🇳🇱 🇺🇸 5 Signs You're Raising A Child In The Netherlands - Kids in Holland - Jovie's Home

Hi, welcome to Jovie's Home!
In this video I'm following in Antoinette Emily's footsteps and sharing 5 Signs You're Raising A Child in The Netherlands! This is meant to be a fun video where we talk about different parenting styles and celebrations. As foreigners, our family has adopted some Dutch traditions but there is one that I don't think we will ever understand!
Many thanks to Antionette Emily for making her video, if you're interested in seeing her original video, 5 Signs You're Raising Your Kids In Germany, you can watch it here:
• 5 SIGNS YOU'RE RAISING...
References:
Freedom to be independent/biking/no helmets:
www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pa...
articles.aplus.com/a/dutch-te...
www.expatica.com/nl/living/tr...
dutchreview.com/culture/livin...
Hagelslag - Chocolate Sprinkles
www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy...
sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/1...
Multi-lingual children
www.expatica.com/nl/education...
dutchreview.com/expat/learn-d...
Sinterklaas Celebrations:
www.expatica.com/nl/about/cul...
www.whychristmas.com/cultures...
www.around-amsterdam.com/sinte...
Fireworks
kamernet.nl/tips/internationa...
www.hollandexpatcenter.com/th...
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NomNom Kids Reusable Pouches: amzn.to/2SFJCEg
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Method All Purpose Spray - amzn.to/2C7TIbE
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Thank you, as always, to Daan for his excellent editing help.
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My name is Jovie and I am a Mama to two beautiful children. I make videos about my life as a mother and everything that goes along with it (cooking, cleaning, organizing, tidying, grocery hauls, the laughs, the tears, the ups and downs and everything in between).
My goal is to create a supportive community for others where we can celebrate our differences as parents and learn from each other.
Thank you for stopping by!
#raisingkidsinthenetherlands #dutchkids #5SignsYoureRaisingYourKidsInNL

[@kittycatcuties]

Pretty sure most American cereals contain aaaaalot more sugar then hagelslag though lol

[@veer49]

@Ekstij Amezie most cereal contains lots of sugars

[@veer49]

@Ekstij Amezie it does, but hagelslag is a topping and cereal is the main meal.

[@simplymandy]

Yes! Especially the dark chocolate hagelslag on some as we call it “brown bread”. Plus most have a glass of milk with it. It’s not the healthiest option of course but it’s a reasonable meal. There are good cereal options but a lot of them are basically sugar in milk.

[@fairouzvv1]

@@simplymandy oeh yeah, now I wanna have a slice of brown bread with peanut butter and dark chocolate hagelslag.

[@suzannelutjewagelaar2379]

Simply Mandy beschuit met hagelslag 😉👍

[@NikiPhilippart]

Everybody always brings up how lucky the Dutch kids are for having Hagelslag which they are. But the American kids get freaking Waffles and pancakes for breakfast!

[@RudyBleeker]

Hagelslag is made of chocolate though...

[@rdevries3852]

@@RudyBleeker I know at least some American kids get chocolate pancakes for breakfast. Which just combines the best of both worlds and come to think of it, I should totally start doing that myself. Especially since (opinion here, please don't get mad at me if you disagree, anyone) Dutch (Belgian/Swiss/European) chocolate is sooooo much better than most American chocolate.

[@crazysiencetist9249]

Niki - im 15 but If my parents aren’t home, I don’t even have to call them or ask to go out, I’m free, I can go everywhere with my bike, I can go to the woods, chilling with other kids and my parents don’t even know where I am until I come home around six pm so I can eat diner.......

[@MW-cw5uw]

Do You think??!

[@user-yn4wl6sd4u]

indeed.. also the cornflakes with chocolate etc.. like that is healthy. And.. in my environment.. the most children are having a healthy breakfast, and with lunch first one boterham with a healthy topping and then they can have one with an unhealthy topping.

[@tuyn8403]

*is amazed by children playing with fireworks 1 day in the year* in America children can play with guns all year round 🙈

[@geertvanschaik7976]

That was exactly my idea...

[@nimaxwerker]

@@user-eu1rh2nm8j You are correct there are kids playing with fireworks weeks before new years, mostly teenagers and young adults though. But the comparison can be made and in the USA kids are playing with guns. Here are some statistics accidental injuries with a gun with children in the USA measured from 2002 to 2014 1300 deaths per year on average and 5790 hospital adm. of children under the age of 17. That is twice the total deaths as the total figure of traffic deaths in the Netherlands measured over the same period. This year there were 397 hospital adm. (came down from 800 in 2012) 75% of those adm. were below the age of 25 firework deaths below the age of 18 are 0 for the last couple of years. That's why we act so strange when somebody acts so shocked when she hears of kids playing with fireworks, that is a total hypocracy. She should cry out bloody murder over the gun laws in the USA.

[@mariussielcken]

who is letting kids play with guns? It's illegal for kids to use firearms without supervision. There are many states with laws that Ensure minor-ageds are unable to access guns. In California your gun must be in a safe, unless you are legally obliged to handle/use it.

[@TheOBOM]

Well, how nice and thoughtfull. Over here our guns aren't in a safe, reason being: we ain't got any! And therefore our children are not harmed by them. And yes, ofcourse we also have our gun toting idiot criminals that shoot innocents, but not nearly as much by comparison as in the U.S.

[@Ozymandias1]

@@TheOBOM You can legally own guns in the Netherlands for sports shooting and hunting.

[@robertrijkers4923]

there is a lot of social supervision in the Netherlands just by the way homes are built... everyone in a street can see the kids or anyone else from either their kitchen window or even from the living/dining room while seated . when I see american tv shows and now youtube streamers and figure that as soon as they get in the frontdoor they are virtually closed off from the outside world with those tiny windows full of screens....

[@ay7115]

Robert Rijkers you hit the nail on the head. As a Dutch person living in the US. Everything here is so stifled, close to paranoia, for kids. You have to arrange play dates with the parents. In the Netherlands you want to play , you go outside and play with your friends. I am glad that I was raised in NL. My daughter spends every summer with her grandparents and cousins so knows the freedom she gets to run around as much as she wants!!!!

[@EstherAdriana92]

@@ay7115 I was an au pair in San Francisco and had other parents come up to me because the two-year-old twins I was watching were going off the slide by themselves while I sat on the bench right in front of them haha. I told their parent and they laughed. I also saw multiple parents chasing their children with hand sanitizer and baby wipes to sanitize the playground equipment before their kids played on them haha

[@martijnvv8031]

I'm from 1975 and that makes me an "80's kid" . Waaaay before any form of communication like the kids have today. Nobody had any idea where you were. I was 7 or 8 years old and just went outside after dinner (18:00/ 6 pm) and then simply ring the bell at your friends homes and ask if they could come play outside. And we had to come back home when the streetlights started to light up. So supervised until 14 y.o sounds crazy to my ears..... {Edit} I was thinking , basically the US government think that kids need to be supervised up to 14 years old, but...... when they are 16 years old, they are allowed to *drive a car* !! So you get this : (press read more) 14 y.o "can I play in the park ? " Us government: "no you are a kid and need to be controlled.....euhh oeps.... supervised" 16 y.o "can I drive a V8 pickup truck out in busy traffic ?" Us government: "yes you can, drive as much as you want , we need those *petrol Dollars* ....euhh...oeps......correction : we want you to experience freedom"

[@puikepuck]

Same here, also an '80s kid. Cycled to school alone at the age of 7. If the weather was really bad, I could take public transit. All by myself, of course. Nobody ever got the idea that it might be dangerous for a little girl to do that, and I still think it's just fine. I recognise the "play outside until the streetlights light up" very well. As for the bilingualism, both Dutch and English are important languages in the Netherlands, and pretty much everyone is raised bilingual. And as for the chocolate sprinkles, they're definitely not only for kids. 😊

[@johnyevo6575]

I was born in 2001. Going outside around 18:00 and just finding my friends was still exactly what we did when I was a child.

[@JoviesHome]

Can I get a gun and go to war for my country? Yes. Can I buy a beer please? NO! 😂Apparently alcohol is more dangerous than guns.

