Dam Parenting

New to Sinterklaas in the Netherlands? Or is your young child just old enough to start discovering the magic?For international parents, Sinterklaas can raise a LOT of questions: Why does he arrive from Spain by boat? Who is the white horse? Why are children putting shoes out with carrots? What is the Sinterklaasjournaal? And why does everyone suddenly seem to be eating kruidnoten?In this episode of DAM Parenting, Eva explores Sinterklaas in the Netherlands — not just the traditions, but the magic behind them. From the November arrival and the Sinterklaasjournaal to putting out shoes, pakjesavond on 5 December, presents, songs and chocolate letters, we look at what makes this Dutch tradition so exciting for children.There's also the history behind Sinterklaas, the connection to the Santa Claus many international parents grew up with, and the question of how to bring Sinterklaas into an international family alongside your own Christmas traditions.If you're raising children in the Netherlands and Sinterklaas is new to you, you don't need to know every rule or recreate someone else's childhood. You can simply join in, create your own traditions and let your child discover the magic.In this episode:What Sinterklaas is and where the tradition comes fromThe Sinterklaas arrival in the NetherlandsSinterklaasjournaal and why children take it so seriouslyPutting out shoes, carrots, kruidnoten and small presentsPakjesavond and the 5 December traditionSinterklaas and Christmas in international familiesHow to create your own family traditions in the NetherlandsPerfect for international, expat and immigrant parents raising young children in the Netherlands — especially if this is your family's first Sinterklaas season.You are seen. You are not alone.

You and your partner might love each other, share a home and be raising children together — but when it comes to sex, you could be working from two completely different rulebooks.Why? Because what we learn about sex starts long before our first relationship. Family, culture, religion, school and all the things nobody talks about can shape how we think about desire, pleasure, intimacy and what we're supposed to expect from each other.In this November episode of DAMSex, Eva sits down with Debby Poort from Yellow Wood, a sex and intimacy counsellor working with international couples in the Netherlands, to explore how those unspoken lessons follow us into adult relationships.What happens when two different sexual rulebooks meet?We explore the messages we grow up with about sex, the assumptions we carry into relationships, and what happens when partners finally compare notes. Because sometimes, what feels like a relationship problem is actually two people who were taught very different things about what sex should be. And does the Netherlands actually get sex education right?The Netherlands has a reputation for being open and progressive about sex. But what does that really mean when it comes to what children learn, what adults understand, and how prepared we are for real-life intimacy? Whether you're in an international relationship, navigating different cultural expectations, or simply curious about how your upbringing shaped your sex life, this conversation is an invitation to get curious rather than judgemental — about yourself, your partner and the things neither of you may have realised you learned.Because you can't compare notes if you don't know there were different rulebooks in the first place.ABOUT DEBBY POORTDebby Poort is a sex and intimacy counsellor at Yellow Wood, an integrative psychotherapy practice supporting expats in the Netherlands, based in Amstelveen and offering online sessions.Find Debby and learn more about her work:https://www.yellowwood.nl/Explore her sex and intimacy counselling resources:https://www.sexandintimacycounseling.nl/podcastTHIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MAMASOCIALMamaSocial creates welcoming opportunities for mums to meet, connect and build friendships across the Netherlands. And while some conversations are easier to have in person, others can start right here, privately, while you listen.Find a MamaSocial meetup near you:https://www.mamasocialofficial.com/KEEP EXPLORING DAM PARENTINGBrowse episodes by topic and find the conversations most relevant to your family:https://damparenting.nl/listenFind DAM Parenting on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and more: https://pod.link/1714151581Have a question you'd like us to explore in a future DAMSex episode? Email Eva at [email protected] is part of DAM Parenting, the English-language podcast for international parents navigating family life in the Netherlands.Follow the show for more honest conversations about sex, intimacy, relationships and the realities of raising a family far from home.

