They can take it in percentages. I have a lot of friends who took 9 or 12 months full time leave, then used the rest to work part time for a few more years so the child was only in daycare for a few hours a day.

If it helps at all, it’s pouring and freezing on the first day of June here in Stockholm ;-)

The real irony in this thread is that Swedes (I’m a Brit living in Sweden) are really critical of their country. They’re patriotic too, and don’t see that as incompatible with always striving to make Sweden better... which is a big reason it is better than most places.

Not Swedish but live in Stockholm - you should definitely visit, but I'd recommend summer. Summer is MAGICAL! Also don't be offended if you don't get the chance to practice Swedish while you're here, one of their most lovely/annoying habits is speaking English the minute they hear a hint of an accent.

I had never seen the original interview before, there's even more crazy in it than I realised!

Ex pat in Stockholm here - when I moved, I had more than one person suggest I'd be a a novelty over here as a brunette. *sigh*

Ex pat in Stockholm here - when I moved, I had more than one person suggest I'd be a a novelty over here as a brunette. *sigh*

Always had mixed feelings about this man. On one hand, birth control - yay! On the other, in his later years he became a playwright and I was his dramaturge many years ago - in a 15+ year career in the industry, he is the only person I've experienced direct/overtly sexism from. The irony!

It's amusingly ironic you think less taxes is such a bonus given the story we are commenting on!

What benefits come with American citizenship that don't come with British? What give you the impression that the parents have any interest in becoming American?

Except it does impact me. Because believing in the Virgin birth involves believing in the idea of Original Sin, i.e. that sex is bad, women who have sex are Slutty von Slut Whores and Mary had to have been better than them. This DIRECTLY impacts myself and every other woman in a culture dominated by an Abrahamic…

Ahh could be - they do talk funny up there ;-)

I'm from Scotland and I've never heard that before (also know several Emmas). I also may or may not have sat here for sea real minutes saying Emma and I'm a out loud to myself ... I'm fairly sure they're different but also not sure about anything any more.

I am wildly optimistic hopeful that they've shot themselves in the foot with this. Swedes don't have a lot of patience for playing silly buggers... I hope!

We were supposed to have coffee in Hornstull! I'm so sorry, it's been a bonkers couple of months and it took seeing your screenname again to remind me! Maybe next week sometime? We can canvas the people around us to see if any of them are "flipping out" ...

Yep - I live in Sweden and this is the first I've heard about it!

Actually, pretty much. I grew up in Paris and love it in many ways, but the dream world of romance and sophistication many Americans seem to imagine, it 'ain't!

Actually, pretty much. I grew up in Paris and love it in many ways, but the dream world of romance and sophistication many Americans seem to imagine, it 'ain't!

Okay.

Except that that's not the case here. I'm not condoning the vitriol of Brenda Leyland's tweets, but from my understanding she genuinely (wrongly) believed that the McCanns had been involved in their daughter's disappearance, and was acting out of (misguided) concern for Maddie rather than simply being cruel to her…