[@JoviesHome]

Agree: hagelslag is one of my favorite treats and I'm 36 😋

[@Nitzpitz]

My kids can today can play outside with their friends. My son is 9 and rides his bike alone to basically anywhere he needs to go and knows the way to. I did the same at his age. Wouldn’t want it any other way. He needs to learn to be confident and get around in the world. As a mother I need to learn to let him find his own way. You cannot shield them from everything, that is not healthy. Of course there are risks involved, but living is a very risky business.

[@mariussielcken]

Dutch kids may eat anything as long as it's on bread. Broodje speculaas!

[@jonasgraumans2034]

Broodje stroopwafel doesn’t taste as good as you would expect though

[@claymountain1300]

That's because our bread is very healthy

[@metalvideos1961]

​@@jonasgraumans2034 www.ah.nl/producten/product/wi397926/de-blije-boterham-caramel-stroopwafel-pasta you can always by this. stroopwafel pasta for your bread haha

[@kingofgames8037]

Aryas Waterman broodje speculaas is gewoon lekker 😋

[@bananenbrood7386]

G O U D S E K A A S itensifies

[@maaikewilhelmina1457]

2:50 : strange, specially if you think about riding a car at 16 in the U.S. So keep your kids little and dependent and then let them loose in traffic on their own 🤷‍♀️

[@rikcruts5020]

That part of the dutch being international is actually quiet annoying when you go on vacation as a dutch person (at least for me :P). You think you are going on this special vacation that is different from the regular vacations the dutch go on. For example you go to this island in the middle of nowhere, first thing you do when you get out of the boat that brought you there is go to the bar. First person you talk to is also dutch... There is no country where you wont run into fellow dutch people. You could basically walk into a war zone and still find yourself having a conversation about the weather with a fellow dutch person you have never met before. :P

[@EstherAdriana92]

It's even worse with Germans lol, they are everywhere. I lived in San Francisco for 2 years, and I only met a handful of Dutch people. Now I'm in Australia and don't have any Dutch friends here. But part of that is because I don't look for them haha, there are like hundreds in the city I'm in haha

[@OP-1000]

You are so right! You can get lost in the middle of nowhere in some country and sure enough, some Dutch guy comes up to you and shows you the way back to civilisation.

[@ohhi5237]

@@EstherAdriana92 germany never had any colonies (maybe if you count africa in ww2)

[@ohhi5237]

@@EstherAdriana92 australia is discovered by the dutch, what do you mean there ar eno dutch here?!

[@EstherAdriana92]

OhHi Oh I don’t say they aren’t there, I literally say there are hundreds in my city, I’m just saying I don’t encounter them as much. I’m not talking about people living there, but travellers. Almost every where I go, the majority of people I run into on tours or in hostels are German.

[@19811402]

I am from the 80's. Specially in the summer, we played outside till dark or bed time. You could be gone for the whole day in the weekend 😂. Good times. No drugs on the streets. Just playing ball with your friends or play in the Forrest, go fishing. Good times. That is what a kid should do. Not playing on your ps4 or pc. Go out and do something. Get your clothes dirty etc.

[@DrCatdeJong]

Jeroentje_diy i'm born in the late 80's, i'm a 90's kid 😁 very recognisable, internet ruined everything 🤣

[@Smintjes]

Belgian here, 80s kid (or born in 76 but playing in the eighties). True words, we would be out in the woods until sunset building camps and climbing trees. No cell phones, no parents, and we all turned out great :)

[@Linda-hs1lk]

IF you believe there weren't drugs in the streets in the 80's then you're so wrong. There were loads, we just didn't know it.

[@LisaKokx]

Jeroentje_diy I don’t understand why video games are always made out as pure evil. What’s the big deal?

[@sxeptic-_-6413]

Bro video games dont ruin it! I am born in 2001 and i played outside when i was 3-14 after this many kids get inside more and just go to party's etc. And play on the ps4 aswell but we still played outside for the biggest part of our youth. I had the same freedom as you

[@DrCatdeJong]

I had a blast when i was a child, when i played outside i did things my parents don't want to know 🤣 also when i was young, cartoons were in their original language with dutch subtitles, i learned to speak english pretty quickly. Fireworks were so much fun, especially without supervision 😁

[@FreekVerkerk]

We did not do fireworks because our parents thought it was a waste of money. We watched the fireworks of the neighbors :)

[@SDeww]

now that sounds like a real dutch person!

[@DrCatdeJong]

Lol i used to love firework, but now i'm just being dutch i guess 😁

[@r.z.608]

very smart parents!

[@sonicblast9000]

Whats not to love about blowing up a bin or two at new year as a kid :P

[@ksk5664]

That's what our family does. We might get the kids some sparklers or other "kiddie" fireworks but we don't spend more than 5 Euros.

[@kaydesign]

Ofcourse The Netherlands isn’t perfect. But for sure better then most other countries. The Netherlands is listed in almost all the top 10 rankings. I think that the main reason for the Dutch happiness is a great sense of equality.

[@meiai6487]

You mean only white people have those privilege

[@fatimasarif5975]

Equality?? Where?

[@kaydesign]

What I mean is that organisations / companies etc. are pretty horizontal instead of vertical ‘top down’. And also children opinions etc. are taken pretty serious. Thats pretty rare.

[@evaskjerd]

Fatima Sarif In Nederland,of course! In Norway too.

[@ohhi5237]

@@fatimasarif5975 belastingsdienst neukt iedereen even hard.

[@toaojjc]

It's not just the kids that eat hagelslag or chocolade vlokken on bread for breakfast....

[@fairouzvv1]

Or the fruity ones. I love the berry flavour, like the pink and puple one😂😂

[@rosaliebosma]

Fai Same! I like that types better, actually 😅

[@RFGfotografie]

Fireworks are just like Sinterklaas and Kings Day, a thing that can't be explained to haters. It's just something we love :)

[@bodigames]

Remco F. Gerritsen afschaffen die troep

[@jorickfikse5655]

Bodi Games ze zouden jou moeten afschaffen

[@bas9346]

@@jorickfikse5655 wow wat een goed argument zeg

[@jorickfikse5655]

Bas De Smit hij had ook geen argument, dus waarom zou ik dat wel doen?

[@bas9346]

@@jorickfikse5655 zijn argument is logisch na denken. de 100 derde gewonden en de miljoenen euro's aan schade. maar jij leeft ik je eigen wereld dus weet daar dan blijkbaar niks van af

[@peterlunshof7752]

There is a philosophy behind the dutch way of raising children. It's not just sending them outside to do dangerous things. It is learning them the skills at a very young age and then giving them a certain amount of responsability for themselves. Most dutch children learn to ride a bike an to swim just after they learned how to walk. And they also learn of the dangers....by their parents and in school. All parents restrict the area where they can play unsupervised but their "huntinggroud" gets bigger when they grow up. Fireworks is another matter. 30 years ago that was relatively safe...ofcourse with guidance and a lot of warnings. And yes...the dutch system of subtitles is a big plus. My son used to watch the german sesamestreet and at the age of four, he was better in german than we were...:-)

[@VulcanOnWheels]

You remind me of an English teacher who told my mom, "I didn't teach Bert English. He had already learned it." Btw, "les geven" is "teach." I just thought you might like to know.

[@peterlunshof7752]

Bert Visscher yes...what is your point? A child learns in a lot of ways....one of them is teaching and that is not what is happening in the early years. You might read " learning them the skills" as short for " giving them the opportunity to learn the skills".

[@45640uberfreak]

@@peterlunshof7752 I agree with your comment but "learning them the skills" is not correct english. It should be 'teaching them the skills'. 'learning' simply cant be used like that.

[@peterlunshof7752]

45640uberfreak writing the first comment, I remembered a semantic discussion at Glasgow uni many many years ago as an exchange student in educational sciences. The question was :" is offering an enriched environment the same as teaching. " General consensus at that time was No. I admit that the way it was formulated in the first comment cuts to many corners and ended up wrong. I offered an alternative in the second comment. " enabling them to learn " is another option. Point is that I don't want to use the word "teaching" in this case. I hope we can agree on that.

