JONAS HIMMELSTRAND, a well-known Swedish family activist, has left his native country to escape heavy fines for homeschooling his two children, according to Caroline Moynihan of MercatorNet.com. Homeschooling is illegal in Sweden.

Himmelstrand is the founder of Mireja, a pro-family organization critical of Swedish family policies, which offer generous parental leaves for parents of babies and heavily subsidized day care. As discussed in this previous post, Himmelstrand contends socialized child care has caused an increase in  childhood psychological problems and an inability by Swedish parents to discipline their children. He has spoken widely in Europe and North America. At Mireja, Himmelstrand writes:

In Sweden many families find that they lack the power to make their own decisions about their close relationships, especially when children arrive. The symptoms are visible in the national statistics: High levels of stress-related sick leave, ambitious but insecure parents, increasing psychological ill heath among youth, plummeting learning results and more disorder in schools.

The impediments are often well-intentioned: The everyone-to-work policy, gender equality, high subsidised day care, pre- and after-school care and school. But rather than create more welfare, these are in effect often hindrances to the close relationships which are so important to human health, learning and development.

Here is an April 2011 article by Himmelstrand in the Canadian newspaper The National Post. According to MercatorNet, he will continue his activism. It is unclear where he and his family are living.

Himmelstrand’s writings echo a familiar theme to readers of this site: a healthy society is based on intimacy, with all its benefits and shortcomings, not on the depersonalized human connections forged by collectivism.

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