Parenting feeling tough? Leusden offers plenty of support

As a parent, you sometimes have questions about raising your children or feel stuck. You’re not alone! That’s why the municipality of Leusden offers extensive support. From guidance for your child to relationship courses for parents and help from people in your own neighborhood.

“Parents face more challenges in raising their children than before. They often experience the phase with young children as a tough period in life,” says Marleen Treep. She is the alderwoman for Social Domain in the municipality of Leusden. Over the past few years, the municipality has developed a wide range of support services for children and their parents in collaboration with local organizations.

Dineke de Beer, a Youth Mental Health Care Practitioner (POH-GGZ Jeugd), is one of those partners. In up to eight sessions, she helps children and young people get back on track with mental health issues. These problems vary widely. “Think of anxiety, sadness, sleep issues, or problems at school or at home,” she explains.

Many children struggle with attention and concentration issues. “This can have various causes. For example, excessive mobile phone use, or events a child has experienced, such as bullying. But home situations can also play a role, such as a parent being ill or parents going through a divorce.” Dineke usually involves the parents in the conversations as well. “Children are part of a system, a family. That has an impact on how a child feels.”

Sensitive to stimuli

Families have busy schedules, and children often become overstimulated. This is also due to living in a highly stimulating society. On top of that, expectations are high. “Because of the positive stories others share on social media, there’s a sense that everything should be perfect. And if a child ‘deviates’ in any way, it’s quickly seen as a problem. While it’s normal for one child to be more active than another or to struggle more. We’re all different.”

Online course

A course that offers many parents practical tools is the free online course ‘Ouders Inc.’ (Parents Inc.). It covers 11 recognizable topics that parents of young children often encounter. “It’s great when you’re unsure about something or just want to know more about parenting,” says Dineke. “It’s convenient that parents can take this course at home, at a time that suits them.”

Relationship: the foundation

There’s also a course that focuses on the parents’ relationship itself: ‘Houd me vast’ (Hold Onto Me). “Your relationship is the foundation of your life and your family, but we don’t get a manual on how to maintain it well. Yet how things are between you as a couple also affects how your child is doing,” says Dineke. She started offering this course in collaboration with the municipality because she sees many children in her practice who struggle with family tensions, parental conflicts, or divorce. Parents can lose sight of each other due to busy schedules or misunderstand each other due to communication patterns. “This course can prevent many relationship issues. Couples learn a lot about emotions and what lies behind them. Communication improves, they feel more connected, and understand each other better. People give their relationship a higher score after completing it.”

Recognition

During the course, Dineke notices how much it helps when people find recognition in each other. “By sharing what they’re going through, they discover that others also have questions or face patterns in their relationships. They learn that this isn’t problematic or serious, but part of life,” she says.

This mutual recognition was also evident when the municipality, together with Lariks, organized theater evenings for parents of teenagers in recent years, Marleen explains. “Various topics were addressed, such as setting boundaries around alcohol and drugs, talking to your teenager, and dealing with social media. On such an evening, parents discover that others often have the same questions they do.”

Support from the community

Marleen, a mother of three adult children and a grandmother, notices that parents often lack support from their environment when raising children. “In the past, we spent more time with sisters or friends. You talked to each other about the children, helped each other, and learned from each other’s parenting. In today’s world, there’s less room for that.” People thrive best when they’re connected to those around them, she knows. “As a family, you also need a network around you.”

Needing others

“As a municipality, we want to support parents in finding people around them they can rely on, so there’s more peace and space for their family,” Marleen says. “Home-Start and Buurtgezinnen (Neighborhood Families) are good examples of this. Buurtgezinnen pairs families who need support with families in the neighborhood who are happy to help. For example, by having a child join their family for an afternoon each week or by offering that extra bit of warmth as a supportive grandparent to a child who no longer has grandparents.” The municipality launched this initiative based on the idea that raising children is something we do together. “It’s beautiful when you can find each other in this,” Marleen says.

Preventing problems

It moves her that so many people in Leusden offer their help. “Everyone goes through phases or situations in life where we need others. Are you going through such a time? Take advantage of the support available in our municipality!” Because, as Dineke adds: “You can really prevent problems if you speak up in time.”

It touches Dineke when she sees what children or young people sometimes struggle with or have to endure. “It might sound strange, but that’s also what makes me do my job well.” Marleen recognizes that drive. “It sets things in motion. That’s why we, as a municipality, are building a society where children grow up as happy and healthy as possible in these complex times. And for that, you need each other.”

Could you or your child use some support?

• Is there someone in your environment—like a friend, neighbor, or another parent at school—who can think along with you? Often, other parents face the same questions, and you can make progress together.
• If that doesn’t help or you’re not sure how to approach it?
• Then ask for advice at Youth Health Care, where you can get guidance and check-ups on growth and development for children and young people aged 0–18.
• You can also reach out at school or register with Lariks.
• The general practitioner can also provide input, or
• check out the ‘Wegwijzer Leusden’ website. This site serves as a social map, providing an overview of organizations in the municipality of Leusden that focus on well-being, care, parenting, and growing up.

Credits

Text: Marlies Jansen

Photos: Art of Origin Ricardo Kolleman