Questions raised by a book I am reading

[Miss Chicken]

I am currently reading "Don't Look Back" by Norwegian crime writer, Karin Fossum. The book has raised a couple of quite differnt questions that I want to ask.

In the book, which I am about 1/3 of the way through, the victim is a 15 year old girl.

A couple of times in the book it is mentioned that the girl used to babysit neighbourhood children when she was younger but at 15 was considered too old to babysit. I thought this was odd because most parents I know prefer their babysitters to be at least 15 or 16. So I ask people here to say what age they think babysitters should be.

Another thing mentioned in the book is that is illegal to scatter people's ashes in Norway - according to law each body must be placed in consecrated ground. I had no idea that there was such a law in any country so I was wondering if people could tell me if it is so in their countries, or if they now of any other country where this is so (could it be a Lutheran thing? (I think most Norwegians are Lutherans).

 

[Bloodwhiner]

It may be cultural, but I would prefer a babysitter to be at least 14 and honestly 16 is better.

As to the second part of your question - the book may be incorrect depending on it's timeframe. The scattering of ashes has been legal in Norway since the burial laws were rewritten in 1997. Oddly you can scatter the cremains in many places throughout the country except a cemetery.

 

[Miss Chicken]

It may be cultural, but I would prefer a babysitter to be at least 14 and honestly 16 is better.

As to the second part of your question - the book may be incorrect depending on it's timeframe. The scattering of ashes has been legal in Norway since the burial laws were rewritten in 1997. Oddly you can scatter the cremains in many places throughout the country except a cemetery.

Thanks for the info.

i just checked on the date of the original publication. It was first published in 1996 but wasn't translated into English until 2002. Therefore at the time it was written the book was correct.

 

[RJDiogenes]

My Mother babysits frequently and she's in her 60s.

I don't understand the logic of "too old to babysit."

 

[Miss Chicken]

I can't understand it either but this is what it said in the book

Everyone knew Annie well. Some of the women had seen her leave. The Hollands lived at the end of the cul-de-sac and she had to pass all the houses on the way out. For years she had baby-sat their children , up until last year, when she started getting too old for it.

and further on when the inspector was talking to a newly arrived Turkish family (the rest of the street were local Norwegians).

"Did she ever baby-sit for your daughter?"

"We were going to ask her" the husband said swiftly "but the neighbours said she was too old for that now."

 

[RJDiogenes]

Maybe they're implying that older kids weren't interested in babysitting because they're getting into dating and teenage stuff.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Maybe they're implying that older kids weren't interested in babysitting because they're getting into dating and teenage stuff.

I was thinking the same thing, or perhaps babysitting is for younger teens but at her age she can go out and get a Saturday/part time job to earn money.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Another thing mentioned in the book is that is illegal to scatter people's ashes in Norway - according to law each body must be placed in consecrated ground. I had no idea that there was such a law in any country so I was wondering if people could tell me if it is so in their countries, or if they now of any other country where this is so (could it be a Lutheran thing? (I think most Norwegians are Lutherans).

There are extremely strict rules about that in Austria too. In fact as far I know the family members of the deceased never even get the ashes in their hands. The urn is usually placed on a grave or a certain place on a graveyard. I think there are regulations for sea-burials and such, but it's complicated and you're definitely not allowed to scatter the ashes anywhere you want - like in your garden or something...

 

[Miss Chicken]

Here we can scatter ashes more or less anywhere we like.

Late last year my aunt's ashes were scattered around her beloved rose bushes. My Dad's ashes were scattered from the same bridge as his parents were (located in the small town whee my grandparent lived). I want my ashes scattered on the mountain that overlooks my city.

Maybe they're implying that older kids weren't interested in babysitting because they're getting into dating and teenage stuff.

That is probably want is meant. However that still means that the girl was supposdly babysitting at a much younger age (14 and even younger) than is generally acceptable in my country.

 

[Brent]

I can't understand it either but this is what it said in the book

Everyone knew Annie well. Some of the women had seen her leave. The Hollands lived at the end of the cul-de-sac and she had to pass all the houses on the way out. For years she had baby-sat their children , up until last year, when she started getting too old for it.

and further on when the inspector was talking to a newly arrived Turkish family (the rest of the street were local Norwegians).

"Did she ever baby-sit for your daughter?"

"We were going to ask her" the husband said swiftly "but the neighbours said she was too old for that now."

I read that as she is becoming interested in other things in her later teenage age, and she may not want to babysit anymore. As teens get into their later teens, they are into so many other things, babysitting isn't in their interest anymore, maybe they are into other stuff such as a new job, school, graduating, etc... Every kid of course is different, but this one sounds like she thinks it is time to move on to something else.

 

[Mallory]

Here we can scatter ashes more or less anywhere we like.

That's the way it is here too. We just went through that this summer with my mother in law's ashes. She wanted half of them scattered on Mount Rainier in Washington state and the other half scattered in the Atlantic Ocean (3000 miles away).

 

[trekkiedane]

Another thing mentioned in the book is that is illegal to scatter people's ashes in Norway - according to law each body must be placed in consecrated ground. I had no idea that there was such a law in any country so I was wondering if people could tell me if it is so in their countries, or if they now of any other country where this is so (could it be a Lutheran thing? (I think most Norwegians are Lutherans).

If it was the wish of the deceased, the Church Ministry can allow the scattering of the ashes over the sea (maritime burial) but that is the only alternative to an official burial site we have in Denmark at the moment.

 

[sidious618]

I'm sending my mother's ashes right into the Hudson River. Look who gets the last laugh now, mom!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

(could it be a Lutheran thing? (I think most Norwegians are Lutherans).

No. I am Lutheran, and we don't have any rules - that I'm aware of - on where the deceased's ashes are scattered.