[@korte8599]

@@45640uberfreak muggezifte, ook typisch Dutch.... 🙄

[@einde79]

Fireworks is save. You have to start at a young age (supervised) then they will learn to keep it safe. the heavy stuff is forbidden but in the illegal circuit easily to buy.. that's a problem when they get older at middle school. Even then its save if you use it the right way. so if you want to keep it safe for your kids. start supervised with responsible fathers from your neighborhood and your kids will have a good time .

[@zinazina6367]

Or mothers......😏 love to light the fireworks with my kids and teach them

[@AntoinetteEmily]

Loved this so much and I'm so happy to discover your awesome channel! It seems Germany and Holland have many similarities, I could relate to almost every single point. Thanks for the shoutout too!

[@JoviesHome]

Thank YOU Antoinette for the excellent idea! It was a pleasure to follow in your footsteps with this video 💖

[@ConnieIsMijnNaam]

I am Dutch and was raised in a family with girls only. My father was partially blind and very afraid of fireworks. Fireworks did not play a big role for us. Around us however everyone went crazy in December. Especially boys from about 10 to 16 are obsessed with fireworks. They get these flyers in the mail from firework stores and take those to school to make plans with their friend about which fireworks to buy. When I got a 12 year old foster son who was traumatized and very afraid for fireworks I changed my plans completely. The first year I bought some very simple party-poppers for him to let him get used to it. As the years went by I tought him how to use fireworks in a safe and responseble way and I am glad I did so. He is 21 now and an experienced user of fireworks. If you can’t beat them, join them.

[@glennclarke4239]

I find it amazing, I grew up as child in the 50's and 60's ... my parents seldom knew were I was ... especially during summer holidays. The rule was '' Be in when the street lights come on'' ... boy, those were the days. Children were allowed to fail, scratches, sprains, broken bones ... that was part of growing up, playing ball in the streets, climbing trees and back fences, I have fond memories of each and every fall, you see ... you have too let children fail so that they can appreciate when they soar, it was a great learning curve. When it came to fireworks ... I'm sorry to say ... it was the same thing to a degree and if you burned your fingers ... you learned. I so love your vlog, keep it up. Many blessings.

[@91leonetammie]

Chocolate at breakfast is done in a few countries: The Netherlands, Belgium and France. Maybe even more, but these I know of. In the Netherlands it's hagelslag, in Belgium it's matinettes and in France it's nesquick mixed with butter.

[@RaisingOurLittleOnes]

I love that they learn English as compulsory it's such a universal language

[@DrCatdeJong]

Erik Bakker oui

[@Denisebenik]

And Spanish 😉

[@TheSimArchitect]

Nice to see your channel is growing fast, 3k now, yay! I don't think your videos are inaccurate, I am also an expat living near Rotterdam (and I also don't speak Dutch yet) and I can say that I share many of your feelings and perspectives.

[@EMvanLoon]

Yeah, at New Year's Eve we make up for all of our recycling efforts by igniting as much gunpowder as we can! :-D

[@TheSynecdoche]

And it's such a terrible waste of money, too. But the same goes for various other forms of entertainment I suppose :-).

[@ohhi5237]

@@TheSynecdoche but nobody dies and we all clean it up the only thing they should do is refuse to set it all off on 1 day, nobody in the world does that

[@JJMarkin]

My family emigrated from the Netherlands to the US when I was in the first grade. We continued eating Dutch-style breakfasts while I was growing up: one slice of bread with a protein, like cheese or a thin slice of ham; followed by one slice of bread with a sweet topping, like hagelslag (chocolate or "fruit", which is essentially small pieces of slightly flavoured sugar -- my favourite was the anise-flavoured); but there was also ontbijtkoek, either on its own or thinly sliced onto bread. In the U.S., of course, the sweet topping became jam, since the others were not available. And you always ate the savoury part first. As for the languages, consider how few people outside the Netherlands speak Dutch. It's pretty much necessary to acquire other languages, unless you intend to stay inside the country all your life. I was *so* jealous of my cousins, who started learning French in the fourth grade, while I had to wait until high school; and, in their high school, they also had English, and German, and Ancient Greek, and Latin. In the U.S., my high school only had French and Latin and Spanish, and I had to get special permission to take *two* languages at the same time. School was taken *so* much more seriously in the Netherlands. I hope to dear heaven the educational system here in the U.S. is no longer that bad, although what I see of the younger adults writing on social media, it seems to be even worse than before. :(

[@mgalgenbeld]

I used to love lighting fireworks as a child. It's a longstanding tradition over here. However.... Things have changed a lot since I was a child, especially the strength of the fireworks. The fireworks I was lighting twenty years ago were nowhere near this strong and also not this dangerous. There is a reason why the fireworks discussion gets more heated every year. Honestly... If I would be raising a child right now, I would probably not allow them to light fireworks unsupervised at all.

[@freudsigmund72]

I can remember that (in the late 70's) as of the age of 7 I walked to and from school all by myself...

[@FreekVerkerk]

Everybody in the Netherlands did! Everybody went by themselves walking or riding a bike, to the primary school. The Kindergarten (Kleuterschool) I don't know anymore. It was only 500 meters away from our house so probably i also went there on my own. Certainly my mother could not have accompanied me, because she had to take care of my younger brother and sister. Maybe i went there together with the kids of the neighbors, but i think on my own. It was walking distance, and not much chance to get lost.

[@wellthatsawkward8134]

No moms on the playground ore at the school gates

[@anneliesv581]

I cycled with my 5year elder sister from the age of 4. And from the age of 5 I sometimes walked with my classmate of 5. It was an 20minute-walk to school, crossing traffic lights and trains. But there are always adults and other children nearby watching others. I don't think it was very unsafe but I don't know if I would let my kids walk such a long way to school on that age.

[@DrCatdeJong]

Me too on the bicycle as a 90's kid, from the age of 7

[@nellekeglansdorp1595]

well that's awkward but there were "klaarovers", parent-student couples with special signs, who would help the children cross the street at unsafe crossings close to the school.

[@margoz7251]

As a Dutch ex pat in Canada, I couldn't believe it when you said the Dutch don't have a wonderful cuisine. I'm glad you're re-thinking! There are soooooo many flavours I miss! :D

[@labrat9786]

To me a Dutch person speaking American English sounds a bit like a native from the Bronx. Not surprising since NYC was first settled by the Dutch and some of it still lingers there.

[@anniemoemski4057]

emagine New york would have been New Amsterdam ..how many of New York know that

[@donnakirby8935]

@@anniemoemski4057 most, because in NY we get taught about it in school :) Not sure about the rest of the country.

[@ohhi5237]

@@anniemoemski4057 it already was...?

[@ohhi5237]

i get asked that a lot 'where are you from'

[@anniemoemski4057]

@@ohhi5237 It s been to long ago to remember what I said but no worries have a happy New Year

[@wimthuis4741]

In my time as a kid, born in 1953, as soon we could walk we go outside to play right after diner and didn't come home before dark. In the weekend we go to the woods that is about 200 yards from our house and we played all day from 9.00 am till 18.00 pm and when we came home we where happy and tired. For that multilingual thing, in our city it was normal to learn English and German, and I started learning French in grade 10. because our city is a real border city and we where going often to our neighbor German city in summer because they got a bigger swimming pool with more possibilities to play. I got my first passport at age 9 so my parents don't need supervise me to cross the border because it was a distance of 5 kilometer to the swimming pool and we go with more kids.

