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Dutch children are the happiest

quest
- 934 posts
February 14, 2007 3:35:00 PM CET

In Reference to the Expatica article: Dutch children are the happiest

Here is the the report:

Child poverty in perspective:
An overview of child well-being in rich countries
A comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in the economically advanced nations

http://www.unicef-icdc.org/presscentre/pre...rd7/rc7_eng.pdf
nymwegen
February 14, 2007 5:17:55 PM CET

Dutch children are the happiest? Must be because of all the freedom they get. All that indulgence or what they call "liefdevolle verwarlozing".

if you can read Dutch:

Ooit golden de drie kapitale R's als gouden standaard in de opvoeding: Rust, Reinheid en Regelmaat. Daar moet inmiddels een vierde aan worden toegevoegd: geef ze de Ruimte.

http://www.elsevier.nl/lifestyle/gezondhei...8136/index.html
ashleigh
February 14, 2007 9:16:12 PM CET

I agree actually. Dutch children have a lot of freedoms that children in other countries don't have. It's why we (my family) stays here.
cloggieking
February 15, 2007 7:41:51 AM CET

Dutch parents and especially fathers are much more involved in their kids lives than I ever saw when growing up in the US.
durendal
- 8 posts
February 15, 2007 11:13:42 AM CET

This report also stated that non of the countries score equally well in all the same areas.
For instance the UK was rated last overall but when it came to education it scored quite high compared to other countries.
durendal
- 8 posts
February 15, 2007 11:24:56 AM CET

(cloggieking)
Dutch parents and especially fathers are much more involved in their kids lives than I ever saw when growing up in the US.

I think countries like the Netherlands but also Denmark and Sweden perform so well is because they haven't quite adopted the same cut throat economic models as some of the other countries polled.

Quite frankly there is more time available for parents to spend time with there families then in other countries.

My parents ran a business when i was growing up but they were home by 6:30 and always had Sundays and Tuesday afternoon to spend time with us or do certain other activities.
Laborers get even more free time to spend with kids and family in general.
The average worker has probably 6 weeks a year vacation time.
Often these coincide with school vacations, so it all adds up.
sulagoetjes_hotmail_com
February 15, 2007 1:14:17 PM CET

Shame they are such rude, obnoxious brats though
stone
- 2517 posts
February 15, 2007 9:25:23 PM CET

Oh please, the only reason the Dutch do well in these things is because they tend to feed bogus information to the researchers and pollsters. They are neurotically unable to stop themselves from saying anything negative about their country in the English language.

This goes right back to the 16th century. The Dutch have always needed to see themselves as the Ark, the New Jerusalem, the children of God.

I have to admit that it has crossed my mind that the Dutch only allowed information about the autochtonen kids into the results. Because in their minds, they are the only truly "Dutch" children. Certainly the BBC has been showing a lot of blonde kids in their reports on this story.

I also wonder if the people who prepare these little contests already look on European socialism as the ideal. After all - what is happiness?

And did they interview the children of the 28% of Dutch people who are trying their damnedest to leave?

When you actually read these polls and the methodology and questions, etc, all the bullshit is revealed.

The Dutch who blather on shamelessly to foreigners about their little paradise on earth are going to have to tone it down or else the pollsters will get suspicious. Either that or their own people will get suspicious and stop bolstering their faltering national psyche with these pathetic competitions.
sulagoetjes_hotmail_com
February 16, 2007 11:14:10 AM CET

It's interesting to read on the have your say comments about this article on the BBC News website how many expats living here have less than positive comments to make about the Dutch.
cloggieking
February 16, 2007 11:40:17 AM CET

(stone)
Oh please, the only reason the Dutch do well in these things is because they tend to feed bogus information to the researchers and pollsters. They are neurotically unable to stop themselves from saying anything negative about their country in the English language.

This goes right back to the 16th century. The Dutch have always needed to see themselves as the Ark, the New Jerusalem, the children of God.

I have to admit that it has crossed my mind that the Dutch only allowed information about the autochtonen kids into the results. Because in their minds, they are the only truly "Dutch" children. Certainly the BBC has been showing a lot of blonde kids in their reports on this story.

I also wonder if the people who prepare these little contests already look on European socialism as the ideal. After all - what is happiness?

And did they interview the children of the 28% of Dutch people who are trying their damnedest to leave?

When you actually read these polls and the methodology and questions, etc, all the bullshit is revealed.

