If you consider the Netherlands, canals, tulips and biking all over the place could come to thoughts — and people are among the many causes People are drawn to the nation. Over 31,000 People dwell within the Netherlands, representing round 6% of the nation’s whole immigrants, and that quantity has elevated through the years.
I used to be lured by the scenic allure — which the Netherlands definitely delivered. What I couldn’t have imagined was the peace this nation would give me in a choice that wasn’t straightforward for me to make: having kids.
For a time, the considered having youngsters introduced on a lot nervousness that I stored placing it off, and as a substitute targeted on my profession and constructing a enterprise. I didn’t anticipate how a lot this small nation would make parenting really feel so pure. Listed here are some sudden issues I realized about elevating my youngster right here.
Biking At 30 Weeks Pregnant
You’ll be able to think about the look on my face once I confirmed up for my first midwife appointment and noticed a line of parked bikes with pregnant girls hopping off them, bellies a lot larger than mine. After I thought of being pregnant, I imagined morning illness, resting at house and counting down the weeks till week 40, however that was not my expertise right here. As a substitute, I joined the crew who biked to each midwife appointment till I couldn’t anymore.
Sure, I used to be fortunate to have a comparatively easy being pregnant. Nonetheless, being pregnant within the Netherlands is usually handled as a pure a part of life. Medical doctors, midwives and coworkers alike strategy it pragmatically. My expertise is that most individuals don’t see you as fragile; moderately, they encourage you to take heed to your self, make your individual selections and adapt as you want. It’s simply one other season of womanhood.
As Andrea Hamlet, a world board-certified lactation guide from California who’s lived within the Netherlands for over six years, informed HuffPost, “Pregnancy here is seen as a natural process, not a medical condition. I was able to relax in a way I don’t think I could have back home.”
Postnatal Care And Parental Go away
Residing in another country typically means you don’t have household round for help. That’s why the postnatal care within the Netherlands is really a lifeline. Right here, new mother and father obtain the help of a kraamzorg, a maternity nurse who visits your house every single day for a couple of week after delivery and helps with the necessities like feeding and bathing the newborn, understanding your child’s indicators, whereas additionally dealing with family chores with the intention to concentrate on therapeutic and bonding.
Additionally, parental go away makes it simpler to make long-term changes and focus in your life with a baby. Within the Netherlands, moms are entitled to a minimal of 16 weeks of maternity go away (6 weeks earlier than the delivery and 10 weeks afterward).
Each mother and father additionally share 26 weeks of parental go away, with 9 of these weeks paid at 70% of their revenue. Paid go away can be utilized inside the first yr of the kid’s life. The remaining time is obtainable as unpaid go away till the kid turns 8 years outdated, permitting households to customise their time at house as wanted.
Along with the go away coverage, the Netherlands supplies monetary help for folks of younger kids. They will obtain as much as 282 euros per quarter when their youngster is a new child to assist with fundamental bills, and tax credit can be found to cut back youngster care prices.
Letting Children Be Impartial
One of many largest surprises for anybody visiting or elevating kids right here is the extent of independence youngsters have. Within the U.S., the considered letting a youngster stroll to high school or take public transportation alone could make a mother or father’s coronary heart skip a beat. Nonetheless, within the Netherlands, fostering independence from a younger age is the norm, and the neighborhood utterly helps it.
Sim Sawyers, an American mother and photographer residing in Amsterdam, seen this distinction instantly.
“In the U.S., [many] kids don’t take the bus or walk to school; everything is very car-centric. Even as teenagers, they’re often dependent on parents to drive them places, which can feel both restrictive and unsafe at times. Here, I love how much freedom kids are given — it’s good for them to grow up with that sense of independence.”
Hamlet additionally shared her aid in watching her son discover freely: “He can meet friends at the movies, go for a drink, or bike to the ice rink. He’s almost 14, and I’m so grateful he can have the same kinds of experiences I had in the ’80s—safely. My only concern here is traffic, and I don’t worry about things like drugs, drunk driving, or guns.”
A Group That Thinks About Children
One factor that instantly stands out right here is how built-in kids are into on a regular basis life. Household-friendly areas and a judgment-free strategy to elevating your kids are woven into the neighborhood. UNICEF’s research on youngster well-being constantly ranks the Netherlands among the many high international locations for kids’s happiness, psychological well being and security. That is due, partially, to the supportive atmosphere mother and father expertise right here, which extends throughout all points of society.
What I’ve seen is there’s a collective understanding that everybody is doing their greatest, and judgment round parenting selections is uncommon. Hamlet described it as “such a relief”: “I don’t feel judged by other parents. I love the family-oriented aspect of this country,” she informed HuffPost.
The neighborhood rallies round households: Excessive-end cafes and neighborhood eating places supply kid-friendly areas with excessive chairs, play areas and youngsters’s menus. Parks are considerable, and the security of those areas offers mother and father the peace of thoughts to permit kids the liberty to play and discover.
Sawyers highlighted how, even in a bustling metropolis, it’s “incredibly child-friendly, with a park on almost every block.” She marveled on the inclusivity, including, “You walk into a high-end cafe, and they have four high chairs and a whole bookshelf full of games for kids in the back. It’s not something you’d expect, but it’s there, and it’s normal.”
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This acceptance of kids and emphasis on their well-being makes navigating parenthood simpler, making a welcoming neighborhood for households.
I’m grateful we made the transfer and located a neighborhood that values happiness, independence, well-being and inclusivity. This has made the journey of parenthood rather more peaceable and given me the liberty to lift my youngster in a method that aligns with my values.
