15 Things American Parents Do That the Rest of the World Would Find Shocking

Not only is the legal drinking age way later in the U.S. than in other countries, American teens typically don't drink around their parents. Elsewhere in the world drinking ages can skew much younger (kids in Germany can drink beer, wine, and cider at just 14!), and it's much more common for parents to serve their kids alcohol at the dinner table.

"We're not regular moms, we're cool moms." — all of Germany, basically.

When kids lose teeth state-side, they're placed under a pillow and replaced with a wad of cash. This tradition is relatively common in Western countries, but would certainly be shocking in other parts of the world like the Middle East (where children throw their teeth in the air) and several Asian countries — including India, where kids bury their teeth in the ground.

It's a pretty controversial, but some parents in the United States who want to keep their kids in check use a leash. These are especially commonplace in busy areas like airports and theme parks, and could certainly garner side-eyes from people who aren't familiar with the practice.

Every parent handles sleep differently, but most moms and dads in the USA are at least familiar with the concept of "sleep training" — wherein children are left to cry until they get used to being in their own bed. Depending on the country, parents in other parts of the world co-sleep with their kids, and comfort them when they cry versus letting them cry it out.

There's nothing more American than packing up a duffel and heading off for a week of summer camp in the woods! Overnight camps are a tradition for many kids in the U.S., thanks in part to the vast amount of parkland in this country. But plenty of parents also think summer camp is a rite of passage that prepares children for leaving home when they're 18.

It probably doesn't sound too crazy that many little kids get their own meal during dinner time while the adults eat something a little more fancy. Meanwhile, parents in other countries simply plop their kids down at the dinner table and expect them to eat the same food as everyone else. Hmmm, maybe the reason our kids are picky eaters is because we make them that way....

Chances are your parents put you in a time-out at least once. You know, where you're removed from the family and told to sit in a corner for anywhere from five to 10 minutes? It's a super common punishment in the U.S. (and Canada), while other parts of the world rely on punishments like giving the child a "consequence" for their behavior, or simply explaining why said behavior was bad.

American parents keep their kids in diapers up to age three or sometimes four, and potty training is largely child-led. Meanwhile, parents in other parts of the world (like Indonesia and Vietnam) don't even use diapers — instead relying on their kids' body language to know when they have to pee. Imagine all the money saved on Pampers!

Well, depending on the family! But for the most part, children in the U.S. are encouraged not to use four letter words. Parents in other countries — particularly in Europe — don't discourage their kids from swearing if they happen to pick up a "bad" word here or there.

This trend seems to be largely U.S.-based. Celebrating a child's sex might not be *shocking* to other moms and dads across the globe, but it could certainly be viewed as more than a little extra.

In other words, American kids celebrate Halloween by trick-or-treating — the one day of the year they're encouraged to take candy from strangers. This fun time goes down in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and Mexico — but to the rest of the world, it's likely completely bizarre.

That doesn't sound too crazy to you, right? Well it might to parents in other parts of the world (particularly Nordic countries), who traditionally let kids sleep outdoors in prams — even in freezing temperatures. If a parent in the U.S. left their child outside for a nap in wintertime, chances are CPS would be alerted.

Getting braces is a hallmark of many American children's middle school experience, because we place a huge emphasis on an A+ smile. While orthodontic care is certainly prevalent across the globe, one study from from 2012 says that 38% of Americans wouldn't go on a second date with someone sporting misaligned teeth, and people with perfectly aligned teeth are 38% more likely to be perceived as smart.

Depending on where you come from, this may or may not be shocking. Some countries haven't completely outlawed corporal punishment, but plenty have — including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Kenya, Peru, and Israel (to name just a few!). Here in the states, some parents believe it's harmless to spank a child as a means of punishment.

While every family has its own rules around bedtime, for the most part parents in the U.S. *do* put their kids to bed on the earlier side — giving moms and dads an opportunity to chill out with some wine and Netflix. This might come as a surprise to parents in other parts of the world (like France!) who let their kids stay up until they're tired.

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