Your child has a cough for three weeks already. You're in the Netherlands. The Dutch huisarts has told you this is completely normal and will last six to eight weeks. You've been to the Etos and Kruidvat and you have no idea what to buy. You've stood in front of a wall of bottles with names you don't recognise, from brands you've never heard of, for types of cough that — according to a Dutch ENT doctor — aren't really different types of cough at all.In this episode of DAM Parenting's translating Dutch consumer investigations for our international parents — Eva breaks down what Keuringsdienst van Waarde found when they put cough syrup in a lab. The answer will surprise you. And save you money.This episode covers: what cough syrup is actually made of, the expat experience of navigating an unfamiliar pharmacy, what the RIVM says to expect this autumn/winter, how often kids actually get sick (the numbers are genuinely wild), the science of why parental presence and rest matter more than any syrup, and what old wives' remedies are backed by evidence.Plus: how to survive the six-to-eight-week cough as a parent without losing your mind — and why going to bed at 8pm is actually a completely reasonable strategy.Sources: Keuringsdienst van Waarde Season 26 (Jan 2026), KNO-arts Emilie Dronkers, KNMP, RIVM 2026 respiratory season data.Find the full archive at damparenting.nl

Does ADHD make learning two languages harder? And should you drop your home language if your child has ADHD?Multilingualism specialist Mimi Potvin closes ADHD Awareness Month with what the research actually says, and why ADHD, a language delay and simply being new to Dutch can look the same from the outside.We also get into the school advice to “speak more Dutch at home”, whether Dutch screen time helps, and what happens to your family language plan when it’s the parent who has ADHD.For parents raising bilingual and multilingual children in the Netherlands.Mimi Potvin, multilingualism specialist, Growing Up MultilingualInstagram @growing_up_multilingualGet the monthly newsletter: HERE

ADHD parenting hacks: what actually works when you're already overwhelmed?If you have ADHD and you're raising kids, you probably don't need another person telling you to wake up at 5 a.m., buy a planner or just be more disciplined.You need things that actually work for your brain.In this ADHD Awareness Month episode of DAM Parenting, Eva sits down with Liam from Dads do Art, for an honest, funny and very real conversation about parenting with ADHD. Between them, they've tried the planners, timers, routines and productivity tricks. Some help. Others end up in the ADHD hack graveyard.So they're putting the popular ADHD hacks to the test, giving them honest scores out of ten and talking about what it's really like to use them while raising young children.In this episode, we talk about:Why planners, time blocking and endless phone reminders don't always work.Preparing for the school morning Habit stacking and making boring tasks a little easier to start.Visual timersDopamine snacksBody doubling: Sensory kitSleep, emotional regulation, ADHD paralysis and the pressure to be a more disciplined parent.But this conversation is about more than lunchboxes, forgotten appointments and getting everyone out of the door.It's also about the shame that comes with feeling as though you should be able to do things that seem easy for everyone else. It's about understanding your own brain, finding the support that works for you, and learning that being kinder to yourself is not the same as giving up.Because ADHD is not one-size-fits-all. A hack that transforms one person's morning might become another person's abandoned purchase. The goal isn't to become a perfectly organised parent. It's to build the support and systems that make your own life a little easier.Parenting with ADHD in the Netherlands?Whether you're raising children in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Haarlem or elsewhere in the Netherlands, doing family life far from your original support network can make the hard days feel even harder. You deserve practical support and a community where you don't have to pretend you've got it all together.This episode is for parents with diagnosed or suspected ADHD, and for partners who want to understand what life can look like alongside it.🎧 Listen, find the hacks that work for you, and leave the rest in the graveyard.DAM Parenting: You are seen. You are not alone.Find more about DAM Parenting and listen on your preferred platform at https://damparenting.nl/listen

You finally got the ADHD diagnosis. So why do you feel wrecked?DAM Trauma, episode 4, for ADHD Awareness Month. Trauma therapist Adina Petre, who was diagnosed late herself, on the grief nobody warns you about: rereading old school reports, the anger at the people who missed it, the shame that decades of being called lazy leaves behind, and finding out about yourself because your child was assessed first. Plus the first thing she works on when a newly diagnosed client walks in.Guest: Adina Petre, trauma therapist based in Amsterdam working with international clients. This episode is not a diagnosis or medical advice. If it brings up more than a podcast can hold, talk to your huisarts or a therapist.Get the monthly newsletter: https://damparenting.subscribepage.ioMore on this topic: https://damparenting.nl/late ADHD diagnosis · adult ADHD diagnosis · ADHD grief · diagnosed with ADHD as an adult · ADHD in women · ADHD shame · ADHD and trauma · parent with ADHD · child diagnosed first · neurodivergent parent · ADHD in the Netherlands · parenting in the Netherlands#ADHD #LateDiagnosis #DAMTrauma

