčµ· pickiest climber with family.
05:07We'll go open, you know?
05:07Ń‚Đ°ĐĽ!
05:07Jesusyinnerpet야지
05:07if you have brought this job on...
05:08a ticket to anybody...
05:08You
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