Photo: Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko/Shutterstock

6 Signs You Were Raised by a Swedish Dad

Sweden Student Work
by Madelaine Triebe Mar 31, 2015

1. 3pm equals fika time.

Your dad loves fika — the Swedish concept of having coffee and cake in the afternoon — and as a child you were introduced early to this tradition. Your dad saw nothing wrong in feeding his child cake every day at 3pm, although he did replace the coffee with milk or blandsaft (mixed berry cordial). Until this day a cold glass of milk and cinnamon buns bring out warm memories in you.

2. You’re perfectly happy spending entire days playing board games.

Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit (or “TP” as it’s colloquially called by your dad), När & Fjärran, Nationalencyklopedin, Pictionary, Med andra ord; your dad taught you to master every one of these. Every Christmas or social gathering throughout your childhood meant board-game time. You learned very early through close studies to be competitive while playing — and that Swedish modesty in no way applies during a game.

3. You know that 1994 is a golden year in Swedish soccer history.

The year the Swedish soccer team won the bronze medal in the World Cup is one of your father’s proudest moments in life. He remembers where he watched the game, who scored the four goals against Bulgaria and the goal gestures of Tomas Brolin and Kennet Andersson. If you had been around at that time, you definitely sat in the sofa watching the game with him. If not, you’ve been recounted every single detail of it since the age of three. Numerous times.

4. You spent most of your young childhood in kindergarten.

Nannies were never an option for your dad. Why spend hundreds of dollars a week on a babysitter when you can put your child in day care for a fraction of the price? Spending time with twenty other kids since the age of two? Perfect. You might have suffered from numerous colds and being firmly told to eat your brown beans by nursery staff, but on the other hand, you had plenty of friends to play hide and seek and build sand castles with on the playground. And you still had your dad picking you up at precisely 5pm every day after work.

5. Henrik “Henke” Larsson was your childhood hero.

Playing for the national team, in Celtic or FC Barcelona, or coaching for a Swedish Allsvenskan team, your dad loves this Swedish soccer player no matter what. Your dad admires his team spirit, humble persona and successful sports career. Ever since you were a child you have loved him too, with the only difference of Zlatan Ibrahimovic slightly stealing the limelight of your dad’s hero.

6. You’ve eaten an incredible amount of potatoes throughout the years.

Boiled, mashed, wedges, fried, baked — your father loves potatoes and as the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you do too. There was always a plastic bag with King Edward or Bintje in the pantry, although the highlight of the potato season was during summer when you could feast on tiny and moist nypotatis (new potatoes).

 

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