[@brian5154]

Dear Jovie Very good. I agree with everything you say. I was born British, but my Dutch wife and I have lived here for 20 years. I agree about the fireworks. It's the one negative in an otherwise positive country. I understand there is a move afoot to stop the sale of fireworks; the sooner the better. Love your video. Your idea of the Netherlands is correct, and of course it's not perfect, but it probably is as near as you'll get. I lived in the US for three years in the late sixties, in Washington DC. My parents were British diplomats. Used to sit by Ronald Reagan in our apartment swimming pool! Honestly. We raised our kids here, and they are both at Utrecht Univerity. (I am an old father!!!). When I watch the Anglo/US world from here, like you I am very thankful that we live here. Both countries are a disaster at the moment for different reasons. Brian Oosterbeek Nederland

[@nickwijker1990]

My niece is 5, the other day I was watching her because my sister had to go to work. So my niece asked can I go outside? without hesitation I said sure honey, have fun. 2 rules, stay in a place where i can see you when I go outside, and don't go near the water or the road. She was gone for hours. Sometimes she came back, showing spiders she found, asking for a cup to catch them, etc. She got to explore both the world an her autonomy. When my sister came hone i told her this. She answered: "Ja lekker wijfie is t ook he". To hear that in America one can get sued over this... it makes me sad. Loved the video Jovie! Greetings from a Dutchie

[@andyhorvath6630]

My mother and father (Dutch and Hungarian) raised my brother and me multilingual; we would have days in the week that only Dutch, German, English, French or Hungarian could be spoken. Certainly the fact that all tv shows, series and films are broadcasted here in the original tongue did aid a lot. And as a young kid you pick it all up so easily ... Now I’ve added Norwegian and Italian; “taal is zeg maar echt mijn ding” 😀

[@mischake]

Your channel grew a lot in one year!

[@NeoOnyx]

Congrats on reaching 1K !! Whoohoo!!

[@donnakirby8935]

American in NL. Appreciate your videos! Here are my takeaways: 1) I let my 7 yr old (Groep 3) walk to school and come home from school, but it's 50 m away, lol, and I can see the door from our place. She's not quite strong enough to ride her bike on her own, she still gets distracted by leaves. Never in a million years would we be allowed to in the US, although her juf did question me about it. 2) No hagelslag. Oatmeal or fruit or pancakes that I've made and reheat. No boterham for lunch either! I was never allowed cold cereal as a kid, my mom made huge breakfasts from scratch. I'm not quite there. 3) My daughter switched from international to Dutch school for Groep 3, straight into Dutch, no taalklas. Her particular school doesn't teach English until Groep 5, but most of the kids know it from their parents or KZbin American kids shows. 4) We do Sinterklaas, before we moved we celebrated St. Nicholas on 5 Dec, because my daughters birthday is the 25th, we spread out the celebrations! Love Sinterklaas journaal. Now it's from Nov - December, we celebrate Sinterklaas, Santa Claus, and her birthday, December is very very very expensive lol. Also very stressful as we try to avoid Zwarte Piet and then that opens honest discussions when we can't. 5) No fireworks, no way, no how. I moved here the day before NYE a few years ago, and I was like WTF did I move to?!? I do love oliebollen, though ;)

[@angeliquekeuvenvanleeuwen]

Congrats reaching 1 k. I think you're doing a fine job. It's helping me to.look from a distance and realiseren,that I' m very lucky. I'm a dutch viewer raising 3 girls.💋

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

Fireworks, most fun for kids age 10 to 15, albeit a bit dangerous. As a parent it's your yob to teach them how to deal with dangerous stuff.

[@ohhi5237]

and friends who are chemistry students...

[@gerardflach2588]

Great video, as always. The thing with Dutch traditions is, that most of them stem from long, looong ago (ie. 1,000's of yrs). The Sinterklaas / Christmas / New Years' is a period that goes back to even the time of Wodan (scandinavian name Odin), who rode his white horse Sleipnir through the skies, accompanied by his wise black Ravens (the imagery may look familiar to you with Sinterklaas riding his white horse over the rooftops, with his Piet helpers?). And the Piets themselves have evolved many times, like from the Ravens (Huginn and Muninn*), or combined with Krampus (more Germanic, very scary). Or later, portrayed as black people (from the colonial era). Who knows how they will look in the future? The midwinter feasts (including now New Years') come from the Joel feesten (Germ./Dutch) or Jul / Yule tid (scand.) where loud noises and shouting were used to scare of the darkness and bad spirits and invite the longer days of the new season to come back, together with burning the Zonnerad (Sun wheel) and the Joelblok (Joel log). The fireworks (only a tradition for the past few hundred years) is a continuation of this. And the polarisation between some groups on these subjects is often Political Correctness on the surface, but the real 'battle' runs much deeper than that, almost on a genetic level, going back to our cultural roots. That's why you see 'moderate and pragmatic' Dutch people get emotional and passionate on this. So there is a whole cultural world below everything you may find strange about us, basically they are our ethnic roots. *: You can still find their names in the Dutch and English language: 'heugen' and 'menen' (remember and mind).

[@XLHeavyD999]

Well said. Kudos.

[@ace5990]

@@XLHeavyD999 one small misconception on the slave thing. People made the selfs unreginiazible to punish people by harassing them. Who's sweet gets sweet who's bad the roe. To keep the populace in check and law abiding. And it was a grand festival then now its a children's feast.

[@ohhi5237]

@@ace5990 uwatm8

[@ohhi5237]

@@ace5990 the dutch empire had a population of little over one million, cmon get real u mug

[@ace5990]

@@ohhi5237 Dutch empire I'm talking about something way older then you seem to realize

[@JJosephS1]

Everything that surprises you about the way Dutch kids play with fireworks and roam freely without helicopter parents is way we were in the USA in the 70s and 80s.

[@JJMarkin]

Or earlier. I was a kid in the USA in the 50s and 60s. (But born Dutch, so remember Dutch childhood from the 50s as well.)

[@Zwaantjes]

I am Dutch. About fireworks. The parents teach younger kids how to handle the fireworks, with safety glasses and keep a distance. When they get older the kids get more freedom. I loved throwing fireworks around when i was younger. We did get advice from our parents to be careful.

[@piedadepais]

In Portugal we speak Portuguese, english, french, and Spanish. Our tv shows have subtitles and are speak in the original language.

[@FrietjeOorlog]

A neighborhood kid from my street that had stuffed his pockets with fireworks, had his coat catch on fire. He ran around screaming and ended up lightly scorched. Also; a tree burned down. Good times haha.

[@jimijames9792]

That could've been me! Haha. Had the same thing happen to me. Coat full of black pirates.

[@bramvk8790]

JimiJames haha, that’s really stupid

[@jimijames9792]

@@bramvk8790 The neighbour kid shot at me with a roman candle. There was no other possible outcome.

[@bramvk8790]

JimiJames still not smart to have strijkers in your pocket, I never carry fireworks in my pockets cause of the risk of the going of in there. I always have a bag that is easy to remove and throw away

[@jimijames9792]

@@bramvk8790 what do you expect from a (then) 13 year old kid.

[@RaisingOurLittleOnes]

You did well to film Easter Sunday! I expected it to be too hectic with older kids to film haha. I bulk filmed Easter Monday. Congratulations on your 1k subscribers you have done amazing in such a short amount of time xx

[@JoviesHome]

Thank you ❤️! We didn’t really do much on Easter this year and Papa was with the kids (he missed us after our trip), so I had a bit of freedom. I am proud of you too, your channel is growing!

[@ageoflove1980]

Yeah you're right about the indepence. My son is 11 and goes to school with public transport to school in Amsterdam by himself. He has to send us an app when he is in the tram and when he arrives at school so we know he is save. So its exactly right how you say it, its supervised , but from a distance. He's not allowed to use his bike by himself though, way to chaotic traffic for that. And of course we instruct him that if there is a problem, he should immediatly go to the tramdriver and ask for help etc... etc...

[@sxeptic-_-6413]

I guess time changes but when i was 11 i wasnt allowed to have a mobile phone 😅 and im very young still

[@Dutch3DMaster]

Congrats on reaching over a 1000 subscribers! And now for something completely different that has nothing to do with the subject of the video, but: you might want to check your audio (either on the camera-side or editing-side), it sounds like the two audio channels are inverted, the sound is faint and I had to turn it up quite a lot and with a headphone on it sounded "wrong" (the reverberation of the room "doesn't work"), whereas the intro music sounded correct. The voice-over thing is happening here more and more, but it depends on the date the series came out and probably the budget of the channel, the reason some countries dub the voices in the local language, has something to do with financial reasons, because it sometimes excludes paying financial fees for using the actor's voices (which, somehow is cheaper than just using the regular sound tracks). About the fireworks and environmental thing: they once calculated the amounts of supposed toxins released in the air opposed to some of the same toxins in the forms of certain salts and other stuff found in (artificial) manure that get's put into the ground at the land of farmers accross the country and, due to rain eventually gets into the small waterways that surrounds the farmlands, and lighting fireworks actually (hard to believe) was a fraction of what farmers use. The discussions about banning fireworks and have the local municipality organise a great and professional fireworks show have me split up, in one way I like the fact that we can light our own fireworks (though I have stopped doing it years a go), but on the other hand I hate the amount of people getting seriously injured because of either their own stupidity or someone else being absolutely careless. I can't take the people seriously who shout "it needs to be banned because of all the vandalism", because the legal fireworks are not able to blow of traffic signs from their support, or launch drain pipe covers into the air (or worse, blow up mailboxes), because that is what the illegal fireworks can do, so I consider it a bad argument.

