So, if both American and Dutch parents value independence, why do Dutch kids seem so much happier? I wonder if the key difference lies in how both sets of parents understand what freedom for kids looks like.
“Dutch parenting is all about raising self-sufficient kids,” Tracy told me. “My older two (ages 12 and 14) bike more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) daily to school since there are no school buses.
“If a teacher cancels a class, students just have free time instead of a substitute. My 14-year-old had two canceled classes this morning and simply stayed home until noon. This would be a logistical nightmare for schools and parents if we didn’t just expect our kids to sort it out.”
Dutch parenting, according to the close to a dozen parents in the Netherlands I spoke with, emphasizes allowing children a freedom of movement that many American kids don’t have. When I was in Haarlem and Amsterdam, bikes and little kids on bikes were everywhere
If you’re gonna troll, at least be clever about it.
Happy Father’s Day
Fair. It’s not backtracked as much as you think. Lemmy makes it sound like the end is nigh when we’re far, far from that. Honesty that’s my biggest problem with this place, events are almost always blown way out of proportion, Gaza being the exception. I guess that’s what sensationalism breeds.
As with almost anything, the line of progress never goes up constantly and steadily. Progress is as messy as we humans are, it’s spaghetti.