How a Caring Kindergarten Can Harm Our Children

My Experience Working in a Kindergarten — Uncovering a Startling Paradox

A crying child, suddenly overwhelmed by a swarm of caregivers wanting to comfort the child. It may sound like paradise for a child, doesn’t it?

Maybe not.

As a 21-year-old young man, I got a job at the local kindergarten. Not because I had a particular interest in the field of pedagogy, but because I needed to save money for a stay at a Danish “højskole”.

In Denmark, it is customary to take a few years off after high school, work in various jobs, gain experience, and then use the money for life-affirming experiences such as traveling the world or attending a “højskole”.

I had just completed my military service, serving in the Royal Guard, a highly traditional branch of the Danish Defence with high expectations and extreme discipline. As protectors of military facilities and the Danish Royal Family, I had become accustomed to focusing on “real” problems, following orders, efficient task execution, and no nonsense.

Then I started working in a kindergarten…

A complete contrast to the military. It was like stepping into a completely different reality.