- Parents in the US are at a breaking point, with school closures and lack of reliable child care.
- In Italy, parents have tons of support from family members.
- In Latin America, parents value socialization and are encouraged to meet with friends.
Navigating a worldwide pandemic has been stressful for parents across the globe, but parents in the United States are operating in perpetual crisis mode.
In fact, according to a 2021 survey of parents in 42 countries, parental burnout ranked highest among Americans. We spoke with international parents to describe the overall vibe in their countries, and why they're coping better overall than their American peers.
Italian parents have strong support systems
The Italian government requires everyone to mask up, vaccination is required to attend work or University, said Candice Criscione, an expat who lives with her family just outside of Florence. Italians also have an excellent support system when it comes to raising children. "Here, you see grandparents picking up children after school, and families trade-off with child care. If you need help, you won't have trouble finding it," Criscione said.
Even if European parents feel depleted from juggling jobs and child rearing, "there is a general consensus that sacrifices have to be made, and there's trust in what scientists and authorities are communicating," said Katherine Wilson, who lives in Rome.
"In the US, there is always pressure to do everything and at 110%," said Criscione, and that includes being amazing parents, teachers, partners, employees, and friends. "Parents here are doing the best they can, but recognize that they can't be perfect at every role, every day," she said.
Parents in Mexico and Argentina value socialization
At the beginning of the pandemic, Mexican mother Diana Bueno Bieletto was on full alert like everyone else, but that fear has since fizzled. In addition to having the support of grandparents, a cultural norm in Mexico, Bieletto said parents can easily afford help at home and therapy. What's more, parents don't prevent their kids from interacting. "You see kids outside playing at playgrounds, malls, schools, beach, parks. I think we value socialization in Mexico even more than health. With omicron, we are all sick, but treating it as a mild cold. Even if our kids can't get vaccinated yet, we think very little of it," Bieletto said.
Luis Enrique Rodriguez, who lives in central Mexico, said there are definitely moments when he feels tired, but not burnt-out. "I think culturally we have more support mechanisms than people in the US, and maybe we're not so centered on fear. The first six months we were very strict about isolating, but then we started venturing [out] more and more, just hoping for the best," said Rodriguez.
For Violeta Noetinger, a mom of four in Argentina, the beginning of the pandemic was exhausting. In a society that relies heavily on domestic help that was suddenly unavailable due to limited transportation, she felt "completely abandoned." But as time went on, parents pooled their resources. "We hired private tutors for small groups at home — even going against local guidelines — to ensure that our kids had some kind of safe, limited, and somewhat periodic learning and social contact. If I have to think what saved us, it was the small groups we formed with other parents in order to help each other out," Noetinger said.
Nordic parents feel supported by their government
Father Per Ola Wold-Olsen said that in Norway, the population has faith in their government and its institutions, something that hasn't changed during the pandemic. "The government prioritizes taking care of the weakest — the old and the sick," he said, and for children and young adults, the goal has been limiting disruption of school and activities as much as possible. Even with homeschooling and working from home, " families have coped well. Mostly, parents are frustrated over how little we can go to the office, travel, and meet in large groups," Wold-Olsen said.
Rachel Meyer, an American expat living in Switzerland, said there's a real sense of collective responsibility for public health in Switzerland that seems to be missing in the US. "The individualist spirit that drives partisan cultural divisions over mask mandates and vaccination resistance makes surviving the pandemic especially tough for American parents," said Meyer.
"Because of government-run weekly mass testing and student mask mandates, children here in Switzerland have largely managed to stay in face-to-face school over the course of the pandemic," said Meyer, and this alone has been hugely supportive both for both parents' and students' mental well-being.
Grateful to be riding out the pandemic in Switzerland rather than the United States, Meyer said, "It's hard to stay healthy when 50% of your community thinks COVID is a hoax."