Dam Parenting

My child is five and last week she asked me to put mine away.
That moment changed how I think about smartphones and childhood.
This episode is part of Phone Free February — a global campaign encouraging families to reduce or delay smartphone use. But here in the Netherlands, something even bigger is happening.
The grassroots movement Smartphonevrij Opgroeien (Growing Up Smartphone-Free - originally from the UK) began with Dutch parents who saw what the UK were doing and felt early smartphone access didn’t sit right. Today, more families are choosing to delay smartphones until group 8 (around age 12), and there is growing national debate about banning smartphones in schools all day.
Across Europe, experts are recommending waiting until 15 for social media access.
GPs and youth care workers are reporting increases in sleep disruption, anxiety, low self-esteem, and concentration challenges linked to smartphone use in children.
This episode brings the Dutch movement into English — because if your child is growing up in the Netherlands, this affects you too.
Inside this episode:
• What Smartphonevrij Opgroeien actually means
• Why parents are signing up — even with babies and toddlers
• What the research says about early smartphone use
• How to join the WhatsApp groups (including English-speaking parents)
• How to delay without isolating your child

This isn’t anti-technology.
It’s pro-childhood.
And it starts long before your child asks for their first phone.

Links to support you:
Want to join the Whatsapp group in your area? ⁠CLICK HERE⁠

Want to join the Whatsapp group for English speakers: ⁠CLICK HERE⁠ - (in select jouw regio - scroll to bottom for ENGLISH)

If you want to check out your own school (or chosen school)
⁠CLICK HERE⁠ on your region
Click on the image of a school - Bekijk hoeveel ouders....
From there it will show you the number of students and schools, with the list of cities underneath.
Click into the city and you will get a breakdown of each school registered and keep clicking.. It gets more and more interesting! You will see how many kids in your school, and even by which groep they are in.

If you want the read the materials related to the ⁠UK website CLICK HERE

For International Mother Language Day 2026, we explore a rarely spoken fear in multilingual and expat families: what happens when your child becomes more fluent in the societal language than you are?
Living in the Netherlands, many immigrant and international parents watch Dutch slowly take over their child’s world — friendships, school life, humor, even identity. And while multilingualism is beautiful, it can also bring subtle grief, emotional distance, and a fear of losing influence.
In this episode, we explore:
Why school shifts language dominance

The emotional impact on parents

The 8–9 year home language dip

How to protect your home language without resisting Dutch

Practical ways to maintain emotional closeness

International Mother Language Day isn’t just about preserving languages. It’s about preserving relational access.
If you’re raising multilingual children in the Netherlands (or anywhere abroad), this episode is for you.
Subscribe, share with another multilingual parent, and join the conversation on Instagram @damparentingpocast

Asian motherhood abroad comes with unique pressures — cultural expectations, career demands, identity shifts, and the quiet work of belonging.
In this episode of the DAM Parenting Podcast, we’re joined by the founder of Second Steep, a community created for Asian working mothers navigating the intersections of career, culture, and care — often without a map and without enough support.
Together, we explore:
What makes Asian immigrant motherhood distinct

Letting go of cultural expectations while staying rooted

Interracial marriages and identity negotiation

Raising multilingual, culturally grounded children

How to introduce culture ethically in diverse cities like Amsterdam

The power of community spaces that don’t require explanation

We also talk about Lunar New Year, upcoming community dinners in Amsterdam and Eindhoven, and resources for raising children with cultural pride and emotional safety.
A gentle, affirming conversation for Asian mums, immigrant parents, and anyone raising children abroad.

Children’s mental health is often talked about only when something is “wrong.” But what if mental health isn’t a problem to fix — and instead something we’re supporting every single day through relationships, routines, and emotional safety?
In this episode of DAM Parenting, resident child psychologist Dr Faye Poole offers a grounded, evidence-based perspective on children’s mental health — without fear-mongering, labels, or generic advice.
We explore:
• What children’s mental health actually means
• How emotional wellbeing affects learning, relationships, and physical health
• Why connection is the strongest protective factor
• What stress does to children’s bodies (and how we buffer it)
• Simple, research-backed ways parents can support emotional wellbeing at home
This episode is especially for parents raising children abroad, navigating systems, transitions, and invisible pressure — and wondering if they’re doing “enough.”

This is not about perfect parenting. It’s about safe, secure, human parenting.
Listen with presence. Take what helps. Leave the rest.

WHERE TO GET EXTRA HELP 
For parents needing additional support, these are appropriate first steps:
• Huisarts (GP) – always the first point of contact; can refer to specialist services
• OKT (Ouder- en Kindteam) – parenting support, emotional wellbeing, development concerns
• CJG (Centrum voor Jeugd en Gezin) – preventive child and family support
• School Zorgcoördinator / IB’er – for school-based concerns
• Youth Health Care (JGZ) – monitoring development, wellbeing, family support for children (0-18), with services often divided by region. General contact is usually via phone or email for appointments and questions, operating Monday-Friday, 8:30-17:00.
If a child is in immediate emotional distress, parents should always contact their Huisarts (GP) or emergency services.

Head lice. Nits. Luizen.
If your child has ever come home scratching their head, this episode is for you.
In this solo episode, Eva shares a very real parenting story , breaks down the facts about how lice actually spread, and tackles the shame and silence that often surround infestations.
You’ll learn:
How head lice really spread (and what doesn’t cause them)

Why hygiene has nothing to do with it

Why lice are common in schools and even high schools

What treatments actually work (and what doesn’t)

How community responsibility helps stop outbreaks

Humorous, factual, supportive—and stigma-free. Because lice are common. Parenting shame shouldn’t be.