I moved into a tiny home village at age 37 with my son. His childhood is so free that we've stayed for 7 years.

Matthijs van der Ham

Samira Kafala for BI

• Seven years ago, Matthijs van der Ham won a lottery to rent a tiny home in the Netherlands.
• One of the main reasons van der Ham has stayed is the village feels safe for his 13-year-old son.
• Instead of complaining about noise, his neighbors turned his son's birthday party into a mini festival.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matthijs van der Ham, 44, an architect and woodworker. For seven years...