tiredwithtwins

hi guys!
last night my mother announced it would be foolish of us to want to move to aus until the kids were at least 8/8/12. at the moment they are 2/2/6 ; does anyone have any views on this? I would have thought moving when they were little would be easier as they tend to adapt much easier to change when little. what does everyone else think? what are peoples experiences?

cheers
sue

footie chick

Well mine are 13 & 9, and the 13 year old is not going anywhere,alledgedly!!!.

I would say the younger ones would probably adapt better, but my friends boys are teenagers and they have fitted in brilliantly on there move to Perth earlier this year.

Who knows what age is best?

footie chick

claireg3

Hi Sue,
ours are 5 and 3. We will hopefully be in Perth at the beginning of next year which means Katie will then be starting school in the February with the other new starters. We had said thet we would give Oz 5 yrs and if we really didn't like it we would come back and at that time it would be in time for Katie to then start secondary school. BUT we now have no intention of coming back, the world is a big place and if we really don't settle or absolutely hate Oz then there is always somewhere else.

I have no doubts that it will take some adjustment to living in Oz but we are very adaptable and I'm sure we will settle in time.

Lucy (3) is looking out of the window at the minute to see if she can see the "hairyplane" that we will be going on.

Claire

kevt

Hi tiredwith twins,

I personally think the younger the better; my two girls will be 3 and 5 when we go so one of them will just be starting school, if I waited I would be disrupting her schooling.

When we went on holiday to OZ (although only for 3 weeks) the kids didn’t seem bothered at all about being away from friends and family, I think this was because they are too young to worry about those sorts of things.

I think if you wait until the twins are eight, it will be more disruptive to there schooling and so close to there exam year.

May be your mum just trying to delay you in the hope you will change your mind!

Best of luck

Rudy

Hi Sue,

We relocated from South Africa to the UK 10 years ago, our children were 2 and 4. They settled without any problems whatsoever! We are now re-relocating (suckers for punshment!) to Australia, they are now 12 and nearly 14. They have a lot more to say on the matter this time, but they are both looking forward to it. Personally I think the younger the better, but I believe my two will adjust quickly, the only big difference being they will miss their family and friends here. When they were little that wasn't so much of an issue, they just accepted the fact that they couldn't see Granny and grandad etc.

Only Time will tell! Best of luck.

Hazel.

lynnj

Sue

Is your mother perhaps confusing what is best for the kids with what is best for her, another few years and she can use the kids to put pressure on you not to go.

Our boys are 5 and 7 and are sooo looking forward to the big adventure, the older is much more aware of leaving friends etc than the younger so i'd have to think that younger is better, as for the baby, well i'm not sure if giving me a good kicking at 2am means it has already adjusted to WA time or what

Lynn

WBB

i would think that the younger they are the easier it would be for them to settle in.

ours are 5 in december and we have a 2 month old baby so im pretty sure they wont feel uprooted as they are both still young enough to make friends.

once they get towards teenage years i think they would be difficult and there is also exams and things to consider.

tiredwithtwins

hi guys,
thanks for the replys - I think it is better (if thats the right word) to make the move whilst they are little too - its all a big adventure when they are small, but the older they get i think they understand the further reaching implications of such a big move and can therefore work out for themselves things they will miss and therefore form objections!!!
just as an afterthought, my mother added to the conversation that if we go when they are a bit older, she will probably be dead by then so wouldnt miss them!!!

sue

booboo1

Hi Tired with twins

I think your children are a perfect age to move down under. Certainly not too old to bear the pain of leaving friends that they have had years to make and bond with! Certainly young enough to settle into their new country much easier, especially as mum and dad are the main people in their lives at their ages...

Go for it... My daughter is 8, nearly nine and we feel this is just the right time to move .... before she gets any older and doesnt want to move away from friends etc.

I feel as long as your fmily unit are altogehter then that is the most important thing in the world. I told my daughter that if we lived in an igloo it wouldnt matter as long as we are together..

cheers
booboo

tinaj

You have definitely got the ages right for you and them. It should be easier for them to adapt whilst they are this young. Your Mum will obviously miss them and is probably trying to dissuade you in a nice way.
My eldest is 13 and it is going to be hard for him to say goodbye to all of his friends- luckily he still wants to go though!

kcsb17

As a fellow 'Tired with twins' I know the dilemma you face. Ours are 8 and 8 although as chalk and cheese as they come. Twin 1 very keen to go now (but he's the adventurous type), Twin 2 not so keen as he has an established social circle (and doesn't like any kind of change). Our plan is to have them settle with several Primary school years ahead of them. I think waiting till Secondary or the transition year (Age 11/12) could be more difficult.
Good luck - look forward to hearing more Twin sob stories.

K

debsy

Sue

Your children seem to me to be the right age. Even better for the little ones as I think that it will be harder when they have started school and have established a network of friends.

Debs

nosuchluck

Hi Sue
i don't think it matters in the slightest what ages the children are, to be honest as long as your settled, they will be settled, talking to them the whole way helps i think, i discuss 'our new lives' every day with our daughter, she can voice her fears, happiness etc, and we make plans together. Obviously your youngest two are a bit young to talk too but involve them as much as their ages allow. When hubby and i first thought about emigrating we discussed it with Chanelle, we all had an input, she is 11 by the way!
best of luck and don't worry about anyone else's point of view, you know your children better than anyone else!
regards
rach

downunderpom

I was 10 and my sister was 5 when we originally emigrated. Settled in with no problems. I had friends at school who told me that they'd miss me, but I doubt if they did I was far too busy having fun in a whole new place to miss any of them (selfish bugger that I was - but then, you are at 10!)

The younger, the better. Then, when they get older it all seems perfectly natural, and Australia is 'home'. (It is to me, anyway.)

I think your mum is trying the guilt trip on you. Just ask her if she wants you and your kids to have a better life, or if having company is more important to her? The answer could be very enlightning... to her as well!

sally1968

Just to agree with the sentiments of the others who have posted here. The younger the better.

We have 2 children - 10 and 7- and really feel it's now or never. Our eldest is in her last year at primary school and I really feel that leaving until she was in secondary school would be a little too late.

Just go for it. They will probably settle in quicker than you will!!

Sally