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The Conversation
The Conversation
Marie Helweg-Larsen, Professor of Psychology, Dickinson College

Denmark’s ‘hands-off’ approach to parenting could offer a blueprint for raising more resilient, self-reliant kids

Children play at Copenhagen's Superkilen Park. In Denmark, parents generally give their kids wide latitude to explore, use tools and push boundaries. Lorie Shaull/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Much has been written about Denmark’s consistently high scores in global happiness rankings, so it might not come as a surprise that Denmark is also rated the best place to raise children, according to U.S. News and World Report. The small Scandinavian nation also scores near the top for child well-being, a measure of physical health, mental health, education and social relationships.

Government policies like generous parental leave, robust public investment in education and universal healthcare have certainly played a role in these rankings. Danes also score high on social trust, with 74% of Danes agreeing that most people can be trusted, whereas only 37% of Americans say the same.

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