[@yousnoerd]

We're a nation of Kevin McCallisters, responsible when needed, but we have our little quirks and will of freedom. The bike riding came from an era where cars were too expensive, it doesnt have anything to do with being environmentally aware. We just never had a reason to stop doing it, since the country suits biking a lot. Its flat, small, densely populated and as you know we dont have many megamalls or stores outside the city centres.

[@tomvanaarle2622]

You apparantly never heard of "Stop De Kindermoord" a pressure groop that played a HUGE part in the Netherlands becomming bicycle friendly AGAIN.

[@laurenmaxell5917]

Most elementary schools already teach english as soon as a child is 6 years old. We watch english series and read english books instead of dutch. Almost most kids learn english and dutch almost simultaniously. Which makes it very easy to become fluent in it

[@Aeglos88]

The fireworks that kids can buy legally aren't very dangerous (They're age ristricted, 12, 16, and 18 y/o according to the danger levels, btw the ones they can buy at 12 can be used indoors, so totally safe). It's the illegal ones , as someone pointed out below, that are dangerous. It's also a fun way for kids to play with fire and experience a little risk instead of being coddled with foam toys and padded rooms. In that way it's kinda like climbing trees or building a tree house. Obviously if you don't feel like you can trust your child(yet) you don't let them do these things (yet). *not trusting your child might be a harsh way to put it, not feeling they are responsible enough (yet) might be a kinder way to put it.

[@MrAronymous]

Fire crackers (the regular ones) are still explosives and still can cause a lot of damage, especially if you treat it like toys. And it's the parents who are buying it for the kids obviously.

[@JoviesHome]

Thanks for sharing this perspective - I can certainly see how each family might approach it a different way. Thanks also for watching!

[@youpie24]

Most dutch people understand that our cuisine is a bit lacking. But, we do have a great number of deserts, that are awesome!

[@theamazingfuzzy5913]

The thing about fireworks (for me as a father of 4 boys) is about learning that some things CAN be dangerous, but when you use them properly it IS safe. It's not something to fear when you are in control of how you use them. It's a little lesson to prepare them for life.

[@JosephByrne]

When I moved at the age of 13 the fireworks thing was fun but also bizarre. In the UK they were the reserve for parents only and we weren't allowed near them. In The Netherlands even as children we could buy them. 200 firecrackers for 5 guilders. We spent the days around New years even letting them off anywhere and everywhere.

[@robinvermeulen5727]

Hey, i’m a dutch kid (17 years old). Kids don’t really play with fireworks. At a young age like 5/6 years they can hold these sparkley star things (it’s not dangerous, and of course with permission of there parents). They also can throw these thing on de ground and as soon as it touch the ground it will make a little sound (it is called ‘knalerwten” if you want to look it up). When they are around the age of 12 they start trowing with little explosive things. They get tolled that as soon as they have “activated” the little explosive they need to throw it away where are no other people or other stuff. And with permission of parents they can start activating the big fireworks (then there is a parent next to them who watch if everything is going right) and from the age of 18 they can buy it by them selfs and they are free to go.

[@JoviesHome]

Thanks for sharing your perspective and experience Robin! Happy to have you as a viewer. 💖

[@tiphaineluccy3795]

I really liked the video. :)

[@kingofgames8037]

This video is so true!!! 😂😂 Met vriendelijke groeten uit Nederland 🇳🇱 👋 (With kind regards from the Netherlands)

[@simplymandy]

I have the best memories playing outside as a kid. Just ring everyone’s doorbell or just wave in front of their window to gather everyone to play. Or for some friends I could just walk in the backyard, open the backdoor and walk inside haha. Climbing trees, making tents, paying all sorts of games or getting in your inflatable boat once you got your swimming diploma (also a very Dutch thing I think. Every kid gets swimming lessons and gets their swimming diplomas). There were so many games we played and sometimes made up our own games. And ones the streetlights went on everyone started running home haha “THE LIGHTS ARE ON GUYS!” Except for the summer days and it stayed light for too long. That’s when you had your watch or all the parents came outside to yell for their kids to come home 😂. Oh and going ice skating with all the neighbour kids when the water froze up. So much fun! Sadly the winters aren’t that cold anymore. They are cold but it doesn’t freeze for long enough to go ice skating.

[@simplymandy]

For the hagelslag... we always have dark chocolate hagelslag. It’s better for you than the milk ones.

[@JoviesHome]

Thanks for sharing these beautiful memories!

[@maritvandenhurk7847]

4:54 I'm 14 years old and dutch. I follow bilingual education. This is like a stream in secondary education where you get several subjects thaught in english, like P.E, History, English(duhh), biology, geography, Physics, Chemistry, Maths(all the words and specific theories etcetera) and Economics. Expectations are: - you'll be biligual by the end of your second year - You'll reach B1 english level European Reference Framework by the end of your third year -You'll reach ' native speaker' level when you graduate. - schools need to(or at least are expected to) organize trips and exchanges to and with english speaking people from different countries so you'll be very internationally orientated. So yes you are right!

[@JoviesHome]

You're writing in English like a native at 14; WELL DONE. Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@JoviesHome]

You're writing in English like a native at 14; WELL DONE. Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@JoviesHome]

You're writing in English like a native at 14; WELL DONE. Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@JoviesHome]

You're writing in English like a native at 14; WELL DONE. Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@JoviesHome]

You're writing in English like a native at 14; WELL DONE. Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@peterhaggerty7400]

congrats on 1k! pete

[@rebeccaalbrecht771]

I like your display. of purses. It's a clever and pretty way to decorate.

[@ivanpartono8182]

Jovie, you forgot the Kings day, where kids are selling stuff on the street. The only day in the year in the Netherlands we have "free enterprise".

[@gemmavanzadelhoff9561]

I learned speaking english by comparing the dutch subtitles with the english speaking at the age of 5 just watching tv and I loved it! When your that age it’s so easy to learn any language, I would love to learn spanish and trying to learn how to play guitar right now at age 27 but it’s so hard! I can still do it for sure but it takes a lot longer. The fireworks here I hate, I never played with it, still not to this day and really hope they ban it in the near future. Playing outside with my friends for me at a young age (like 7) was normal, we were together and knew where to go if there was any problem. But even before me and my sister were aloud to play in the frontyard by ourselves, neighbours will also keep an eye. I loved having that freedom and was never afraid to go anywhere far by myself because of that. Congrats on the 1K! 😘

[@JoviesHome]

Hi Gemma, thanks for sharing! I see my 4 year old watching something now and just repeating it (and remembering it!) without any problem. It is so easy to learn when we are young and our brains aren't full of other things 😂

[@mellchiril]

Seeing as I said 'yes of course we do!' to most of these points and 'yeah... we do...' to the rest, I can say with certainty that the facts are correct. The first fact even made me go 'wait, people in other countries don't do this?! okay~!' so it must be quite typical, then. As for fireworks on new years... I don't have kids so I can't quite relate to the stress of a parent on this day, but it seems really dangerous to me. I think I wouldn't dare to let my kid play with them if I were to ever have them. In most cases, however, your parent will take you outside at a certain age and teach you how to light them correctly, how to use them without harming yourself, before letting the kid go off on their own. I remember my dad doing that when I was a kid, but I am and always have been afraid of the loud bangs, so I wouldn't run across the streets with fireworks myself. I think that the Dutch mentality in this case is kind of like 'if we show them how to do it correctly, and allow them to do it, we have less chances of having them get hurt. If they do it in secret, behind our backs, without the knowledge, they run many more risks of bodily harm.' because kids will defy their parents if they think it'll make them look cool, tbh I don't think that this is a typical Dutch thing, please correct me if I'm wrong. I think that by being one step ahead of them, we try to ensure their safety.

