interview: MK
Every Saturday we’re spotlighting remarkable local females who could change the way we look at the world. This Saturday is Erin Johnson’s turn, a science communicator and photographer from America who found herself living the dream in Trieste where she raises her family.
Where are you from?
I moved to Trieste 8 years ago for work, and met my partner Sergio 4 years ago. On November 1, we welcomed our son Enea. Neither my partner nor I are from Trieste. I’m American and he is from Valle d’Aosta, on the other side of northern Italy near France. So it’s a bit funny to both of us that we’ll be raising a Triestino kid.
That’s amazing.
We wonder if he will learn the Triestine dialect, develop a taste for prosciutto with kren, and show off his diving skills at Barcola. I think Trieste must be a fantastic place to grow up. I love that it has the cultural opportunities and amenities of a city, but with access to so many beautiful natural places nearby, and that it’s a little bit of a melting pot.
What’s it like being a mom in Trieste?
I haven’t had the experience of raising a child in the US, so I can’t compare directly, but from what I’ve observed here there seems to be a good amount of resources during pregnancy and to support families with young children. I had a very positive experience here during my pregnancy, especially with the amazing staff at the Burlo Garofolo hospital, and the region provides very helpful services as well to make sure new moms aren’t alone in figuring everything out.
Are there any differences in parenting styles between Italy and US?
There are a few differences in parenting I’ve noticed – for example, swaddling babies is very common for newborns in the US but doesn’t seem to be practiced much in Italy. On the subject of how to dress babies, I far prefer zippered outfits especially for middle of the night changes, but they are very hard to find here – Italy, please embrace the zippered PJs!
How curious.
One thing I do really like about Italian parenting is that people bring their kids with them everywhere and young kids stay out with their family in the evening, too, whereas in the US there are many places where it’s not considered appropriate to bring children, and generally you don’t see kids out in the evening past 7:00 or 8:00. We’re very strict about bedtimes!
True.
I look forward to showing Enea around Trieste as he gets a bit older and discovering it all again through his eyes. His childhood will be so different from my own, but I hope he will have the same opportunity to explore freely and have endless adventures.
