"Whether it's water or something else, it's simply a parent."

The Dutch Ministry of Education has reportedly squandered an astonishing €40,000—an amount close to the annual gross average salary—of taxpayer money on a language guide for civil servants. This guide advises them to refer to Father’s Day and Mother’s Day as “Your Day,” according to The European Conservative, citing the Dutch daily De Telegraaf.

The Dutch Ministry has issued a new guide for families. Photo: AFP

The guide, aimed at combating “discrimination and racism,” is intended to ensure that officials “include all types of families” in their communications.

It has faced sharp criticism from various quarters, including former Member of the European Parliament Rob Roos, who labeled the guide as “woke nonsense” and evidence that significant savings could be made on civil servants. Even Judith Tielen, the education minister from the liberal VVD party, described the guide as condescending. She acknowledged that it is “not necessarily the best” tool, raising questions about who is actually responsible within the ministry.

The minister emphasized that language use does indeed play a role in politics but added, “As far as I’m concerned, this is not necessary for the functioning of civil servants.”

“One-third of fifteen-year-olds cannot read well enough. Let the secretary focus on that instead of dealing with American woke issues,” fumed Martin Bosma, a member of the PVV party. He finds it outrageous that terms like “fathers and mothers” are being replaced by “parents/caregivers” in the guide.

Writer Marieke Hoogwout lamented that “when the government dictates which words to use, those in power control the language.”

According to writer Klaas Wilting, the language guide merely reveals that “The Hague has completely lost its mind, and this crazy nonsense costs money.”

“What sort of lunatics came up with this? Before you know it, children will no longer be able to call their fathers or mothers ‘dad’ or ‘mum,’” he stated.

The document also opposes the use of the words “white” and “golden age,” and suggests capitalizing the word “Black,” particularly in the context of “shared cultural identity.”

Dit is toch niet normaal?
Een moeder die zulke dingen doet om macht te verkrijgen. Schandalig.

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— JON TAKANA (@JonTakana37307) April 9, 2026