[@Vince1648]

I was born in 1966, very different compared to kids these days. we only had 2 dutch tv channels, but because I was living fairly close to the border with Germany we also could receive 3 German tv channels. From watching German kids tv programs on sunday we learned to understand German at a very early age. Those day's only people in the Eastern part of the Netherlands could receive German tv ofcourse. On average kids these days are more open, extrovert and yeah probably more happy then we were, 40-50 yrs ago. Kid's happiness greatly depends on the parents, no matter in what country you are living. Some are lucky to have great parents, others don't.

[@sibelle1]

Some children grow up with hagelslag in the morning, but shure not all children. More often it is for lunch on bread. Hagelslag can be pure, can be milk, can be white, can be mixed.

[@NiinaW]

Ok you will probably never read this, but I'm dutch, I'm not a parent but I've always grown up here and when I was growing up I was not allowed to play with fireworks. The only thing we could hold were sparklers (sterretjes) that's it, my dad would light the fireworks. When we got older (teenagers) thats the time many of my classmates did light fireworks themselves, I've never done it and my parents would not have allowed me to light it myself. My family also stopped lighting fireworks eventually when we got older and lost some of the interest and because it's not necessary and animals hate it... They just did it for us not because they loved it themselves. For years even in my twenties untill I started celebrating without them me and my dad would go over to our neighbours house and watch their fireworks but we didnt feel the need to do it ourselfs. I believe it would be better and safer if we do keep the fireworks tradition but have each town host a more proffesional fireworksshow that people can come to to watch together rather then every household for themselves. I was terrified and still am for people driving after midnight which a lot of people still do to go home or to say happy new year to friends or family... When I was with friends my mom had to pick me up because biking is just dangerous with fireworks

[@JasperJanssen]

Re: restaurants: the thing about Dutch restaurants while you’re here is, well, they don’t advertise as Dutch Restaurants (unless they’re exclusively for tourists). They’re just restaurants. There is a big split in Dutch cuisine though, between the sort of solid everyday fare (stamppot, aardappels met vlees en jus, snert, whichever) people eat at home and restaurant food. It’s not really (traditionally speaking) a continuum like it is in the UK where there is Pub Grub in between - you either ate Out, or you got home cooked meals. The upper class restaurant food is very heavily influenced by French cuisine. The most common truly Dutch restaurant you’re going to find is the Pannekoekenrestaurant[1]. Holland’s answer to Chuck E. Cheese. Those are particularly prevalent around forests you can take walks in, you take the kids out for a walk in the forest and at the end you’d all eat pancakes before going home (those came in with the rise of the bicycle as personal transport). My childhood in the 80s was full of such trips around Lage Vuursche. The restaurant still exists and still does booming business. [1] I don’t recognize the spelling reform of 1995 otherwise it’d be the Pannenkoekenrestaurant. Give me a city and I can probably find at least a dozen restaurants that are Dutch restaurants, and what they will serve is things like white asparagus in season, erwtensoep, various other soups, tosti’s, fish of the day, sometimes even a stamppot or two, chicken liver with onions and bacon (often served with rice), uitsmijters for lunch...

[@joopspeth6483]

Actually Santa Claus derives from Sinterklaas, dating from 17th century New York (when it was Dutch Nieuw Amsterdam). Dutch colonists celebrated Sinterklaas, and when the English took over it somehow changed to a Christmas celebration with father Christmas.

[@dropitification]

Your videos are fun to watch for me as a Dutch person. Funny to hear some things are not "normal" here for other people that I wouldn't expect. About fireworks. I think many young boys learn how to create a budget and to make tough choices because they quite literally want to have the most bang for their buck. I used to spend weeks to create multiple plans to decide what kind of firecrackers to buy and how many flairs or rockets. Just recently I learnt that the origin of all these people doing fireworks here was the Dutch-Indonesian army personnel coming over to the Netherlands after the fall of Dutch Indonesia in the 1940s. They took with them this tradition from Indonesia and now everybody here does it. Don't know how true that is but sounds very plausible. Thanks for the videos, they help remind me to be grateful for the nice things we have here.

[@claymountain1300]

We don't usually get presents during Christmas because otherwise it would get way too expensive. Christmas usually is the boring grown-ups holiday, where you have dinner with you extended family.

[@toaojjc]

Sinterklaas actually arrives the first Saturday after Sint Maarten (11-11). So it's a different date every year. Most Dutch people don't do much presents with Christmas.

[@JaneFokster]

I listen to a few American, Canadian & Australian true crime podcasts and they often mention how "in the '70s it was normal to let your kids play outside or go to the shops by themselves, but you would never let them do that nowadays". That makes me think something must have changed in the US/Canada/Australia over the years, while NL in this respect stayed the same as it was back then. I was a Dutch child in the '70 and yes, we played outside, went to local shops by ourselves and rode our bikes to school. And I lived in 'big' 'dangerous' Amsterdam! I don't know what changed in the US (you're probably a better judge of that), but I do think that Dutch urban planning/infrastructure makes a big difference in having safe enough streets for kids to play in. Cars being only allowed to drive slowly in residential streets, having bike paths everywhere, and so on. Not only is traffic safer, it also leads to more pedestrians in the streets, which in itself also makes a safer environment for children. When we go abroad (in our neighbouring countries even) we often drive through villages/towns where there's just nobody in the street, only cars rushing by. Very different from most towns in NL, even small ones.

[@lindaraterink6451]

In the 70s (uprising of the use of automobiles in working families) there was a protest going on from parents about the many trafic accidents that happened yearly to biking kids. It was the start of our biking paths and speed regulations as we know them today. So I think if this never happened we would've end up the same and being way more protective about our kids.

[@oanedejong7958]

As a kid I always was allowed to play whit fireworks. But my parents always told me the danger of it. And if I wanted to do something stupid the didn't stop me, because the knew I would do it anyway the told me how to do it safe and help me whit it. 1 thing the always made me was clean the streets the next day. And everyone in my neighborhood would help. So the street would be clean the rest of the year.

[@beer3602]

As a Dutch kid (16 now) I agree with most of these. I'd say the multilingual part is necessary for us because we're basically the only country that speaks Dutch, for Americans or any English speaking country, its just not necessary because they take it for granted that they can talk to almost anyone. And for as far as for example cycling to school goes, it's kinda a difference from America, because that's a way bigger country, and going places is more difficult because of that, so you also rely more on your parents to take you places. And regarding the fireworks, I don't get it environmentally, but I do love to do it myself if I'm honest, I learned it from a young age and I just know how to be responsible with them, this is certainly not the case for everyone, but we'll see what happens with it over the years

[@Saartje05]

Most kids here (it depends a little where you grow up) will be left outside to play alone or with others on a quite young age. I remember playing outside and roaming the area when I was five, six years old and I know my niece did the same and HER daughter (she's 8 now) did and does the same too. My grandniece hops on her bike and cycles to her friend on her own. Only thing they do is telling where they're going, but that's it. Most of the time her mother says to be at home with dinner...

[@lienbijs1205]

Very nice that I have discovered you. In general I am curious to know about the lifes of people. It is a pleasure to listen and watch you. I am Dutch myself. I am curious about a lot of things about you so I am going to watch all of your video's. I had to live in Belgium for a while and that difference was already enormous to me and I felt so home sick so I just admire people who can live abroad in a country where just everything is different. I am curious about how your children experience to live abroad, are they going to a regular Dutch school, how do they experience to have lunch at school for example. When we lived in Belgium I felt a little bit isolated because there is much less social contact, I felt more a stranger there and more difficult to make friends. for instance, I was used that children just arrange playdates together and right after school. In advance you just don't know if you go home with one child less or one extra. But if I compare Belgian and Dutch school then Belgian schools are so much better. Very clean, strangers can't enter the school yard, soup and warm lunch available and many more.

