Scandinavian country’s child-centric ways stir backlash Is Sweden raising a generation of brats? The country has built a child-friendly reputation on its mandates for long parental leave and provision for state-funded day care from age 1. But a new book paints an ugly underbelly to Scandinavia’s child-centric ways. Youngsters here—deemed "competent individuals" by the state and legally protected from spanking—are becoming the ...