The happiest kids in the world have social safety nets. “In a country like the Netherlands where parents like my sister receive ample parental leave, childcare stipends, a four-day work week, and universal healthcare, the low-level anxiety that many American parents feel isn’t as common.”
Advertise here with Carbon Ads
This site is made possible by member support. 💞
Big thanks to Arcustech for hosting the site and offering amazing tech support.
When you buy through links on kottke.org, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks for supporting the site!
kottke.org. home of fine hypertext products since 1998.
Beloved by 86.47% of the web.
Comments 3
My husband and I recently adopted an infant so I've been binge reading parent books in the middle of the night...while I'm waiting for kiddo to snort in her sleep so I know she didn't suddenly die (i've been told this is normal parenting behavior)
I recently read "The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less" and all I could think the ENTIRE time was "Yeah this sounds amazing...and is a great way to get arrested in the US". This is more than government policy - this is an absolute cultural shift.
100% agree. This requires a shift in our thinking as individuals and more into a society. We're fighting 100s of years of telling people to do things on their own. It's feels near impossible.
I can only speak for my Montana town, but the people here don't want anything to change. Things suck for most of us, and they complain about it, but ultimately double down on the status quo.
We're working towards moving at this point. The Netherlands is our top choice so far, but really northern Europe in general.
Hello! In order to comment or fave, you need to be a current kottke.org member. If you'd like to sign up for a membership to support the site and join the conversation, you can explore your options here.
Existing members can sign in here. If you're a former member, you can renew your membership.
Note: If you are a member and tried to log in, it didn't work, and now you're stuck in a neverending login loop of death, try disabling any ad blockers or extensions. Or try logging out and then back in. Still having trouble? Email me!
In order to comment or fave, you need to be a current kottke.org member. Check out your options for renewal.
If you feel like this comment goes against the grain of the community guidelines or is otherwise inappropriate, please let me know and I will take a look at it.
This thread is closed for new comments & replies. Thanks to everyone for participating!