"Du bist Deutschland" is a campaign that was started here in Germany a few years ago to encourage the public to be more kid friendly. While it's actually a very nice commercial (and almost two minutes long!), my first impression was that I found it rather comical that someone from an outside source had to encourage Germans to have more babies. One line in the commercial states (roughly translated) "that its never the wrong time to have you (kids), but only the right time"--a bit direct, no?
Since I don't have any myself, I can't really contribute to the argument, but I have heard people say that Germany isn't family-friendly. So if anybody has experience going either way, would be interesting to hear. Do you find Germany family-friendly? (Here's the link to the video, I will try to upload it here directly sometime soon.)
Below is the rough English translation of the text...
"You drive us crazy.
You cry the whole night through.
You wet the bed.
First you get teeth, then you get the chickenpox.
You hate kindergarten, then school and then at 15, you hate us.
Rather, you drive us crazy… with Happiness
Your ‘purchase’ is free
Then after you get expensive
You need time and space
You cost us new shoes, that bigger TV and that vacation at the ocean
You are no luxury
You are priceless
There are many good reasons not to have kids
And the best reason to have kids? You.
You can’t speak and yet you explain to us the whole world.
You can’t walk, but you help us get going.
You learn so much every day and teach us still more.
You show us that there is never the wrong but only the right moment to have you.
You have mother and father and yet you still need the whole country to grow up happy.
You are not alone as our most precious ‘project/work’.
You make out of two people, one family.
Out of a small apartment you make an adventurous playground
And from spaghetti with sauce a feast.
We need more of your kind because without you the present is no fun
And the future already past.
You. Are. Germany."
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