Kentish Lass

You seem to have the right way of thinking. Perhaps I'll have it sussed by the time I'm 80
Don't know when 'tomorrow' is where you are so I'll wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY now.

Kentish Lass

To those of you talking about teenagers driving, here in NZ, the age is 15yrs!
The main argument for that,apparently, is that most boys have learnt by then anyway in their 'paddock bashers'. You can imagine how over-confident they are behind the wheel! Luckily my son has the 'laid back' attitude of kids here and can't be bothered to take the test.

There are other issues here....like teenagers sneaking out in the night to meet up with each other seems the norm.'Smoking' also is rife. When a friend and I sought a bit of help and advice, we were told that we were panicking and "they all try it". Besides we were told that it's been a good Summer so there's lots of it about and easy to get. I too wonder how mine would have turned out if we had stayed. And you can feel guilty. Is it because I've been unhappy here that my head has been elsewhere? He has no drive and failed last years NCEAs because of truancy. He's at a different school now trying again. So disappointing when I know he can do it. You only ask them to do their best. I do wonder aswell....NCEAs..would they actually mean anything anywhere else? If we went back would they count for anything?

bettyboo67

15! Here in Canada its 16 which is bad enough, if I had my way boys wouldn't be allowed behind the wheel until 20.....make that 25 All that lack of co-ordination coupled with poor judgement is a bad combination methinks.
I think that part of being a parent is to always feel guilty when things don't pan out the way you expected them to, or when your children don't turn out the way you expect them to.
Here in BC we have a lot of locally grown weed also known as 'BC bud' and you can smell it almost everywhere. I too worry about my kids getting caught up in drugs but then is it better to spend your weekends getting blind drunk as is the norm in the UK?

bettyboo67

Ooh nearly forgot HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY DONTHERETURNER

dontheturner

Hello Lass - thanks for the wishes, Wish you were here, as I am only a social drinker, and my Thai lady doesn't imbibe. Got some lovely Apricot Brandy, you might have shared with me. It is 23rd july, was born in 1930, and I cannot believe it!

charleygirl

Just wanted to add my bit about wanting to go home etc......... please all you mums who want to and are scared too etc, been there done that, spent 13 unhappy year missing Christmas, birthdays and most of all missed seeing the joy on Grandparents faces at their grandchildren........ all are well in their 80s now, my mum is 88, she has missed so much and the guilt i feel never goes away, we cant afford to visit, they have only been back 3 times in 13 years, the land of opportunity NOT! sorry i am just very sad and a bit bitter.
Now I am 58 and will probably be going it alone......unless the kids decide they do want to come after college.

Hey Don happy birthday for 23rd.

brits1

Hi we were for nearly two years.....we sold our home which took a year then had to rent for another year as the school years did not fit for our two sons....we have now been back home for 3 months and so far it has been great....very very busy and our feet have not really touched the ground be we have now moved into our rental and just getting back into some kind of routine....for me the last year was full of high's and low's.....it was the "your neither there or here so to speak" but we tried to enjoy ourselves as much as possible and tried to plan everything that we could in advance to help with the move and some stress that might come with it....good look to everyone in that position....just try to make the best of it....easy said than done I know..lol...our eldest has just paid for his first year Uni fee's and just trying to help our youngest along with college choices etc....

dontheturner

Thank you, Charley girl, Just sold my Electronics Organ, to a gargae man for his son, and they are bringing roast chicken pieces, for my day tomorrow. so there, bit more gone! don

Mummy in the foothills

Sounds like a party in the making Happy Birthday for the 23rd. Enjoy yourself even if you are the only one to have a tipple.

ble

hi and happy belated birthday dontheturner.

Hi Kentish Lass
I too am in NZ - I am a nzder born and bred, but moved to the UK and lived there for over 6 years. Had my family there.
We moved back to NZ almost 4 years ago and I have been actively plannign and trying to get us back to the UK for the last 3 of them.

Yes I will be sad to leave my family again but I feel that I have retired here. And I am only 33 yrs now.

I remember growing up here, and just biding my time to see what was out in the world. Just waiting until I had grown up, finished my education and then that was me - off to see the world. Waiting waiting waiting.
I don't want the same thing for my children.


And now, I feel like that again. Just waiting waiting waiting.

I truely believe that I had to come back to NZ to realise that I had made my home Scotland. I will always be from NZ, that won't change. But I made my home and my childrens home there. It isn't here.

What being here has taught me is how to live off the smell of an oily rag and doing without. All good lessons for going back and surviving.

Luckily, while my OH likes here, he likes there. The man as happy as long as there is somewhere for him to hang his hat (so to speak) so now we are just waiting for the job opportunities to start there (which may take a while) and then we will be off.

Kentish Lass

ble.....I don't really want to generalize but is this a bit of a woman thing?
My OH too is quite happy wherever he is. He does enjoy it here with the fishing and his boat and loves the view of the mountain behind us but he has said he is happy as long as he has me and the kids with him. He hasn't missed his family at all.I have to remind him to phone home now and again to his Dad and sister. He had friends in the UK but it doesn't bother him not to see them. Is it us girls that need close friends and family?

dontheturner

No! It is not KL, but then, perhaps I have a feminine side, I did not know about? - I do have a shopaholic streak! I ring someone, in UK, almost every day. (Skype or Yahoo Voice) - whereas, my Thai OH, has the mobile permanently fixed in her earhole! don

reeni

Swap the NZ for Canada and you have me with the exact same story!!

I am glad that some one else feels like me.

reeni

Kentish Lass

Perhaps we should call you Donna ?

dontheturner

If you were here looking directly at me, you would not dare say that!

I can be very persuasive! Don