Why Are Dutch Kids So Happy When Dutch Adults Aren’t?

Season 1 Finale: Nanas, Mums & The Women Who Came Before Us

It's the last ride of Season 1 — and Anna has something to set the record straight. After a comment in the previous episode suggested she might have found her own mum's approach to motherhood "stifling," she's back on the cargo bike with Zena to correct the record: her mum is actually the blueprint. In this cherry blossom-dusted season finale, Anna and Zena reflect on the women who shape us across generations — the reading voices, the acting games, the unconditional presence — and why grandmothers deserve far more credit than they get. Plus: the legendary story of Nana catching a poo to save a perfect bath, how Nana flew from Scotland to The Hague mid-labour and still made it to the hospital before Zena arrived, and the small, steady rituals that pass quietly from one generation to the next. Zena also reveals her Book Character Day costume (Jen from Real Friends), Uncle Nick is flying in from Texas, and Anna's jeans are... wet. Thank you for riding with us this season. Season 2 is coming. In this episode: * Why Anna's mum is the reason she shows up for every school trip, presentation, and camp drop-off * The intergenerational magic of reading aloud, acting games, and being taken seriously as a child * Real talk on what it means to be "present" as a parent * The chaos and warmth of school run life — cherry blossom, leaf blowers, dog interruptions and all Hearts and Handlebars is the podcast recorded live on the school run — a BBC journalist mum and her daughter, talking honestly about life, family and growing up from the back of a Dutch cargo bike. New episodes every Wednesday (starting again in Season 2). Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. #HeartsAndHandlebars #SchoolRun #MumPodcast #ParentingPodcast #Motherhood #Grandmothers #WorkingMums #CargoLife #CyclingWithKids #SeasonFinale #TheHague #FamilyPodcast

School Run Wobbles: Cycling Proficiency & Unwritten Rules

On this Hearts and Handlebars school run, Anna and Zena swap the cargo bike for Zena’s own wheels and road‑test what cycling proficiency really teaches kids – and all the crucial things it doesn’t. From wobbling past colleges in the wind to negotiating busy junctions and impatient cyclists behind them, they talk through the unwritten rules that quietly make everyday family cycling safer: being predictable, choosing when to stop or go around an obstacle, signalling clearly, and how to handle cars that suddenly block the bike lane. Along the way they share real‑life cautionary tales about feet in spokes, sticks in wheels, and why “no time for tricks” is sometimes the kindest rule on a bike path. If you’re cycling with kids to school, new to Dutch bike lanes, or just wondering how to turn basic cycling proficiency into real‑world confidence, this ride‑along episode is for you. Hop on for practical, kid‑level safety tips, a bit of role‑play, and a lot of love from the bike lane. #cycling#urbancycling #familycycling  #bikingwithkids #schoolrun#Netherlands  #TheHague  #parentingpodcast

Motherhood, Careers and the Mental Load: Anna and Zena’s ‘Third Way’

A school run, a missing orange cap and a hunt for seagull sounds turn into something much bigger in this episode of Hearts and Handlebars, a parenting podcast about modern motherhood and (double shift) working mums. As BBC journalist Anna Holligan and her daughter Zena pedal through The Hague, they talk about three generations of mums in their family – a great‑grandmother who worked only in her husband’s business, a Nana who stayed at home to raise four children, and a modern mum trying to balance being present with a career she loves. Together they ask what a “proper job” really is, why being a stay‑at‑home mum can be both beautiful and stifling, and whether there’s a “third way” of motherhood that keeps the playfulness and dedication of previous generations without losing women’s ambitions and careers. Along the way there are class reps, ducks on honeymoon, wishes on dandelion clocks and a vision for animals for Britain’s new coins – all woven into a candid conversation about motherhood, money, the mental load and what kind of parent today’s kids might want to be tomorrow.   #heartsandhandlebars #parentingpodcast #motherhood  #mumlife #modernmotherhood #parentingtips #sahm

When School Spirit Weeks Expose Working‑Parent Guilt

It’s crazy hair day at school – but what happens when you’re the parent who forgets? Climb into the cargo bike for a chilly Dutch school run as Anna and Zena navigate pipe‑cleaner ponytails, Fuzetea bottle “juice hair” and the emotional gymnastics of getting everyone out the door on time. Whizzing past yellow cars, toy poodles and debates about bike traffic lights, they unpack what real friendship looks like in the playground, how school spirit weeks can expose the cracks for working parents, and why something as small as a missed newsletter can trigger outsized guilt. This episode is a love letter to imperfect caregivers everywhere – the ones juggling emails, assemblies, crazy hair days and the constant worry of letting their kids down, while trying to create tiny moments of joy on the school run.   #HeartsAndHandlebars #CrazyHairDay #SchoolRun #WorkingParents #MentalLoad #ParentingPodcast #CargoBikeLife #DutchParenting #SpiritWeek #SchoolCommunity #ModernMotherhood #FriendshipGoals #ParentGuilt #BikeLife #FamilyRoutine

Why Are Dutch Kids So Happy When Dutch Adults Aren’t?

Dutch kids are the happiest on earth, but the Netherlands is slipping down the global happiness charts. What goes wrong between the carefree bike years and doomscrolling teen life? On this misty school run, we ride through the six “secret ingredients” of Dutch childhood—independence, bikes, low-pressure school, calm routines, community and strong policy—then slam into the teen years, social media, and a government flirting with a ban for under-15s. Along the way, there’s an Olympic-athlete ex, tall-poppy Dutch sayings about not standing out, a daughter who insists she’s not “one of the happiest kids in the world,” and a conversation about how hard it can be to loosen your grip when you grew up on horror stories about child safety. This episode is for anyone wondering what a “happy childhood” really looks like in 2026, and what parents anywhere can borrow—and question—from the Dutch model. #bedtimeroutines #funparenting #schoolrun