This episode dives into what true compromise really looks like in relationships. Dr. Naomi Gibson shares tools for communication, teamwork, and emotional honesty — helping couples move from tension to collaboration.
A powerful listen as the year winds down.
What feels hardest to compromise on?
Recorded during Men’s Mental Health Week, this episode features two fathers sharing their experiences with NICU stays, ADHD, burnout, and emotional overload. It’s an honest conversation about the realities of fatherhood and why vulnerability is strength.
= Reshared to support the whole parenting village.
Neuroscientist Dr. Elke De Witte explains how caregiving reshapes the brain — not just for mothers, but for all parents. This episode challenges outdated myths and calls for a more supportive understanding of parenthood in society and the workplace.
A reflective listen during the quieter days after Christmas.
What changed most for you after becoming a parent?
This episode explores the emotional side of raising multilingual children — from guilt and comparison to burnout and fear. Mimi offers gentle, practical guidance to help families build sustainable, flexible language journeys rooted in connection rather than pressure.
Reshared as part of our Christmas support series.
As holidays approach, parents often carry invisible pressure. This episode explores how to manage expectations, balance rest with responsibility, and approach family holidays with more realism and compassion.
A timely replay for Christmas week.
What feels hardest about family holidays?
Eva and Angela from the Expat Parenting Collective unpack the emotional and cultural challenges of parenting abroad — from isolation and postpartum expectations to setting boundaries with in-laws. This episode offers reassurance, tools, and real talk for parents raising children far from their original support systems.
Reshared during the holiday season when family dynamics intensify.
This episode explores one of the most important parenting skills: managing your own stress before responding to your child’s meltdown. Our resident Child Psychologist Dr. Faye Pool from Kerr Psychology explains how stress affects both parent and child, and shares realistic regulation techniques for high-pressure moments — including public tantrums and parenting abroad.
Part of our Christmas replay support series.
What helps you calm down when things escalate?
Child psychologist Faye joins Eva and Maren to explore how children develop resilience, self-belief, and emotional awareness. This episode covers growth mindset, effort-based praise, emotional vocabulary, child-led play, and practical tools to help children move from “I can’t” to “I can’t… yet.”
Reshared to support parents during emotionally intense holiday periods.
Returning home for the holidays can stir up complex emotions — especially when you’re parenting abroad. In this episode, resident psychologist Dr. Naomi Gibson helps parents understand the emotional shift of going back to their roots while holding new identities as caregivers. Together, we explore family roles, expectations, boundaries, and how to create space for both old traditions and new ones.
Part of our 12 Days of Christmas replay series.
What feels hardest about going home for you?
Traveling with kids can feel overwhelming before you even leave the house. In this episode, Eva speaks with family travel content creator Jetset Gabrielle about how to prepare yourself mentally and practically for trips with children. Recorded ahead of peak travel season, this conversation focuses on realistic preparation, lowering stress, and helping parents feel more confident navigating travel days with kids.
Reshared as part of the 12 Days of Christmas support series.
Christmas is almost here — and while everyone else is planning outfits and presents, you’re worrying about something else entirely: how your child is going to cope.
The noise.
The travel.
The broken routines.
The big family expectations.
In this episode of DAM Parenting, host Eva is joined by child psychologist Faye to talk about what’s actually happening inside a child’s brain and body when Christmas becomes overwhelming — and how parents can support regulation without trying to control every moment.
Together, we explore:
Why routine changes and overstimulation can feel so big for children
How parental anxiety and guilt can quietly affect our kids
What travel, sleep disruption, and long days do to emotional regulation
How to handle family pressure when your child needs space
Simple, realistic tools to help children stay calm and supported during the holidays
This conversation isn’t about creating a perfect Christmas.
It’s about understanding overwhelm, protecting emotional safety, and creating small pockets of calm — whether you’re travelling, hosting, or just trying to get through the season.
If Christmas feels like a lot this year, this episode is for you.
How do children really learn to speak — especially when they’re growing up with more than one language?
In this episode of Dam Parenting, host Eva sits down with our resident linguist Mimi from Growing up Multilingual to explore the surprisingly powerful role of play in multilingual language development. From quiet colouring moments to spontaneous storytelling, this conversation uncovers how connection, safety, and shared attention unlock children’s voices across languages.
As the Christmas holidays approach, many families find themselves navigating busy homes, travel, visitors, overstimulation, and screens. This episode offers a gentle reset: why slowing down and returning to simple, screen-free play can strengthen attachment, emotional safety, and speech — without pressure or performance.
You’ll hear:• Why play is essential for early speech and language development• How colouring, drawing, and open-ended play encourage multilingual expression• Why children often speak their heritage language when they feel safe and in control• Practical, low-pressure ways to support bilingual and multilingual kids at home• How to build connection without turning playtime into a lesson
Perfect for parents raising bilingual or multilingual children, expat families, international parents in the Netherlands, and anyone wanting to support language, bonding, and emotional development — especially during the busy holiday season.
Listen now and rediscover the power of play.
Looking for family-friendly Christmas activities in the Netherlands?
In this episode, Samira from AmsterdamKids joins us to share a wide range of ideas for things to do with your family during the festive season. We talk about Christmas markets, light festivals, museum outings, winter events, kid-friendly activities, and cozy days out across the country.
There’s so much happening this month that we couldn’t list everything in the episode — so if you want a full overview of December activities for families, visit our Instagram page. You’ll find a curated carousel packed with inspiration to help you plan your festive calendar.