The Dutch who blather on shamelessly to foreigners about their little paradise on earth are going to have to tone it down or else the pollsters will get suspicious. Either that or their own people will get suspicious and stop bolstering their faltering national psyche with these pathetic competitions.
Ah but offcourse, it's a conspiracy!
How miserable can one be? jeez.
nasi
February 16, 2007 2:05:19 PM CET

Dutch life is good for your children
Expatriate families living in the Netherlands can only be pleased with the results of a study produced by the UNICEF's Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, Italy, which ranks children in the Netherlands the highest in the well-being league.

http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp...;story_id=36597

Ah.... Expatica using UNICEF's report to promote the NL.

If first Dutch kid asked said he is happy and satisfied, would the rest of the kids dare say something different. Or would peer pressure prevent them from expressing their true feelings?

If it is so great here, why are school children demonstrating against the educational system? Low teen pregnancy rate? I suppose some of that can be attributed to the openess about sex here, the other reason is no doubt prevention. Give your daughter anti-conception pills the moment she menstrates, chance of your teenage daughter having a bun in the little oven is much, much smaller. etc & enz.

Children in rich countries

Suffer the children?
Feb 14th 2007
From Economist.com

Send them to the Netherlands, says a UN report

http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displa...tory_id=8696443
ashleigh
February 17, 2007 4:16:16 PM CET

I wonder how many of the people posting comments on Dutch kids actually *have* any kids in Dutch school? It's all well and good having your kids in the international schools and bitching about Dutch kids.

Stone: do you have children in Dutch school?
emeraldlady1968
- 1 posts
February 17, 2007 5:53:51 PM CET

(ashleigh)
I wonder how many of the people posting comments on Dutch kids actually *have* any kids in Dutch school? It's all well and good having your kids in the international schools and bitching about Dutch kids.

Stone: do you have children in Dutch school?

all 4 of my kids go to dutch school/college
to be honest when i first moved here i was gobsmacked how forward rude and lacking in manners alot (not all) of dutch kids were
i couldnt imagine allowing my kids to be so disrespectful to me or their dad or any adult
but then again alot of dutch adults act the same
as far as im concerned ive learnt over the years dutch kids get alot of freedom be it in speech or actions
i still maintain the style of bringing up my kids as i would back home
the dutch have their ways and i have mine - simple as that
i bring my kids up the way i see fit and think is best for them
i know how to handle dutch kids - most of the time they dont mean any harm but when their tantrums or nastiness starts i do get annoyed
if they cant behave in my house they wont get back in!!!
seo2005
February 17, 2007 6:34:28 PM CET

I think Emerald's opinion is a perfectly reasonable one. We are all mature individuals and should act like responsible persons. Dutch persons sometimes have a different way of looking at the universe than we do. That's no problem at all as long as they don't foul our grass! We don't have to moan and whine, just to stand our ground firmly but politely.
emeraldlady1968
- 1 posts
February 17, 2007 7:16:43 PM CET

(seo2005)
I think Emerald's opinion is a perfectly reasonable one. We are all mature individuals and should act like responsible persons. Dutch persons sometimes have a different way of looking at the universe than we do. That's no problem at all as long as they don't foul our grass! We don't have to moan and whine, just to stand our ground firmly but politely.

thanks seo - yes i do respect the dutch or any other nationality have their ways of doing things that are different than mine
all parents have a different outlook on how they raise their kids and to me thats perfectly reasonable and acceptable
as long as they dont interfer in my way of doing things - and have the same respect i have for them
nasi
February 18, 2007 1:37:32 PM CET

Why are Dutch children so happy?

Children rule

One of the strong points of the Dutch family, he says, is that it is very open and communicative. Relations are generally good between parents and children and they can talk about almost anything.

But, he says, the downside is that children almost rule the family.

"It's almost a caricature that children are the ones that decide what happens within the family," says Mr Vangeert. "Their wishes become so strong that parents have to work very hard to give them what they want. Sometimes, there can be a lack of balance between the happiness of the child and that of the parent."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6360517.stm

Someone here once said that the Dutch and the Chinese have a lot in common. Chinese families have their little emperors, Dutch families have their little keizers.
durendal
- 8 posts
February 18, 2007 11:58:22 PM CET

(cloggieking)
(stone)
Oh please, the only reason the Dutch do well in these things is because they tend to feed bogus information to the researchers and pollsters. They are neurotically unable to stop themselves from saying anything negative about their country in the English language.

This goes right back to the 16th century. The Dutch have always needed to see themselves as the Ark, the New Jerusalem, the children of God.

