I moved from Sweden to Los Angeles. I wasn't prepared for how seriously American parents take playdates.

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• I didn't expect American parents to stay for the entire playdate.
• In Sweden, we drop kids off and trust them to sort things out.
• In Los Angeles, I've learned trust builds slowly, visit by visit.

When my family moved from Sweden to Los Angeles, I expected cultural differences, but I did not expect one of the biggest surprises to come in the form of children's playdates.

Our kids, ages 7 and 9, had spent their entire lives in Sweden...