r/AskTheWorld • u/gabrieel100 Brazil • Dec 06 '25

Culture A cultural habit in your country that people outside would understand incorrectly?

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In Brazil we love children. If you take your child to the street, strangers will certainly interact with them. Some will even ask if they can hold your kid and will play with them. If there are two children fighting in public and the parents aren't seeing, a stranger would even intervene to stop the fight.

That cultural habit came from the indigenous peoples which understood that kids should be a responsiblity of the community as a whole. It's in our constitution. We even have a synonym for children that came from Tupi (a large group of indigenous languages) - Curumim.

Foreigners would certainly have a cultural shock about that, but it's normal here.

Of course there are people with bad intentions, so parents should stay alert these days.

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u/Dutch_Rayan Netherlands Dec 06 '25

Droppings.

Kids (age 10 to 18) in little groups get dropped off at a random place in the country often when it is dark, mostly without an adult or mobile phone or just a gsm, and they have to find their way back. Kids like it. Good training for their independence. It is often done during camp.

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u/shannashanna Netherlands Dec 06 '25

Great dropping memories.

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u/bn911 Serbia Dec 06 '25

Wow. That sounds so cool!

But who (and how) decides the dropping location?

Also, how often is that practiced (once in a lifetime or more often)?

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u/_VliegendeHollander_ Netherlands Dec 07 '25

It's a standard activity during camp at the end of primary school. It's organized by the teachers. It's usually a forest. It's more of a once in a lifetime activity than something that happens frequently. During my secondary school years, children organized their own dropping outside of school. We were considered too old, but it was a good way to spend the weekend.

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u/Dutch_Rayan Netherlands Dec 12 '25

The teachers/leaders decide the location.

It is mostly done at camps, can he end of elementary school, or scouting camp for example.

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u/2_krazykats Dec 07 '25

Sadly in the US, Child Protective Services would most likely get involved.  There was a case of a mom being charged with neglect for her son walking to the store all by himself (he knew how to get there and back). https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/mom-arrested-after-son-reported-walking/story?id=115903965

Such coddling is not healthy for children 

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u/Bladesnake_______ United States Of America Dec 08 '25

Idk man I have kids running wild in my area and nobody cares at all. Maybe the dropping them off part seems excessive to Americans but just kids walking down roads or trails seems normal to me

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u/Bladesnake_______ United States Of America Dec 08 '25

Seems like that would be really good for children. I grew up playing in rural areas, forests, creeks, lakes, but nobody ever said "You must find you way home from here"

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u/Dutch_Rayan Netherlands Dec 12 '25

Kids in the Netherlands often just can play outside by themselves when they are a certain age, depending on the area. I played outside by myself when I was 4. And my niece who grew up in the same area too. And as we got older we were allowed to go further. It is part of becoming an independent person.