My experience as a teenager and parent is similar to the GP - and my US license is valid in the Netherlands.
Note that we have the added complication that we live in areas with snow, and thus are driving on icy/snowpacked roads for a good portion of the year.
I wondered if it would be cheaper (or more fun!) for dutch residents to take a trip to the US, get a valid drivers license, and bring that back to Europe rather than pay directly for a license there.
I'm not sure if it's still true, but a few decades ago, the easiest way to get a Dutch license was on Saba, one of the Dutch Antilles. Apparently, if you managed to drive around the central square on the island without any major accidents, you got your license, and it was perfectly valid as a Dutch driver's license.
I knew one guy who got his license there, and he didn't dare to drive in continental Netherland. He did have a Dutch motor bike license, but he didn't feel qualified to drive a car in real traffic.
Note that we have the added complication that we live in areas with snow, and thus are driving on icy/snowpacked roads for a good portion of the year.
I wondered if it would be cheaper (or more fun!) for dutch residents to take a trip to the US, get a valid drivers license, and bring that back to Europe rather than pay directly for a license there.