Surviving the School Holiday Gauntlet: An International Parent’s Guide

Ah, November through February: that magical time of year when American parents get to play “Who Wants to Be a Childcare Provider?” on repeat. Just when you’ve finally recovered from the chaos of Veteran’s Day (because nothing says “rest” like a random midweek day off), Thanksgiving swoops in, followed by Christmas break, MLK Day, and President’s Day. It’s basically a months-long relay race where the baton is your sanity, and your only prize is figuring out how to keep your child entertained for eight hours straight yet again.

But then, you move to the Netherlands and think you’ve discovered the promised land of uninterrupted education. From June 9th to Christmas, there’s not a single national holiday. It’s a blissful desert of school attendance (other than one week-long mid-term break), where the only thing parents need to plan is which after school activities are on tap for today. I was lulled into a false sense of security, convinced I’d finally escaped the endless parade of “creative childcare solutions.” Spoiler alert: I was wrong.

Enter Crocus Break (also known as “Spring Break: The Prequel”), a week in February when Dutch children and early-blooming flowers alike decide it’s time for a change of pace. Apparently, the Ministry of Education believes that kids need a break from the grueling task of coloring inside the lines, so off they go for a week of “rest” - which, as every parent knows, is code for “nonstop whining about being bored”.

But wait, there’s more! April brings Spring Break, conveniently timed with Easter. And because the Dutch are nothing if not thorough, they’ve tacked on both Good Friday and Easter Monday as national holidays. That means Spring Break gets a bonus day, much to the delight of children and the utter despair of parents everywhere.

Then comes King’s Day on April 27th, the one day a year when the entire country collectively decides to declutter by selling last year’s junk to each other in a massive nationwide yard sale; all while wearing every piece of orange clothing they own. The real tradition? Buying back the same stuff you sold last year, only to realize, yet again, that it’s still just junk.

King's Day near our house

Every five years, the Dutch go big with Remembrance Day (May 4th) and Liberation Day (May 5th). Remembrance Day is deeply solemn: two minutes of silence, during which even the trains and cars stop. Liberation Day, on the other hand, is all about cake baking contests, concerts, and fireworks-because nothing says “freedom” like a sugar rush combined with pyrotechnics. At least we won't have to deal with this one for another five years.

May 29th is Ascension Day, commemorating Jesus’s trip to heaven. Naturally, this means children should stay home for some “pious reflection,” which usually involves sleeping until noon, setting new high scores on Mario Kart, and honoring Jesus by not showering and consuming as much junk food as possible.  Indoor plumbing didn't exist during Jesus’ time, right?

And just when you think you’ve survived the holiday gauntlet, along comes Whit Sunday and Whit Monday (Pentecost), one more day off in June to ensure parents never get too comfortable with the idea of “routine.”

Now, here’s the one saving grace: if a holiday falls on a weekend in the Netherlands, you don’t get a day off. King’s Day on a Sunday? Too bad, so sad - no extra day for you. The Dutch are nothing if not efficient, even when it comes to their holidays.

But there’s hope! If I can just make it to June 9th, and then survive the eight-week summer break (which I’m sure will be a completely zen experience given we will be back in the US packing up our lives to move here), I’ll be rewarded with several glorious months of uninterrupted school. Meanwhile, my American friends will be dusting off their “time off school survival kits” for the next round of November-to-February madness. I’ll be thinking of you all fondly while enjoying my hard-earned peace and quiet. And if you have any genius ideas over the next few weeks for “keeping the kid busy” that don’t involve bb guns or eight pounds of glue, please send them my way. I’ll need them.