Cancer Support in the Netherlands: Help in EnglishWhere can you find English-speaking cancer support in the Netherlands? A cancer diagnosis is difficult anywhere — but navigating treatment, family life and an unfamiliar healthcare system far from home can make it even harder.In this conversation, Katherine, founder of Cancer Support Netherlands, shares her experience as a two-time breast cancer survivor, a mother of two and an international resident who turned her own need for support into a community.We talk about receiving a cancer diagnosis abroad, trusting your instincts when something doesn’t feel right, explaining cancer to your children, supporting a partner through illness, and finding people who understand what you’re going through. What began with a Facebook post asking for a cup of tea grew into English-language peer support for people affected by cancer.Cancer Support Netherlands is a Dutch nonprofit offering English-language peer support to people living with cancer, survivors, partners, family members and carers.Find support: https://cancersupportnetherlands.nlInstagram: @cancer_netherlands📩 Get the DAM Parenting monthly newsletter: https://damparenting.subscribepage.io🌍 Explore more resources for international families in the Netherlands: https://damparenting.nlYou are seen. You are not alone.

TW: this episode talks about miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Skip it if today isn't the day. It will be here.Released on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day 15 October 2026, this episode is for anyone who has lost a pregnancy or a baby while living in the Netherlands, and for anyone supporting someone who has.Melissa, an American living in Rotterdam, went through three pregnancy losses in the Dutch system before having her two children. She talks honestly about a missed miscarriage at her first midwife (verloskundige) appointment, deciding between medical management and a D&C (curettage), a second loss alone during Covid, a termination for medical reasons, and a near-sepsis emergency at Erasmus MC.We cover:Going through miscarriage as an expat, in a second language and an unfamiliar healthcare systemWhy grief after early pregnancy loss is normal, and why it can last monthsWhat to say (and not say) to a friend after a miscarriageSibyl, the app Melissa built for pregnancy loss supportSibyl is a private companion app for pregnancy loss, built from lived experience with gynaecologists, fertility specialists and a reproductive mental health psychologist. It's for any kind of loss, from failed fertility treatment to stillbirth, whether it happened yesterday or months ago.OFFER: One month free with code DAM2026Website: https://www.sibyl.careApp Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6787125952Instagram: @sibyl_appSupport in the Netherlands: your huisarts (GP) or verloskundige can refer you to a psychologist, including English-speaking ones. If you're here for someone else, send this to them, or just message them that you're thinking of them.Get DAM Parenting in your inbox once a month: SUBSCRIBE HEREFollow: @damparentingpodcast · damparenting.nlDAM Parenting is an English-language podcast for international and expat parents in the Netherlands. We arrived without a village, but we built one anyway. The village is for the hard days too.

Is it ADHD, or is your child just exhausted from a new school, a new language and a new country?It's #ADHDAwarenessMonth. Child psychologist Kate Berger from the Expat Kids Club on why some kids hold it together all day and fall apart at the front door, what a Dutch teacher really means by "druk", and how to get from a first worry to an assessment. Plus the one thing she says parents nearly always know first.Guest: Kate Berger, child psychologist and founder of The Expat Kids Club, supporting families in the Netherlands for over 18 years.Mentioned on the episode: -https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/health-care-support/personal-budget/- Tilt Parenting-The Expat Kids Club provides psychoeducational assessments and screenings for many neurodevelopment conditions, including ADHD and ASD. We do not formally diagnose, but use standardised assessment measures that yield information to provide reports that include diagnostic indication (if relevant), as well as tailored recommendations for access to academic accommodations (aligned with IB-standards), and additional (mental) health services in supports in NL and abroad. We also, of course, offer therapeutic intervention. For more information about our services please see expatkidsclub.com Get the monthly newsletter: HEREMore on this topic: https://damparenting.nl/

Does ADHD affect your sex life? If you or your partner has ADHD, "not tonight" can land like a door slamming, and nobody has told either of you why.It's ADHD Awareness Month, and DAM ex goes there. Sex and intimacy counsellor Debby Poort explains why the intense early spark shifts, what rejection sensitivity does in the bedroom, and why so many couples end up feeling more like parent and child than partners. Plus the medication conversation almost nobody has with their doctor.For the partner with ADHD and the one who loves them. Neither of you is the problem.Guest: Debby Poort, sex and intimacy counsellor at Yellow Wood. Her free welcome course: sexandintimacycounseling.nl. Get the monthly newsletter HEREMore on this topic on DAMParenting.nl