I have to admit that it has crossed my mind that the Dutch only allowed information about the autochtonen kids into the results. Because in their minds, they are the only truly "Dutch" children. Certainly the BBC has been showing a lot of blonde kids in their reports on this story.

I also wonder if the people who prepare these little contests already look on European socialism as the ideal. After all - what is happiness?

And did they interview the children of the 28% of Dutch people who are trying their damnedest to leave?

When you actually read these polls and the methodology and questions, etc, all the bullshit is revealed.

The Dutch who blather on shamelessly to foreigners about their little paradise on earth are going to have to tone it down or else the pollsters will get suspicious. Either that or their own people will get suspicious and stop bolstering their faltering national psyche with these pathetic competitions.
Ah but offcourse, it's a conspiracy!
How miserable can one be? jeez.

It's the Jooooss...
ratkat
February 19, 2007 12:12:42 PM CET

Dutch children don't appear to be very disciplined, which probably explains their self-absorbed behaviour later in life. But it must make them happy as well because no one likes being told what to do...
ashleigh
February 19, 2007 1:23:08 PM CET

ratkat: Actually, Dutch kids live their lives within very exact parameters. I think that what makes them happy is that they know exactly how far they can go.

I also thought they were annoyingly 'free' when I first came here, but after observing them with their parents and in school their lives are actually quite structured.

When we see them 'misbehaving' is when they're purposely being allowed 'time off'.

Of course, the kids I see are in middle class environments headed for VWO schooling at high school level.

I have seen some of the teenagers in the ISK and VMBO schools and frankly, they scare me. I know the path for my kids doesn't include these schools so luckily I won' t have to deal with them.
clickit
February 19, 2007 1:38:21 PM CET

watch this:

http://www.puberruil.kro.nl/Puberruil2007/...flevering6.aspx

autochtone kid (seems very unhappy) - doesnt like gays, or allochtonen, thinks women belong in the kitchen, thinks he speaks 'dutch' but they had to subtitle him, thinks one allochtone in the village (chinese) is 'enough', didnt know how to use dutch public transport, is only interested in beer, and thought asielzoekers just come here for free handouts. Swapped his life with allochtone kid, afkomst Iraq, (happy kid), goes to school to train for the horeca industry, speaks dutch (unsubtitles on the show) is able to use dutch public transport, and is generally sociable and outgoing.

The result of this 'swap' is interesting to watch - one kid fits into the change pretty well, despite the 'mother' thinking he looked quite 'eng' because he was 'donker'... and the other kid spends the whole time looking and feeling uncomfortable and hoping he gets to drink beer.

I dont think either of these kids are representative of who is 'happy' or not, but these are the kinds of nuances you dont get in quantified research results. Its not like they go and ask kids if they are happy or not,, they ask questions that have answers they can count.
an example of the 'measures' used in this survey includes things like: "lives in a house that has more than 10 books"
src
February 19, 2007 1:51:09 PM CET

brilliant! thanks for the tip.
gottaluvthedutch
- 824 posts
February 19, 2007 2:41:19 PM CET

(src)
brilliant! thanks for the tip.

Where has the "Q" been lately? Haven't seen anything for awhile on this forum or the Lair.
src
February 19, 2007 2:48:54 PM CET

(gottaluvthedutch)
(src)
brilliant! thanks for the tip.

Where has the "Q" been lately? Haven't seen anything for awhile on this forum or the Lair.

been busy ... besides, the quality of Dutch news in English has improved lot and there are multiple sources of Dutch news in English. Time for Q can hang up his keyboard.
sulagoetjes_hotmail_com
February 19, 2007 3:10:29 PM CET

(src)
(gottaluvthedutch)
(src)
brilliant! thanks for the tip.

Where has the "Q" been lately? Haven't seen anything for awhile on this forum or the Lair.

been busy ... besides, the quality of Dutch news in English has improved so much that Q can hang up his keyboard now.

"Lola's" reporting skills have added greatly to the news reported on the Lair's website...at least somebody appreciates her...
gottaluvthedutch
- 824 posts
February 19, 2007 3:13:39 PM CET

(Beebs)
(src)
(gottaluvthedutch)
(src)
brilliant! thanks for the tip.

Where has the "Q" been lately? Haven't seen anything for awhile on this forum or the Lair.

been busy ... besides, the quality of Dutch news in English has improved so much that Q can hang up his keyboard now.

"Lola's" reporting skills have added greatly to the news reported on the Lair's website...at least somebody appreciates her...

What I understand is she will be leaving in a couple of months, so hang around Q.