children in Hungary

I love these concepts of supporting family life:

Hungarian Kindermusik! 

On strong folk traditions: In Hungary, our folk songs are beautiful, rich and full of humor and sadness. There is a lovely thing called Ringató here, where, once a week, you attend sessions in a community room where mothers and fathers sit in a circle on the floor with babies on their laps, and sing together. You meet a lot of new parents in your neighborhood. The belief is that you help foster emotional intelligence and brain development by singing these folk songs to your baby.

On conversation starters: Children here are very much loved. When you have kids in Hungary, that’s like wearing a sign that says, ‘I am ready for a conversation anytime, just talk to me.’ People will tell you their whole birth stories on the metro! The public transportation system is kid-friendly, too. If you have a stroller, you can follow signs at tram stops that show you where to stand to enter the wider doors. And every third bus has a lower floor designed for mothers and kids, so no one has to lift a stroller.

Hungarian Ringató:

On the low birth rate: The Hungarian population is declining, and most families have one or two children. Statistics say many parents wish for a third, but they don’t feel that it’s financially or emotionally possible. Most people we know work long hours and often have a second job. Many careers, even traditionally well-paid ones in other countries, have a low salary. To help with population growth, the government has been trying more and more to support families in different ways. Hungarian families now get 10 million Forints [about $36,000 in the U.S.] for buying a home when they have three children, or promise to have a third baby within 10 years. Also, mothers with a small baby pay half price on public transport, and when you have three kids, school meals and books are free. There’s also a foundation called Three Princes and Three Princesses. It’s named this because in Hungarian folk stories, three is always a lucky number and the third prince or princess is often the king’s favorite and the hero of the story. The foundation presents lectures and creates clubs to support families who want to have a third baby.

On extra help: Grandmothers and grandfathers are important in Hungarian culture because of parents’ long work hours, and many kids go to their grandparents’ after school for the afternoon. Kids will often spend weeks of summer break at their grandparents’, too. My parents live a few blocks away from us, and are adored by their gang of grandchildren. Some Saturdays, they take my kids to the park or zoo and leave my husband and me in the house alone. For 20 minutes we just lay on the bed and enjoy the silence. 

Professor Dr Mária Kopp established the Movement in the summer of 2009.

The name is a reference to fairy tales, where the heroes are often third-born princes or princesses. According to research, Hungarian adults raise less children than they would like.

The main purpose of the Movement is to support young adults in accomplishing their dreams of having children.

10 AREAS TO IMPROVE ON, SO THAT PLANNED CHILDREN CAN BE BORN:

1. work-life balance
2. discrimination against parents at the workplace
3. unstable relationships
4. lack of support from communities
5. insufficient number of childcare facilities
6. financial struggles
7. values promoted by the media
8. difficulties in finding the right partner
9. infertility
10. negative birth experiences.

"I believe, that the future is in our children’s hands. The way we raise them is going to shape our country and our lives. The best investment, and the most noble task is raising children well, while also supporting other families in bringing up their own children. Not only families,
but also companies are grateful for the Foundation’s work, as a happy, satisfied employee is loyal, hardworking and efficient.
A shared goal, shared interest, and a shared success is why working with the Foundation is so valuable to us.”
Éva Marton– leader of the Working Parents Programme, GE, Family-Friendly Company Mentor Organization

via {cup of jo}

via {3 princes and 3 princesses foundation}