1982xx

I may sound inappropriate to some but only after advice only.
I am thinking about going Amsterdam for my 40th and hate leaving my kids ( I’ve Always been the same since they a baby) they have said they would like to come with us. Age 13 and 14. We r a open family my kids can speak to me about anything I know red light distract can be how u want it to be shits and giggles or explore. My kids said they would want to come and laugh about red light distract. I’ve never been and want to know if anyone has ever taken teenagers or have been and advice about if it’s appropriate for teenagers to walk through? As i said I’ve never been so I have no clue what it’s like hence why I’m asking the question. Thank you

Moderator1

Moved to Europe Forum, removed trip report tag and added Netherlands

bilboburgler

Well European kids walk down the street and behave pretty well so I guess your kids may surprise you ;-) certainly I can see no reason why they shouldn't.

What's it like? It depends on the time of day but basically a series of shop windows with mainly women in them

What do your kids expect to be laughing about?

CherylDewson

You realize other kids live in Amsterdam right? It's a big city no different than any other city in the world. Just has some world famous attractions for adult stuff, but doesn't mean there's no kids there.

Kinda insulting to all the families who have kids and live in Amsterdam lol.

lavandula

You know, there is a lot more to Amsterdam than just the red light district. You can walk through there once and just move on (see the Oude Kerk or Our Lord in the Attic while you are there) and see some of the more normal parts like the Nine Streets or the Jordaan. Take your teens for pancakes. Go visit the Rijksmuseum. Not everything is drugs and prostitution there!

Lavandula

1982xx

I should of been more detailed when explaining sorry obviously I’m gonna take kids everywhere tourist attractions at Amsterdam but I just wanted to know about red light distract in case. Thank you for reply

lavandula

Basically the eastern half of the city behind the Damrak is where you will find a few streets where there are women sitting in the windows and a few museums like the Sex Museum. There are also some ordinary sights there that I mentioned above like the Oude Kerk (Old Church) and the museum Our Lord in the Attic (which is a Catholic church that was hidden in the attic of a house from the days when Catholicism was forbidden). There are also 'coffee shops' where they legally sell marijuana. You can walk through this area, it is safe and you can probably prepare yourself for your kids' questions, but TBH you don't have to spend all your time there. It is probably a good opportunity to talk to them about the women in the windows and the phenomenon of prostitution in a sensible way. They will have questions but they don't need to snigger at the women, and your part here is just to explain that Amsterdam tolerates certain behaviours or freedoms that other countries do not, and chooses to regulate them for the protection of the consumers and the providers, with for example, health checks for the prostitutes and so on. You can decide whether you think it a good thing or not, and maybe that is a discussion you can develop with your kids. I personally don't choose to spend time there myself but it is an education.
There is plenty to see in other areas, and lots of cafés (not to be confused with 'coffee shops') where you can take your children and not expose them to marijuana smoking if it is a concern. Bruine cafés (brown cafés) are the traditional corner pubs which have brown-stained walls and you can usually get a bite to eat there.

Lavandula

KTtravel

There is so much to see in Amsterdam that I think your kids can really enjoy. I wouldn't bring them to the red light district if they don't think they can behave appropriately. The women there have a hard, difficult, life and aren't a comedy show.

Tulips

The red light district is easy to avoid. I don't know what you told them, if they think they can go to have a laugh.
Let them do some research about Amsterdam to see what they would like to do there.
And surely you must have a reason for wanting to visit Amsterdam? Or are you going just for the red light district?

bilboburgler

I think it is a sensible question to ask but surely the people his kids should snigger at are the people who go shopping in the street rather than the merchandise.....

hetismij2

I think you need to talk to your kids before they go near the red light district and tell them about what is going on there and say sniggering is completely unacceptable behaviour no matter what age they are.
Bilbo makes an excellent point.
You do not stare at the ladies unless you are shopping you do not take photographs, you do not point and laugh and mess about. Simple manners. You don't snigger at other people working for a living do you?

You have no need to go anywhere near it, and it is not what it once was in any case.

annhig

I have a vague recollection that when we took our kids to Amsterdam when they were the same sort of age, we somehow ended up in the red light district. We just kept walking and if the kids said anything other than it looked a bit seedy I've forgotten it now. We were more worried about the mosquitoes in our hotel room TBH and the tulips made a much greater impression.

menachem

I think I'd not want my child laughing at sex workers tbh. You don't see Dutch people taking their teenagers there, or even many Dutch people. (De Wallen, ie, the RLD, is also a residential area, and a place where people are trying to make a living. Please be a respectful guest.

ParisAmsterdam

We were in Amsterdam with our younger daughter when she was 15. I'd been to Amsterdam multiple times before and my wife once. I took our daughter for a stroll through the RLD one evening. She found it interesting. There's no reason to shelter a well-adjusted teen from seeing what goes on in the real world.

Sassafrass

My advice: see the Anne Frank House. Visit the Van Gogh Museum. Day trip to Harlem. Take a canal boat ride. If you happen to wander into the RLD, fine, but it is not a place to purposely go to explore or for entertainment. What exactly might one wish to impart to a 13 year old through a visit there. Talking about things and answering questions is good, but they may not need these visuals. I have a nearly 13 year old GD. There are so many more things to spend time sharing with her at this age.

elbegewa

With teenagers who may need to burn off energy, definitely bike almost everywhere in Amsterdam.

Bike through the Rijksmuseum..Get to one of the multistory bike parking garages (bike up and down some of their ramps between floors.). If you have time get ouside of Amsterdam to bike through the countryside. Or get to Einhoven and bike the Hovenring, a "floating cycle roundabout". Or get to Utrecht, a city filled with students and bikes and interesting places to bike and lots of street life.

Google about cycling or bike tours in the Netherlands.