There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather

Quite disappointing

I was looking forward to learn about the Scandinavian mom’s secret but I only made it to chapter two. The book is clearly address to American readers as it references to their lifestyle throughout the narrative.

As a European/Italian almost everything mentioned about raising a child is obvious to and that’s probably why I didn’t get drawn into the narrative. Almost every advice and suggestion made by the author sounds like a “water is wet” statements.

What makes matter worse is the voice and lack of any enthusiasm of the narrator Ann Richardson. Her reading style is robotic and has the same repeating pattern of intonation in every sentence which escalated from disappointment at the start of the audio to annoyance.

Two chapters - that’s how far I made it. I will exchange this one.

7 people found this helpful

Informative but preachy and lacking practical tips

It started well enough - a Scandinavian mother's trials and tribulations of raising outdoorsy children in rural America. The challenges and the frustrations most parents are faced with on that front. She then has to move back to Sweden for family reasons taking her kids with her. Good, I thought - this is where we will learn some tips, right? Wrong! This is where the smugness starts, which is only thinly veiled by coy dishonest little "rants" about not being able to park close enough in a fully pedestrianised town or her ill-fated attempt to take her girls cross-country skying, which - you guessed it - ends up being a complete triumph despite a rocky start. While the narrative is backed up by a considerable amount of research on that being outdoors is good for the children (who knew, huh?), the story is non-existent as I am already half-way through the book and still to hear anything useful on how to implement her outdoorsy principles, well... outside of Sweden! The book glamorises Sweden and the Swedish way of life and even the Swedish government (to which America compares rather unfavourably, I must say!), which is all lovely and I can see how one may enjoy living embracing all of it in Sweden, but so far the message of the book has been: you want and healthy outdoorsy kids? Your only chance is moving to Sweden (eye-roll).

I was really hoping she would tell us about moving back to America and all about how she managed to implement what she learned in Sweden in her own home-town in the US, but I don't think it's forthcoming and I am already so bored of 4 hours of sanctimonious crap about how Swedish babies sleep outside all day, how Swedish parents encourage their children to go and play outside in the mud all day on their own, and how Swedish schools are big on recycling, organic home-cooked meals and how they concentrate on outdoor learning rather than doing times tables from an early age or teaching the kids to read - because, you know, the research shows it is the best and the only way to raise the kids and if you are not already endorsing all of these practices, you are probably an inadequate parent/teacher/carer.

The book does not make any allowance whatsoever for those who live outside of Scandinavia, faced with different living conditions, possibly not in the direct vicinity of the vast woodland or lake, a garden or even a car-free area, anyone who has to work 8 hours a day away from home instead of writing books in one's living room or any parent who cannot send their child in a state-run forest school.

I am not sure who this book is written for. Most Americans will probably find the author's disdain for all things American quite offensive or at least unhelpful. It's certainly not written for anyone in Scandinavia. I really wanted to love this book, myself raised in Russia and having a very similar outdoor experience growing up and now living in England. I was really hoping that the author will have some tips to combat the "If we don't want to be outside in this weather, then the kids won't either" attitude I got from some of the school-teachers. But it appears that despite all the benefits, the author failed miserably to implement these practices anywhere outside of Sweden, where this ideology is written in the law and very little parental input is required to achieve this lifestyle anyway, as the outdoor way of life if almost institutionalised starting with kindergartens and all though to the workplace.

The only thing is reading the book convinced me to do is to get out more with my children... and, yeah, to maybe visit Sweden to see what all the fuss is about.

2 people found this helpful

One of the best parenting books, in my opinion

As a first-time parent, this book gave me ideas on how to raise my little one. We probably know that spending time outside or getting the kids out of the house is necessary, and this book reinforces that and talks about all the benefits that children get from the outdoors.
I started searching forest schools near the area, nature reserves, national parks, child friendly outdoor places, which I probably would not be doing if I didn’t listen to this book.

This was my first audibook ever, and made me want to keep my subscription to listen to more.

2 people found this helpful

Teachers - read this!

Love the bite size research, the grounded debate, the personal anecdotes. This is not just for parents. It’s for everyone interested in childhood and the future of humanity. Read and take note!!

1 person found this helpful

Great content, slightly annoying narration

I found the author’s exploration of the topics she presented insightful and comprehensive. Her reflections and analysis were measured and all round interesting. I did struggled to finish the audio book however, it took me a really long time to get through it, as the narration I found very annoying. It was very repetitive in an overly ‘mechanical reading’ and monotonous kind of way, not very natural or varied. I also found the very American accent difficult to listen to for long periods of time, but I guess that’s very subjective.

Refreshing.

This book has been circling some outdoor Facebook pages so I was eager to read / listen to it. It really opens your mind to the ways of the world. And for me, makes me feel lucky to live where we do, but also encourages me to do more, to get out more, to allow my kids more space, more freedom. Really great book.

great and super important

finished it in a day, and went to listen again. love of nature, risk taking, real childhood.. what's not to like? the style is great too, easy read.

Amazing

I’ve been quoting this book to everyone I meet all week long. Already looking forward to reading it again and taking notes this time. Thanks so much.

Everything a parent needs to hear!

Making me more conscious of getting the kids out in nature not just for a 5minute kick-about but an everyday adventure. Also made me thankful for the outdoor amenities we are so lucky to live beside. I'll be highly recommending.

I simply love this

Would you consider the audio edition of There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather to be better than the print version?

I think I prefer audio book in this case

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mum

Which character – as performed by Ann Richardson – was your favourite?

Mum

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather

Any additional comments?

What's with these questions???