This is part of Suzan Aretz's blog.

At the beginning of August, Amsterdam turns rainbow during the annual Pride Amsterdam. We went there this year for a very special reason.

First about that Pride week. Because many people think that Pride Amsterdam is mainly the canal Pride. Boat parades on the first Saturday of August. It is what we see on the news and what we read about. Yet Pride is much more than that.

We discovered this for the first time this year, thanks to our own rainbow child. He really wanted to go to Pride to see what it's like to be somewhere where everyone is equal and where it's not crazy if you're different from others.

We have known for a long time that we have a rainbow child. It's never been an issue. The urge for like-minded people, the feeling that you can be yourself is therefore extremely important for us to recognize and to guide our child in this. Knowing also that that is not the nest in which it is born for every child.

So we went online to find out what we could do during Pride week. An eye opener for us too, because there is a lot to do during this period. Because our darling is only 12, a number of activities are canceled simply because of age. But there was enough left.

Pride walk

Like A Tassie's Pride Walk. An organization that provides neighborhood walks in a number of large cities that you can walk yourself. Your tassie, in our case in rainbow colors, contains everything you need. The route, something to drink, to eat and lots of information.

The Pride walk passes several points in Amsterdam that are important to the LGBTIQ+ community and also contains a lot of information, most of which we simply did not know. Super fun to do.

Pride

But what was even more fun is the delight on our child's face. When walking through Amsterdam and seeing all those rainbow flags. The compliment that our child receives from a passer-by on the flag hanging around the shoulders as we walk through the Regulierdwarsstraat. You see the confidence grow with every step.

Walking around with it is still a bit exciting, but at the same time it is worn with so much pride that we can't do anything else than that fckn be proud of this child. That at the age of 12 already has so much more guts than many adults. That open-mindedness, that individuality, I hope it will remain forever.

The smiles I've seen from people who looked at us, the self-confidence I've seen grow as a result, the unforgettable memories we made together in those few hours in Amsterdam. Priceless!