When I was pregnant I discovered this fabulous website, familjeliv.se, thanks to a great tip from The Swede.
Unlike the US where moms (and very rarely dads) flock to websites that stick to their ideology – crunchy moms hang out on mothering.com, mainstream moms go to thebump.com, Swedish moms, and a few brave dads, all seem to congregate on familjeliv.se. And my goodness does much great drama ensue.
Thanks to the wonderful world of technology, you don't need to understand Swedish to enjoy this site, you can use google.
There are a few common categories on familjliv.se of posters. And one of the things I appreciate most about the loyal participants is that they are willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. So many posts scream 'Troll seeking attention' to me, but they get tons of serious answers. So, if you have any really odd, out there, question – you can try to get feedback on familjeliv.
1) The passive-aggressive I'm not judging you judge
These participants want to criticize someone, but just can't seem to do so outright. Instead they usually post a poll and a question that goes like:
I am a little unsure about my strange new American neighbor. Maybe this is how they do things in the US, but she keeps dropping her child on its head off her balcony on the second floor. I know in the US they do strange things like feed their newborns coca-cola from a bottle and McDonald’s Big Macs in puree, but this practice looks particularly dangerous. Do you think this is weird or is it just me?
2) The confrontational:
They love to take the bull by the horns, and don't hop around the subject like PAJJ. They start subjects with names like:
Old Mom – why do you insist on having babies? Or equally, Young Mom – Why do you insist on having babies? This usually inspires at least 234 responses.
3) The 5 full time housewives of Sweden:
Housewives in Sweden are notoriously rare. The Swedish system isn't built for it and very few women choose to self-identify as housewives. The five women who do, though, can all be found full time on familjeliv.se. This is where they can constantly remind all of the other Moms about how terrible it is that they let anyone ever watch their children. There posts look like:
Why did you even bother having children if you knew you would have to go to the bathroom? I would never, ever, never leave my children alone for even five seconds. I wear a catheter and a bag, since I would never ever allow my children to be with anyone other than me, ever.
Looks like fun doesn't it? I admit, I am often too embarrassed by my poor Swedish writing skills to post. And I'm not a huge fan of participating in drama. But I do enjoy watching it now and then.familjeliv.se
Posts
Sounds exactly like the US forum websites to me...
ReplyDeleteNot so far off, just slightly less tribal - all in all I tend to find them entertaining, but not too practical (the American ones as well)
ReplyDeleteSo funny! The UK is no different.
ReplyDeleteI am an Italian living in Sweden and right now enjoying my maternity leave (or, for being politically-swedish correct, my parental leave days). When I was pregnant I *tried* to be member of Familjeliv, but just could not cope, from their way to "pluss", the follow up of the pregnancy and for not mentioning their absolute need to therefore meet just because you have a child of the same age. I am member of Italian forums of the same style and thank God, the atmosphere is definitely different (and there are less freaks talking about their sex life there!)
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