I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.
Why are Dutch Children so happy? It is because they have more freedoms, better schools and stay at home moms. Of course being a rich nation doesn’t hurt either. Unicef has done a study to find the most child friendly places and out of 21 countries Holland ranked number one. The study judged each country on poverty, health and educational standards, sexual behavior and social relationships of children within these countries and rated them in the following order.
1. Netherlands
2. Sweden
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. Spain
6. Switzerland
7. Norway
8. Italy
9. Republic of Ireland
10. Belgium
11. Germany
12. Canada
13. Greece
14. Poland
15. Czech Republic
16. France
17. Portugal
18. Austria
19. Hungary
20. United States
21. United Kingdom
It seemed in countries that had more personal freedoms the children were happier and made for more sucessful adults. Holland is known for having a great deal more freedoms than other nations. This entitles children and young people to start making more choices earlier. For instance marijuana and prostitution are legal in Holland. However, most young people do not engage in as much smoking pot and sex as one would think. Afterall most young people do things like that to get attention from their parents. If it’s all legal and there is no shock value there is no point in doing it. Also the mother is usually either a stay at home mom or waits until the children are older before entering the workforce. This forms a tighter bond and most children are free to express themselve and will talk to their parents about most anything. Afterall, children must be free to express themselves so long as they do so in a respectful manner. This is a time in life, especially during the teenage years that the child disappears and the young man or woman further develops his or her own personality. The only freedom that can’t be revoked is that of thought. He/she with the most freedom seems to win.
3 Comments
I’ve always been a believer in giving children a balanced and open respect for the world around them. And while studies like this one seem to suggest it’s a good idea to give them free reigh, the real world simply isn’t that easy. Consder the pervasiveness of the internet and other electronic communications - especially in western societies. They provide our kids with free access to all sorts of things that may or may not be good for them. And don’t forget that there are those out there that will exploit this freedom. Consider the recent actions in Austria where an international child pornography ring was busted. Is this the kind of freedom we want our kids exposed to? We need to provide them with a careful balance of freedom and security. And that’s something this study didn’t really consider.
Greetings,
I completely agree that there should be balence and nobody should be given an absolute free reign to do as they please whenever they please. There must always be rules but there should be great freedom as well. Without the freedom children will not be able to make choices without consulting someone. That, I believe, is a truly sad occurence and I hate seeing it when that happens. About the porn rings and internet I believe that is the responsibility of the parents to educate their children about those things and the fact that they are wrong and have the potential to harm people. Such sites should be restricted and punishment should be administered if the child breaks the rules. There is too much emphasis on blocking out sites and television channels that are inapropriate for children. If the kids are taught properly than they will not engage in viewing porn sites/channels.
You’re talking about too much freedom but children can also make the right choice.
Take the kids in the Netherlands, they have the lowest teenageprenancy and abortion rates in the world. Just because they say NO against sex..
Facts & figures (US fctbk2008): Best Health Care, best road safety, best education, lowest murder rate (even better then New Hamshire, safest state 2008). UNICEF and the OECD said: Holland is the safest place for children.
What I know about the Dutch is that they always talk with respect about the US, even they are Calvinists still they are no moralists. They will always make their own choices, almost all European countries said no against the US (Bush,Irak,.)but Holland said (President Balkenende): “We will always support the people of the USA”
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