[@kakarotvegeta]

About the voice-over thing, nowadays most cartoons will be dubbed in Dutch, when i was young, all cartoons where in English, so apart from learning English in elementary school, almost every day we were learning it from watching tv. For example back then we had the original "telekids" it was presented in Dutch, cartoons were in English, we also had at my house a sattelite dish so i would watch a lot of Cartoon Network, the US CN i mean because they had a lot of the programs we didn't have here :)

[@gert-janvanderlee5307]

The Independence was even more in the seventies and eighties. I remember going outside with a few friends when I was about ten years old and we wouldn't even know where we went before we were outside. To the forest? Or maybe to the local landfill to find some building materials to make a hut or bunker. Nobody knew where you were and nobody had a phone. You were just expected to be home for dinner. And we usually were as we got hungry from playing outside. But I can't imagine my relatives giving their kids the same kind of freedom today. Not because they don't want to but the world isn't as safe as it was back then I guess.

[@samomen9245]

Haha, omg this is SO TRUE!!

[@reallyjustme]

About fireworks (please correct me if I am wrong, but I think I am correct on most things): there are age restrictions. There are different categories. 1: very innocent, like party poppers, pulling cords and things like that. You can buy this all year and are allowed to use this all year. They are from 6 years and up, but always under supervision. You don't need to light this kind of fireworks. Then there is 2: those are small fireworks, that have to be lighted. They are small explosives ('rotjes'), which don't do much harm, even if they explode in your hand. They make noise and children love to make noise. There are also small rotating ground-fireworks. This category is for 12 years and up and is to be supervised. Category 3: adults only. Medium fireworks, but real fireworks that go up in the air. Mostly professional use, but you are allowed to buy it. Also there are fountains and other ground fireworks. Category 4: professional use only for shoes and stuff like that. Our kids are under 12, so they are allowed to use category 1 only. And when they go outside, they have safety glasses on and so do we. But the oldest will be 12 in a few months, so if he wants, we will allow him category 2 next new years eve. The biggest problem is people who don't follow the restrictions and worse: they buy lots of dangerous illegal fireworks abroad. And they start as early as november withthose heavy 'bombs'. This is why there is a lot of discussion about the subject right now. Personally I think it would be sad to see this tradition go. Especially for young families, who don't have the opportunity to go out in the middle of the night to see some show 5 or 10 miles from their home. I remember so well: my parents got me out of bed at 23:30. Eating 'oliebollen' and then, at midnight, put my coat over my jammies, on my fathers' arm and go outside. Shivering with cold and sleep, but it felt so special. I still love the smell of fireworks today, it makes me think of those great moments. This is what I want for my kids. But because of all those stupid people, it might be forbidden in a few years... I hope you understand this tradition a bit more. But you weren't in The Netherlands yet when it was still all fun. There were some stooges back then, starting too early, but there were few and not with the heavy stuff they have now.

[@JoviesHome]

Thanks for sharing your memory, it sounds wonderful ❤️

[@HansKr]

Congrats on 1K subscribers and that all by talking as an expat about that funny somewhat rebellious small country called the Netherlands. Your next stop will be 10K :D

[@MAGNA_FRISIA]

most women don't like fireworks but we men do, that's tradition. That is ours. the harder the better. just a great time of the year. and if I'm not mistaken, you live in the Randstad and you have no idea what really hard hits are. just look on youtube for carbid schieten. or nitraat- and vlinderbommen. I grew up with this. And Yes, officially I think you can only light fireworks between 6:00 pm and 2:00 am. But nobody sticks to that. you often hear the first bangs in early December. Btw the fireworks I talkt about is not for the really small children. They've only got rotjes, astronauten and grondbloemen ;P

[@scottsmits9744]

Masterdebate astronauten zijn toch niet meer? En Doe mij maar colour salutes!

[@HotelPapa100]

On the multilingual thing: If you are a relatively small country with your own language that nobody else speaks, it's kind of a necessity. Compare the Scandinavian countries, or my home country, Switzerland. We don't speak all four languages that are official languages of Switzerland, as many think, but as Swiss German speakers our first foreign language is Standard German. You just have to. (In our case it's also the written language; Swiss German has no standard written form.)

[@StephanSpelde]

Great Channel Jovie! I do think it's kinda funny that the majority of the commenters are Dutch. (Aren't you guys?) :p We do like to hear an outside perspective of our own country! I personally learned English very early on by watching cartoons on the English Sky Channel, which didn't have any subtitles but did have the best cartoons at the time (He-man, Transformers, Inspector Gadget etc...) So by the time I had to learn it in school I already had a good start. It also helped that we traveled to Spain every year so I could practice my English skills there with the other kids on a daily basis. I'd like to give you some content suggestions of the things that I'd like to see you cover, which I hope, at least, give you some inspiration: - What do you like better from the US than from the NL? - Would you say your kid(s) are more Dutch or more American? - Which English words or phrases do Dutch people mess up most of the time? - Do you encounter a lot of Dutch phrases that were literally translated directly from Dutch? (Like: Make that the cat wise (Google that phrase for more hilarious examples)) - How often do you encounter someone in the NL that doesn't speak English? - What do you think about soccer, since this is globally the most popular sport in the world, except for the US? - How often are you asked about or confronted with Donald Trump? (I know you don't do politics, but I still wonder) - What do you think are the most beautiful/interesting places in the NL? - What do you miss the most from the US? (Except for family and friends) - What do you think about the NL being a nation where religion isn't that big? - How good is your Dutch? - How much do you know about Dutch history? I'm kinda new to your channel so I'm sorry if I suggested some topics that were already covered in previous videos. I intent to watch the majority of your videos when I have the time, because I also like to hear an outside perspective of my own country. ;)

[@JoviesHome]

Thank you so much for this wonderful list of ideas! I will absolutely make some of these ❤️ I have been holding back a bit with the politics but it is tempting to make some of those videos too 😂 Thanks for your support!

[@robinb2105]

great video again! regarding the multiple languages: im no expert but i think its because we are originally a tade country (and we also travel a lot) and as we are such a small country there arent a lot of people worldwide who speak dutch. so for us dutch its a must to speak multiple languages. and when we need to learn a new language at our age its very difficult.... when you start as a kid however, you learn it more fast and will remember it for life. so long term its in our own benefit to speak multiple languages...

[@nellekeglansdorp1595]

What is it about chocolate that is so much worse than say maple sirup? Yes it has a lot of sugar in it but also nice healthy cocoa butter fats and anti oxidants. I Think a nice whole grain slice of bread with butter and chocolate is way more nutritious than a stack of pancakes made with white flour and drenched in maple sirup or a bowl of fruit loops or lucky charms with milk. About playing outside. There were a couple of clear and non negotiable rules for me to follow. First of all, I had some boundaries I was not to go beyond. Like the end of the street on one side and the far end of the playground on the other. Those boundaries would expand as I grew older. Further more, I was not allowed to play by myself. There were mostly three or four of us roaming together, so if anything happened to one of us, the others could go for help. I wasn't allowed to enter private property without telling my mother. Not even my friends house. This was also made much easier by the way the neighborhood was built. It consisted of a lot of "woonerven", where cars had to drive very slowly and pedestrians had right of way, and lots of public grass and small playgrounds to play where you could be seen by your parents through the window.

[@rebeccaalbrecht771]

I've always liked the community fireworks display in Boston, Massachusetts, where I lived.. This year, my husband and I biked to the fireworks store, here in Utrecht. During the rest of the year, it's a gigantic garden center. On a few days before New Years Eve, at the entrance is the Fireworks store. What a zoo! Lots and lots of people there, filling out their order forms, standing in one line to place their order, and then waiting for their name to be called with the filled order. We went back twice to get more fireworks. We only bought the "kiddie" fire works. The big ones do scare me. We had a great time setting them off on our street. Around midnight, we walked down to our nearby park and stood on the man made hill and watched a panorama of fireworks exploding all across the city. For American viewers of this channel, - These fireworks were as big as the ones I've seen over the Charles River in Boston. I'm told, that it is illegal to buy those really big ones here, that they come from Belgium. These fireworks were amazing and beautiful to see. I would not be comfortable on being on the streets where big fireworks were being set off. I did see videos though, of that happening on one of the streets I bike on all the time here in Utrecht. Two of our neighbors left town for the night. Some people just do not like the noise and mayhem and so that's how they cope.Their eight year old son did enjoy the kiddie fireworks we set off early in the evening before they drove away. We never did set off all the fireworks we got. Our understanding is that there is no time restriction for the kiddie fire works so we were going to set them off when our guests from America visit in two weeks. The big fireworks can only be fired New Year's Eve between 6 PM and 2:00 AM.

