Swiss Grandmothers Are The Best!

Moving abroad is so crazy! When we first arrived in Switzerland, my Swiss friend said "welcome to the land of mail and paperwork!" Boy was she right. There have been so many photos, and fingerprints, and (efficient) government office visits over the last month, it's crazy. I think we're almost through all the paperwork and that light at the end of the tunnel is starting to glow!

Today, after schlepping the kids to meet Kevin and pick up our residence cards at the local government office, I decided that they were due for a nice chocolaty Swiss pastry. So we headed to a little cafe in a neat old square in town and tucked into a nice treat. It was pretty crowded with people enjoying their morning coffee and croissant, but we found a nice big table where I hoped we wouldn't bother anyone.

The kids were a little wiggly  after our bureaucratic morning trek and began chasing the birds away from our table (good luck kids, those birds are everywhere). After realizing that he was losing the bird battle, Quinn found a cement umbrella stand that made a loud clanking sound when he rocked on it, FUN.

 As the little angel was gleefully rocking, people at other tables began to stare… Between wrestling chocolate covered Anna into her seat, I asked Quinn to stop a few times to no avail. Suddenly, a grandmotherly looking Swiss woman smiled sweetly at Quinn and told him in French (with many hand motions) that he was hurting her ears and he needed to sit in his seat.

Shocked Quinn smiled back at her and immediately sat down to finish his treat! I was floored. It was amazing, I could have kissed that women right then and there!

Since we've been here,  Kevin and I have been the only ones teaching our children the subtle (and not so subtle) nuances of how to be appropriate/good/kind/safe/happy in this new city. It felt so good to have a perfect stranger, so sweetly give us a helping hand. I know the saying is cliché, but it's true, it does take a village to raise a child. We had a pretty nice "village" of beloved friends and mothers in Vermont who were such great examples to my children and at this point, our Swiss "village" is small.

But as we make more friends and our village continues to grow I take comfort in knowing that there are Swiss grandmothers around to lend a hand when mine are covered in chocolate!