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	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
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Parenting: advice & issues

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER

Linda Akeson McGurk

A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient and Confident Children

When Linda McGurk moved to small-town Indiana to start a family with her American husband, she quickly realized that her outdoorsy ways were not the norm.

In Sweden, letting young babies nap outside all year round is not only common, it is recommended by the government. Yet when she took her two young daughters out for walks in Indiana in the winter, people pulled over to offer them rides. The playgrounds, which she expected to find teeming with children, were mostly deserted. Then she was fined for letting her children play in a local creek, setting off an online firestorm when she blogged about it later on. The parenting philosophies of her native Sweden and her adopted homeland were worlds apart. Struggling to fit in, Linda turned to her own childhood for answers. Could the Scandinavian philosophy that "There is no bad weather, only bad clothes" be the key to healthier, happier lives for her American children? To find out, she embarked on a six-month long journey to Sweden and back. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER tackles two of the defining issues of our time the declining health of American children and their growing disconnect from nature and offers solutions based on the outdoorsy Scandinavian parenting culture. The book comes at a perfect time, as the movement to get children back outside is gaining momentum nationally and internationally. We're experiencing a backlash against the "helicopter society" that has put perfectly capable parents on the Department of Child Services' radar for letting their children do what was considered a normal part of childhood only a generation ago, such as playing at a park unsupervised. The Scandinavian parenting twist is also timely, as all the Scandinavian countries recently placed among the top five countries for the well-being of children and their mothers. Linda McGurk is a Swedish-American freelance journalist and blogger who lives with her family in rural Indiana. A nature lover and mother of two, she believes that the best childhood memories are created outside, while jumping in puddles, digging in dirt, catching bugs, and climbing trees. McGurk's writings about natural parenting and outdoor play have appeared in a wide range of newspapers, magazines, and online publications in North America as well as Europe, includingBonBon Break,Outdoor Families Magazine, andChildhood 101. In 2013, she started the blogRain or Shine Mammato inspire outdoor play and adventure every day, regardless of the weather.

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Book Published 2017-10-03 by Touchstone

Comments

Born and raised in Sweden with an ingrained appreciation for the outdoors, McGurk feels out of step with American culture when she tries to reproduce that childhood for her children in Indiana. Amusing interactions, such as one with a concerned motorist who passes her pushing her daughter in a stroller and walking her dog in midwinter, pepper the story..McGurk's work will be encouraging to like-minded parents who feel American culture excessively emphasizes risk avoidance.

If There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather doesn't make you want to move to Scandinavia, it will at least make you pledge to bring more Scandinavian habits into your life. With abundant warmth, humor, and important research, Linda Akeson McGurk makes the case for getting your family out into nature, no matter the season, and shares invaluable tips for enjoying the benefits of outdoor play, even in the land of mall-walking, videogames, and relentless academic pressure.

There's nothing I love morethan an author who gives parents a reason to feel optimistic, instead of telling us how we're ruining our kids forever by (fill in the blank with something you used to do without thinking twice). Linda Akeson McGurkis that optimism-granter. Plus, she's funny. What a great package!

The author expertly combines personal memories of her childhood and that of her children with scientific data and research to show the significant disparities in the way children interact with nature in [the U.S. and Sweden]...A fascinating exploration of the importance of the outdoors to childhood development.

Children need fresh air, ample time to play, and freedom to take riskssomething other cultures sometimes seem to understand far better than we do. InThere's No Such Thing as Bad Weather, Linda Akeson McGurk takes us inside the fascinating world of Scandinavian parentingwith its refreshing and essentialperspective on childhood. This is a heartfelt manifesto on the importance ofthe sort ofunhurried, nature-rich childhood that every American child deserves.

Linda McGurk offers a perfect antidote to the hyper-vigilant, extra-electrified, standardized-tested, house-arrested, 21st-century childhood and the experts who push it. Practical and wise, There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather proves just that, and much more.

Smart, friendly and Swedish. Packed with sane ideas that will get your children outside, independent, and filled with the joy of living. This book will open your eyesor maybe tempt you to move to Sweden. Now: Go outside and play!

What an enjoyable romp through all the pleasures, benefits, and joy that free play and nature offer! Swedish-born McGurk guides the reader through all the delights that a varied outdoor life can afford. The book is packed with personal anecdotes and scientific studies, which provide the reader with nuanced insights into the potentials of open-air life in the most beautiful way. Everyone all over the world can gain something from the valuable wisdom found in this book. As a strong supporter of free play and its importance for children's well-being, I highly recommend this book.

Croatian/Egmont; Greek/Martis; Hungary/HVG; Polish/Wydawnictwo Literackie; Russia/Popuri; Thailand/Sandclock

Like Linda, many in the early childhoodeducation field are worried about the well-documented negative consequences from this lack of outdoor time. Besides the obvious physical benefits of spending time in nature, there are proven mentalhealth benefits as well.when children bond with natureat an early age, they develop empathetic stewardship qualities whichcompel them to seek to protect the environment. It is heartening toknow that there are still countries like Sweden which activelyadvocate and culturally support children's right to extended outdoortime. Hopefully we can begin to incorporate some of Sweden'sfriluftsliva love of open air lifeinto our cultural identityhere in the U.S.

I could not put this book down! Linda McGurk not only offers a fresh perspective about parenting and outdoor play from a Scandinavian viewpoint, but she is a fabulous storyteller and will hook you on the first page.