Love Has an Accent 💛
I recently shared a piece very close to my heart on the Brazilian platform Mães que Escrevem. Since that publication was in Portuguese, I wanted to bring the story here in English so my community outside Brazil can read it too.
It’s about what it really feels like to raise a child far from home — when even a simple moment at the playground reveals how much culture shapes our idea of what it means to be a “good parent.”
The other day at the playground, my daughter fell. Nothing serious — just a scraped knee and a quick cry. Instinctively, I stood up, a shout rising in my throat: “Oh my God, be careful, sweetheart!”
But I stopped halfway.
Here in Switzerland, no one runs. No one yells. Parents stay seated, reading, sipping coffee, while children climb structures that, back in Brazil, would make even adults nervous. One father simply raised a thumb to his son, who was dangling from a climbing rope. And there I was, heart racing, my words caught in my throat.
Raising children abroad isn’t just about learning a new language. It’s about unlearning the tone of voice you were taught to use. It’s about rethinking what it means to “protect,” “care,” “teach.”
In Denmark, babies nap outside cafés.
In Australia, birthdays are celebrated with store‑bought cake and a picnic in the park.
And in Brazil… we set up a circus tent, invite the entire family, and hire a magician. All in the name of love.
But then, when your child, born in another culture, asks: “Why do we do this?”
Your first instinct is defensive: because we do, because it’s beautiful, because it’s ours.
But deep down, the question stings. It stings because it’s fair. And it stings because sometimes we don’t have all the answers.
The truth is: love has an accent.
It has rhythm, volume, and scent.
It can look like a party, a moment of silence, or beans simmering on the stove.
And when we migrate, love doesn’t vanish — it just speaks differently.
We learn to love with fewer words, with gentler gestures.
Or louder ones, depending on the zip code.
And we discover that being a “good mother” or a “good father” has no literal translation.
It takes listening.
It takes adapting.
And it takes the courage to keep loving with an accent.
💌 Don’t navigate pregnancy abroad alone. Start reading Maternity Abroad today and find the guidance, comfort, and real stories you’ve been searching for.
🌍 Parenting abroad isn’t just logistics — it’s identity, belonging, and the quiet work of building a home away from home. Parenting Unpacked is here to hold your hand through it.
✨ Coming soon — sign up to be the first to know.
What does it really mean to be a “good parent” when you’re raising your child in another country? In my latest post, I share how even a simple day at the playground in Switzerland revealed how culture shapes love, care, and parenting — and why I believe love always has an accent.