The Netherlands: Raising the world’s happiest kids

"We really try to let them be kids first and then along the way try to see where they end up”, says Felix den Ottolander, father to Louna (3) and Flynn (1). The family of four starts their day together, with breakfast. For many Dutch families, a shared morning is a crucial daily ritual. "For us, it's important that we spend enough time together. We have breakfast, we bring them to daycare, I go to work, and then maybe sometimes I have plans in the evening as well, and I only see them in the morning," says working mother Marlot van der Stoel. The father then takes the kids to daycare, by bike, of course. In the Netherlands, it's common for toddlers under three to attend nursery. Nearly 80% are there for four to seven hours a day, Monday to Friday, double the EU average.