Although I am not a mom (yet), I have always wanted to be one. As I already hear the tick-tock of my biological clock, I cannot think of a better place to raise my future baby than in the Netherlands.
In honour of Mother’s Day, here are the seven reasons why I would want to be a mom in the Netherlands.
1. Happiness of Dutch children
As we already know, Dutch kids and Dutch moms are the happiest.
That’s promising for both me and my kid(s) — and by proxy, my husband, who would be surrounded by me and a possible horde of little gremlins.
Even though our kid would be a Canadian-American raised in the Netherlands, for the rest of this article, I’ll refer to them as a Dutch kiddo.
2. Dutch children have independence
My Dutch kid would be raised to be independent. Dutch children learn to speak up and speak frankly. They also learn about reproductive health early.
One must only watch the Lentekriebels episode from De Luizenmoeder to get a hilarious perspective on the debate about teaching kids about the birds and the bees, which should not be as controversial as they make it out to be in my home country, the USA.
Also, they can cycle around on their own when they’re old enough (that saves me from driving them everywhere in my future Prius).
Having said that, I do secretly look forward to cycling in a bakfiets with a kid or two. How gezellig.
3. Children learn multiple languages in the Netherlands
My Dutch kid would learn a gazillion languages. Okay, well, maybe not a gazillion.
However, there are more than 7,000 living languages in the world, with 23 of them accounting for more than half of the world’s population.
So even if they learned just three of them (English, Dutch, and maybe French — my husband’s mother tongue), they’d be good to go.
Besides, for Europeans, multilingualism is standard in many places, especially for younger generations, not just another set of job skills to develop.
READ MORE | Why are the Dutch so good at speaking English?
Did I mention that knowing more than one language can increase cognitive flexibility and reserve? It is even associated with differences in brain structure as an adult.
Brainiac child with an all-natural, organically-cultivated, enhanced IQ? Why not?
4. Education in the Netherlands
My Dutch kid would be able to get a college degree without being crushed under the burden of a student loan, as they would have, if I were to raise them in the US.
With tuition fees in the Netherlands being a bit more than €2,000 annually, I wouldn’t need to save tens of thousands of US dollars per year. My plan to pay for my future kiddo’s higher education is therefore greatly simplified — and doesn’t have to start pre-conception.
Naturally, the trade-off is that I’m paying higher income tax, but that’s another story.
READ MORE | Student loans, financing, and scholarships in the Netherlands in 2025
I could also do what some Dutch (and American) parents do and let my kids figure it out on their own: take on a student loan and get a job, as many young adult Dutchies do.
5. Dutch children are healthier
My Dutch kid would probably not need to consume even half the amount of antibiotics that I did growing up.
Why, you ask? Dutch doctors are notoriously stingy in prescribing antibiotics, prescribing the fewest antibiotics of all countries in the European Union.
As a result, the Netherlands has one of the lowest rates of antimicrobial consumption in the world and, consequently, the lowest rates of antibiotic resistance.
Your kid got the sniffles? Bring on the paracetamol and reserve the big guns for situations when they may actually need them.
READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #104: Be prescribed only paracetamol by every Dutch doctor
By the way, before their 18th birthday, there is no premium to pay for that sniffling kid to have standard health insurance and dental care.
6. Dutch children are tough cookies
As a follow-up to number five, my Dutch kid would grow up tough-as-nails.
A Dutch friend recently told me she got a nasty gash on her leg during an obstacle course, which required a visit to spoedeisende hulp (SEH, or the emergency room) for some stitches.
And it was no big deal at all. She got the stitches with zero anaesthesia.
Okay, so don’t quote me on this, but in America, I would get sued for child abuse for letting my kid get stitches without any anaesthetic. Plus, I would ask for the lidocaine myself.
But wow, I was definitely shocked and mildly impressed.
7. Health care in the Netherlands
Finally, let’s say that in seeking an older first-timer pregnancy status, I encounter fertility problems. Thankfully, I would not need to shell out thousands of dollars for fertility care and treatment.
Fertility treatments are part of the Dutch standard health insurance package, with some eigen risico or co-payment needed, which is far less than in the US.
When the time comes for maternity care, midwifery services, and then popping that baby out of the womb and into the world (birth care), these services are also part of the standard insurance package.
Good for me and for my Dutch kid!
READ MORE | 9 things to expect as an expat mother in the Netherlands
So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and moms-to-be, for when you give birth to a Dutch-born kid who is happier, more independent, smarter, tougher, and more insured against a lot of health issues.
Would you want to be a mom in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below!
Feature Image: Ballenbak/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0
Appreciate this informative comment from a Facebooker who read this post: (pasted here with permission)
“Well if you don’t mind me elaborating #7, every kid is obligated their own health insurance as of age 18, so any free contraceptives are not free anymore then, for a regular contraceptive you’ll have to pay like 35 euros a month on top of your health insurance which go from at least (basic) 100 euros a month to as much as 150+ for additionals (depending on your own risk contribution) so a basic health insurance (100) + own risk (385÷12=33) + contraceptives (35) makes at least a bill of 168 a month for an 18y/o girl ….. I don’t think that’s cheap at all.
I do however agree on our after care after giving birth, but theirs also an own contribution on midwives which depends on your income”
Disappointing to hear birth control is so costly in the end!
But that 18 year old girl gets financial compensation from the governement, because she can indeed not carry that financial burden . She will be compensated for 99 euro’s. Medicines breder, that are not covered by the insurance must be paid by Herself up to a Max of 350 euros a year. But those birthcontrol pills are not that expensive as you say (35,-). Regular birthcontrol Costs about 50,- a year! This leaves her with about 40 euros a month for complete healthinsurance coverage