Tune in to discover new ways to make the season special for you and your kids.
This week, Eva takes us through the whirlwind of November–December parenting in the Netherlands — the sugar, the traditions, the cultural juggling, and the pressure to buy all the things. But instead of adding more to our already stretched mental load, this episode invites us to shift toward something simpler, kinder, and far more meaningful: giving together.
Eva shares how a Reverse Advent Calendar works — filling a box each day with small essentials for a family in need — and why it’s one of the most grounding, heart-opening activities to do with your kids this season. Plus: ways to get involved across the Netherlands, including:
the ADRA Christmas Box Campaign, and
nationwide Kerstpakketjesactie drives.
Got others you want mentioned? Reach out on Instagram to add others to share with our communtiy!
If you’re craving a December with less pressure and more purpose, this is your gentle invitation.
Take a breath. Gather your kids. Build a box. Make a difference.
You’re not alone in this season — and neither are the families we choose to support.
Bringing home baby number two is a big moment — not just for you, but for the little one who’s about to become a big sibling. This highly requested episode dives into what parents can do to guide their first-born through the transition with warmth, confidence, and support.
Child psychologist Faye from Kerr Psychology joins us to share practical ways to prepare your oldest, strengthen connection, ease tricky emotions, and set the stage for a loving sibling bond. If you’re growing your family and want to make this change feel safe, supported, and joyfully messy in all the right ways, this conversation is for you.
Listen now to get the guidance you need for your “one to two kids” journey.
Is OPOL — One Parent, One Language — really the “gold standard” for raising bilingual kids, or just another parenting myth that sounds good on paper?
In this episode, Eva sits down with linguist and multilingual mom Mimi from Growing Up Multilingual to unpack where OPOL came from, why it’s been trusted for over a century, and what actually happens when real families try it in daily life.
If you’ve ever worried about “doing it wrong,” this conversation will help you breathe easier — because your language plan isn’t fixed, it’s a living document.
Hit follow on Damn Parenting for new episodes every Wednesday — and share this one with a parent who needs to hear that “perfect bilingualism” doesn’t exist, but connection always does.
Living abroad often forces families to walk a fine line between independence and interdependence — between “I’ve got this” and “we’ve got this.”
In this episode, host Eva sits down again with Angela from the Expat Parenting Collective to unpack how couples can find balance while raising families in a new country. Together, they explore:
What independence and interdependence really mean for expat parents
How to share responsibilities without resentment or burnout
Why intentional communication matters more than ever
Ways to blend home and host cultures for a grounded family rhythm
Practical tools like weekly check-ins, shared calendars, and outsourcing
Whether you’re parenting without a village, navigating new cultural norms, or trying to lighten the mental load — this conversation reminds you that you don’t have to do it all alone.
Listen in for real strategies, honest reflections, and encouragement for every international parent building a home away from home.
Leaving is never easy — not for those who go, and not for those who stay.
In this special episode of Dam Parenting, we speak with Erin, a fellow international parent who made the heartfelt decision to leave the Netherlands and return home. After starting her family abroad, Erin chose to move closer to her extended family — recognising what her child and her own wellbeing needed most.
Her story is one of courage, reflection, and love: the strength it takes to say goodbye, the gratitude for the friendships and community built here, and the reminder that every goodbye carries a piece of the Netherlands back with it.
For expat families, migrants, and internationals navigating life abroad, this episode offers an honest look at what it means to choose home — and why leaving is also part of the journey.
Listen to honour the shared stories of our community — and to say thank you to Erin, for reminding us how connection, even across distance, continues to shape our families and our lives.
In this episode, child psychologist Faye Poole joins Eva to unpack how social media shapes the modern idea of “perfect parenting.” From picture-perfect feeds to parenting influencers, we explore why so many parents feel they’re not doing enough — and how comparison culture can quietly impact both parental wellbeing and children’s sense of security.
Faye shares practical ways to step back from the pressure, build self-compassion, and model healthy digital habits at home. Whether you’re a new parent scrolling for advice or just trying to keep it real online, this conversation will help you see past the filters and reconnect with what really matters.
Listen for insights on:
The link between social media and parenting perfectionism
Why comparison undermines confidence
How to talk to kids about online “perfection”
Simple mindset shifts for calmer, more authentic parenting
What happens when two parents share one child… but not the same “why”?
This week on Dam Parenting, we explore what really happens behind the scenes of raising a multilingual child when parents aren’t aligned on their motivations, values, or goals.
Host Eva speak with Mimi from Growing up Multilingual who dives into what she’s learned after years of speaking with multilingual families — and why parental alignment isn’t a “nice-to-have”, but the foundation of any successful family language plan.
Because no strategy will ever stick if the people shaping the child’s world are pulling in different directions.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
* Why many couples overlook the importance of discussing their language goals early on
* How silent misalignment can quietly erode even the best intentions
* The 5 key questions every couple should ask before starting their bilingual or multilingual journey
* How your own language beliefs, identity, and childhood shape the way you raise your child
* What happens when “heritage language” becomes emotional territory
If you’ve ever wondered why your partner isn’t as invested in your child’s language learning—or why your family’s plan feels harder than it should—this episode will help you start the right conversations.
Because raising a multilingual child isn’t just about the child.
It starts with you, the parents — your “whys”, your alignment, and your shared understanding.
Listen now and discover how to make your family language plan a truly shared journey. And be sure to check out the Instagram carousel providing you with more questions to consider in your journey.
Our thanks as always to Mimi from Growing up Multilingual