[@blup7]

Dutch parent here!!! My boys are 10 and 8 years old. I'm not a fan of fireworks at all, but they look forward to seeing it and this past year my hubby bought them some 'kinder'vuurwerk. Even though it js marketed for kids 12+ it still requires fire... they loved that moment with their dad. Personally I would be happy to see central areas for fireworks rather that it being EVERYWHERE. It's dangerous especially in the evening once people start drinking..not to mention frightened pets and the environmental impact. Being a parent certainly changed my perspective on a lot of things! :)

[@marloesdrenth834]

I'm dutch but I was never allowed to play with fireworks. I got other things, but nothing with fire. So like the "knalerwten", "trektouwtjes" & "confetti-pistols". Things with fire where only allowed after the age of 12

[@marias.3604]

Hi Jovie, Here's one more new subscriber for your magnificent channel 👍 A distant supervision brings up more independent and powerful personalities, to my mind. And growing up multilingual opens so many doors all around the globe for you. Could you please make a separate video on how you teach your kids being multilingual? What languages do you speak at home? What challenges do the kids face, when you start adding another new language into their routine? Thanks a lot!

[@JoviesHome]

Hi Maria, thank you for watching and subscribing 💖 I'd love to make a video about multilingualism. Currently our 4-year old speaks Dutch, English, Spanish and Serbian. His grandma is French and sends us French books with sounds/songs so he is also familiar with a bit of French. But YES I can make a video about this topic, absolutely. Thank you for the suggestion.

[@marias.3604]

@@JoviesHome Thank you so much! Am really looking forward to the video about multilinguism and other new ones coming on your channel. 😊 I speak 5 languages myself and my boyfriend is Dutch, which is the 6th language to be considered. If our story develops well, the future kids might have a bunch of languages to choose from 😉

[@r.v.b.4153]

"You can get in legal trouble for letting your 14 year old in the park by themselves while you have a job interview" Lmao really? But I'm Dutch, so I guess it's logical that something like that amazes me.

[@vpeake88]

R. V. B. Even in England kids go the park by themselves. I used to go to school on a bus by myself (public bus not school bus) from the age of 11 and I would go into the town centre at weekends to meet my friends and shop.

[@ohhi5237]

people actually gotten child secruity wanting to take their children away before they rode them to school, ON BICYCLES, in the usa

[@efjeK]

I am not a Dutch parent. But I used to be a Dutch kid. And my parents were not that into fireworks. We were only allowed to light them supervised and only when we were older (about 12 I think). I am also not a fan of them...

[@hmg5845]

I was born mid 70’s and i had a great childhood. Playing outside with friends and my parents always said to het home when it’s the light went home outside and it getting dark. Even when it was cold and rainy. ate h firework thing must be weird for foreigners but we grew up with it and don’t know better than this is normal. We have our issues as a country but when we home from holiday i always think living in The Nederlands is not bad at all. Keep up the good work😉

[@JustIngrid86]

Idk about others, but i wasn't allowed hagelslag unless i ate a "healthy" sandwich first XD So it was a "volkoren boterham" with ham and then a white one with hagelslag or nutella.

[@ssebakijjemuhammed2607]

Really today you more prepared the way you designed your self awesome and the background, l also like your house and the pot flower.....

[@bertnijhof5413]

I allowed my kids to use fireworks, but only under supervision, until they were around 14-16. They will buy it anyhow after 16, so you have to teach them, how to use it safely. I live in the Caribbean and even as an 74 year's adult I miss my hagelslag, but fortunately they have peanut butter and chocolate butter for my bread, besides ham, chorizo, eggs and Gouda cheese.

[@Kiki-qm7gf]

New Years tips: 1) stay inside and eat lots of oliebollen en drink some champagne 2) trust your kids and neighbour kids, they know fire is hot and fireworks are dangerous, with supervision things will probably work out 3) not allowing them to set of fireworks will probably lead to them trying it out with friends which in my opinion is more dangerous than a simple 'rotje' 4) do what feels right for you, not doing fireworks can be great to I personally hate fireworks but my litlle brother loves it and I usually jump like 0580674952 times during the last few days of december because of the unexpected sounds and on new years eve I mostly stay inside and look at the fireworks through the window

[@evie8143]

Fireworks are not whiteout danger. I also worry for my kids, so we do it together. If I hadn't grown-up in the Nederlands, I probably won't want my kids to use fireworks.

[@VulcanOnWheels]

4:24 We also have other things we can put on our bread. There's Nutella, peanut butter, cheese, honey (creme), and probably more things that I can't think of at the moment. Oh, and "*broodje met* hagelslag." 5:14 Usually (including) German and French. As willing as Dutch people are to learn different languages, some people see it as non-Dutch people not having/wanting to learn Dutch. 6:37 I've also watched American TV series on German stations and I've never liked that they didn't leave the original voices intact. 7:24 That's called Closed Captions. 8:47 Zwarte pieten. 9:32 You say that being an expat, but...how do I say this...? The Dutch version (if you will) of Christmas is not about giving gifts, that is, it wasn't when my parents still celebrated it with me. So... December an expensive month? If it is here, then I think it's only because of Sinterklaas. 10:13 I can't help but wonder if "play with" is a bit of an overstatement. 10:32 I may be Dutch, but I actually agree with you on this point. 10:59 Legally speaking, this may be true, but not everyone adheres to those time and date restrictions. I do so wish that they did! 11:46 I'm Dutch, but I'm not a parent, not yet anyway. I would still like to answer this. I would allow my child to ignite fireworks, but I would highlight the risks, and raise my child to consider its safety far more important. I will say that I've never thought of the effect that igniting fireworks has on the environment. 12:55 If you're planning on going to the USA, can I come with you? Pretty please??? :-D

[@FreekVerkerk]

I remember i had porridge for breakfast. Havermoutpap. Brood was too dry.

[@martynfromnl]

Because I have bad hearing and depending on my hearing aids, I also never understood our national obsession for fireworks. For me from childhood on, I hated fireworks.

[@kevincorroyer101]

Dat vind ik nu eens spijtig voor jou 😞 zo af en toe eens mooi vuurwerk spektakel

[@PhoenixNL72-DEGA-]

Hagelslag is not pure chocolate. It's made from a chocolate,wheat and sugar dough that I think is either baked or dried. They are not just rounded slivers of chocolate.

[@robinb2105]

the fireworks part is a difficult one as its getting more and more controversial the last years. im guessing 25% of the dutch just want big city-organized firework shows while the rest want to light up their own firework. its pretty hard to say why that is. its like a tradition, although the origin of that tradition varies per person it seems. for me personally, im half dutch half indonesian fireworks is one of the most important times of the year. originally for us it was to (think of) and celebrate the dead and to scare away bad spirits, but nowadays its mostly a tradition. However for me personally i use that day to think about the people i have lost... but i have to say thats more an indonesian thing than a dutch thing i guess i grew up with fireworks, it was something i looked out for the whole year when i was young. it was that one day that was exciting, dangerous and fun and the same time... a real thrill. my grandfather lighted a 100.000 firecracker every hour till midnight from like 6 pm... and the whole family came together with food, drinks and things like that. later on my parents took over that tradition...and the last years i have took over the tradition to showand teach the new generation the fun and meaning of fireworks and the tradition... young kids are teach how to handle it safely...first with supervision, later they can do it themselves. some use protection glasses and special fuses for safety. but in the end i agree that it can be really dangerous. so the downside of this tradition is that not every dutch person is teached well, or is responsible enough to handle those fireworks... but thats only a very small percentage... but ok, its a difficult discussion. it goes to far to compare it with your weapon laws, but some parts are the same and lots of people are against and others are pro and all have their own reasons and points to defend their views...