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

Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images 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, and I thought I had...