Is Working Part-Time The Key To Being A Happy Mom?

What do you think? Do you think the Dutch have a point?

If that isn’t enough, the Dutch have figured out another huge part of being able to keep your sanity as a mom: Part-time work. More than 70 percent of Dutch women work part-time, and are happy to do so. Part-time work may well be the not-so-secret ingredient to staying calm and relaxed as a mom. It gives Dutch women the freedom to stay engaged in the workplace, earn money and nurture a professional identity while still having time to meet a friend for coffee. By removing the worry of losing your identity to motherhood, or the stress of not being able to remember the last time you were home before 10 p.m., working part-time makes it that much easier to enjoy the time you have with your kids.

The Dutch social welfare state also provides an important safety net that takes a lot of pressure off parents and kids alike. Schools are free, or close to it, compulsory health insurance covers a huge chunk of medical and hospital expenses and Dutch parents even get an quarterly stipend from the government to help cover the costs of raising a child. This system gives parents the freedom to work part-time, and takes the pressure off parents to see their kids succeed at school or suffer the consequences as adults.

Some parts of the calm and steady Dutch approach to parenting are ingrained in their DNA and remain as elusive to me as their long legs and cycling prowess. The Dutch are naturally very emotionally regulated. You’re not going to see the same outbursts of expression here that you’ll find in much of Southern Europe. It may not sound like a great compliment to bestow on a nation, but being emotionally level is a huge help in patiently dealing with children’s meltdowns and not resorting to warnings involving numbers. Or at least this is what I tell myself at the playground as I give my kids just one more chance … again.

You can read the rest of this article on The Washington Post website. When you're finished, leave a comment and weigh in on whether or not you agree with the 70% of Dutch women who work part-time.