Starting a new life in another country is one of the biggest changes that can take place in a person’s life. When this change is made as a family, each member can experience the challenges in different ways. Even once a family has been in a new country for some time, it is likely that their customs will be continued by future generations.
Culture
The main ways culture influences family life is through beliefs, values and actual parenting practices. Within the home environment, this might mean speaking in a language other than German, French or Italian, following a religious belief, cooking and eating in traditional styles and raising children with traditional parenting styles, stories and values.
Yet regardless of culture, parents throughout the world share the same basic goals for their children. They want their children to be healthy, develop skills for surviving financially and to possess the positive values respected by their own culture. Studies have shown that in the long-term, parents from a range of cultures share the same goals for their children. These include marriage, tertiary education, having a successful occupation, as well as developing the values of self-respect, respect for others, honesty and caring.
Overall, Switzerland is a very multicultural country and these days there are many services to help parents with cultural challenges they may face in achieving these goals for their family.
Language
One of the most difficult things a person must face when living in a different country is speaking the language. Not being able to German in Zürich can make life very difficult and can leave people feeling very lonely and frustrated. This can make finding work difficult, as well as every day things such as accessing community services, shopping and just being able to talk to people such as your neighbours. If children don’t speak German, they may struggle with school or making friends.
Parenting
Differences between cultures in hands-on parenting practices may be observed in the way babies are soothed, the amount of physical affection shown by parents and attitudes towards physical punishment. Around the home, differences may involve the sorts of play and learning materials provided to the child and the amount of time parents spend with children reading books and teaching skills. As a child becomes older, parenting differences may appear in the way parents communicate. As long as children feel safe, loved and are given the necessary supports to become capable and mature adults, then all differences in cultural approaches to parenting are to be respected and encouraged.
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read more about: * FAMILY ACTIVITIES
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* PARENTING RESOURCES
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* SWISS HOSPITALS
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www links:
* SWISSMOM
(German, about pregnancy)
* REGISTER OF DOCTORS
(German/English)
* CHILDCARE SERVICE
* LILIPUT
(German childcare search engine )
* DAS SCHWEIZER KRIPPENPORTAL
* CITIES FOR CHILDREN