The battle: staying in the city when you have children

I think the best thing about my passport is that it states in black and white that I was born in Amsterdam. And since I've also lived there for eleven years, that makes me a true Amsterdammer.

Well, the fact that I grew up as a child in a village, I leave out in proud stories at the pub. I don't blame my parents, they wanted to get out of the city with small kids. Just like May, who writes a plea about why you want to move to a quieter place with kids. It's my honor to elaborate on that. Because I am becoming a mother of two (at the same time, yes) and will just continue living in Mokum.

1. This is where it happens

Actually, everyone who lives outside the Ring knows it, but they don't say it out loud. So it doesn't happen there. There is only one city in the country that counts, sorry. The trendy hotels you never visit because they are for those four billion daily tourists, the overcrowded restaurants where you should be happy if you get a starter and a glass of wine for fifty euros, the always charming canals that you never notice because you've been cycling over them for years.

2. The people

Amsterdammers are not comparable to villagers. In a village or small town, you know everyone in the supermarket; here, you don't even say hello to your neighbor. And that's okay. You're busy with trendy things, being everywhere. The rest understands that. Even that nice neighbor, whom you only speak to when you receive a package delivered when you're not home. No one looks at you strangely in your overly expensive boots or with that fancy sunglasses. People don't pay attention to you. Too busy being everywhere. Wonderful.

3. Social life

Why do I especially want to stay in the city with kids? For my own life. Put me in a village with two babies and I immediately feel ten years older. Not a problem, for many people a lovely next step in their life, but I can't think about it right now. I enjoy life when my real friends live nearby. That they can come by on their bikes when my guy is off to Ajax again and can easily help with diapers and pacifiers. That there is always one nearby who is thirsty for wine (six more months) or coffee (now one a day).

4. Career

Look, I don't exactly know how I'm going to manage all that work that makes me happy while raising two babies at the same time. Time will tell. But I do know that it's easier to keep biking to work without traffic jams. To be able to keep working when you're right there, at that daycare on the corner and that dream job three streets away. Jobs are plentiful and babysitters are in abundance.

5. It keeps me young

I am still young, let that be clear, but put those kids in a cargo bike, dress them in trendy Nikes and I just feel like a cool city mom in a few months. No silly fuss in a residential area where no one ever drives through, where people have gardens with trampolines and where everything is green. If you want green, you bike to Vondelpark. And if your kids want to play, you have to go to a playground. That's how it is.

6. Future

Look, we wanted to get out of the city for a moment when we heard I was pregnant. We thought: that's how it goes. But who decides that? Just do what feels good, I know now. Who knows, we might move in about four years, but maybe not. My husband now says: ‘I really think it's for us to never leave once we have a bigger house in Zuid.’ And somewhere that seems so cool to me. Children who not only have it written in their passport that they were born in Amsterdam, but who are also truly Amsterdammers. They can handle a lot. When I tried to convince my husband to really stay living in Amsterdam with twins and not move to ’t Gooi, he didn't hesitate for a second. Luckily, in his heart, that damn handsome city is also there.

Now to find that ground-floor apartment because in one thing May is absolutely right: you can't haul a stroller up three flights of stairs, day in and day out. Especially not with a double stroller. And do you know what a beautiful song is about Amsterdam? This one. ‘Everyone always has something to complain about, but she doesn't worry. No one can compare to her. Yes, she is the most beautiful in our country.’ I sing it for you, dear May.