Still undecided if you should move abroad with kids? Worried that moving to a new country will be too much on them?
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You might be thinking:
- They finally have a routine that works.
- Their sports are their everything so how could they possibly leave?
- Will they adjust to a new school without a meltdown every day?
- Will they find their way and make new friends?
I know because I had all of those fears when the opportunity to move abroad arose. Moving is hard enough with children within the continental US, so how could a move abroad with kids possibly be a good idea?
Let me tell you that it is.
Moving abroad with kids is not only a good idea but it’ll be the best thing you’ll ever do for them.
And here’s why.
They will be scared and nervous to start a new school in a foreign country. Heck, you will be too. And it will be hard. It will be hard for a very long time. They will get homesick, cry, may not be up to par academically with their year group, and at times struggle with fitting in.
But the benefits of moving overseas with kids outweigh the short-lived pain.
Newly imported kids will go from nervous and scared to brave and confident with eyes wide open, soaking in every bit of different the experience has to offer them.
In fact, during the last school run of their first year abroad my 9-year-old son said:
“Why does school have to be over? I don’t want summer.”
Yes, my 6 and 9-year-olds would rather be in school than have a summer break!
I was shocked, yet thrilled when they both agreed and said, “But we love school. I would rather keep going. I’m going to miss it.”
I never imagined living abroad as expats would be so fulfilling for my children.
When I asked them why they wanted to keep going to school, the response was heart-warming:
1 – Our British school is so much better than the one in Texas.
2 – We will miss our friends, especially those moving to new countries. (Moving abroad with kids seems more common in the UK than the USA.)
3 – We will miss all our sports.
4 – We will miss our teachers; the best ever.
5 – I want to keep learning. (I still can’t believe those words came out of my son’s mouth!)
6 – We want to play in the woods, climb trees and the rockery. (The rockery is in fact a heap of rocks and boulders that the children are encouraged to play on.)
7 – Design and Technology is the best class.
8 – I’ll miss my picnics in the meadow. (Yes, this actually happens here. Sometimes with marshmallows, too.)
And they kept going.
If that’s not enough to help you decide if moving abroad with kids is right for you, consider this:
1 – Kids attend school freely and roam the woods to climb trees as they wish during lunch and breaks. Can you imagine that ever happening in the states?
2 – The British school culture instills resilience. From getting muddy to rugby matches in dreadful weather. It’s hard on the washing machine but kids thrive in it, particularly when you come from a place where the slightest drop of bad weather cancels not only sports but school, too.
3 – Friends are from all over the world: Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, France…and England, of course.
4 – Curriculum goes beyond academics. In fact, my kids are taught a range of 12 different subjects, balanced across sports, arts, theatre, and music. And it’s all in cursive, too! 🙌
5 – School sports occur at the school where they play against other kids from other schools, just like when you were a kid.
6 – Academically, my US kids were “behind” per UK standards when they started but now they are just where they need to be. (Ahem, that means they are ahead in US terms.)
7 – They serve wine at parent/teacher conferences. Seriously.
The fear of moving kids abroad is valid but yields far greater joy and opportunity than the fear of moving itself.
Expat kids are tested on so many levels when they leave home, move to a foreign country and have to adapt to a new school where everything is different. (And trust me, English and British English are not the same, though I’m thankful the language differences are far easier than what it could have been.)
Living somewhere totally different so young teaches children more life skills then I think I ever learned until I personally studied abroad in college. It’s not all easy and will challenge you in ways you didn’t imagine that first year abroad, but watching the kids flourish so independently is an unexpected gift.
And the kids are better for it. They LOVE it. And so I love it, too.
For helpful insight on parenting abroad, the best book for support is Raising Global Nomads. It’s an expat parent must-read over and over again. I didn’t start reading it until after the kids were abroad and in school. My only regret was that I didn’t read it first as it provides insight into what the kids are going through from the moment you discuss moving abroad, to the 2nd, 3rd or 4th move abroad…
So stop worrying. Moving your kids abroad will not break them. It will lift them up. And it may be the best thing you ever do for them as children.
It took us months to adjust, but as the kids wrap up their first school year abroad, I couldn’t be happier or more proud of them and our decision to do this.
I don’t know why becoming expat kids ever worried me. Our best parent decision ever. I hope this helps yours.
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