Jay-Producer

Well it is a good post but to work on what he said and not what your saying about education - I know for fact, as I was a youth worker for many years, some kids had fantastic parents but got into trouble etc. and turned out not that great, why? because of the area they were brought up in, peer pressure to get into drugs etc. The area you live in does have a factor. It's a bit of a debate called nurture V nature. You can't say living up in a poor area is not going to have any negative affect at all. Evidence: look at statistic to show those brought up in deprivation and far less likely to have good jobs and stay out of trouble etc. Not saying they will get into trouble and not succeed but the stats speak for themselves. Not a dig on you mate, just speaking my mind and offering my opinion on things based on the post you thought was good

quoll

Peer pressure is endemic, happens everywhere. Of more concern perhaps would be parental modelling. A kid who grows up in a family where living on the dole and bludging off the system with the occasional foray into less than legal activities is going to be far more disadvantaged than a kid who grows up in a family where responsibilities are delineated, achievements celebrated etc. Sure kids from both ends of the spectrum go off the rails - it isnt just the domain of the poor downtrodden deprived lot. OTOH I know of kids who were raised in conditions you wouldnt keep a dog in but because of the support from schools and various support groups they have become happy and functional adults who have in turn done their best by their kids. (yup, I worked with disadvantaged kids as well)

A child who doesnt feel they "belong" or are valued in their family group is going to be much more vulnerable and seek to find that belonging in whatever group will give them the time of day - that's when you get the undue effects of peer pressure. Good parenting can indeed be a preventative factor - I dont mean the materialistic sort of parenting, I mean the sort that provides love, care, guidance, responsibilities, experiences and you can be as poor as a church mouse and still find that sort of parental support.

At the end of the day it really doesnt matter whether you grow up in Australia or UK peer pressure, bullying, drugs, drink etc are all going to be there as the minefield that adolescents and their parents have to walk. Coming to Australia certainly doesnt make all of that go away miraculously.

Jay-Producer

Well put putogether Quol. Some excellent points. I just couldnt be bothered writing an essay on it. In fact I wrote an essay at uni on youth work, maybe ill publish it on here, its only 2,500 words

I got an excellent grade for it and my tutor begged me to write a desertation on it and publish it. No danger!

BadgeIsBack

I'd agree with you definitely - infact I've said so much often myself. I've pointed to demographics alot myself recently.

I was only really saying that education does not always beget good grades either, but that often kids with the best chances often have parents backing them too.

There's obviously lots of parents who want the best and then find that other factors take their toll. But I also think that some parents take a back seat and think their kids will be processed at school.

fish.01

I went to a private school in Brisbane and received a thorough and disciplined education. Boring as it was.

I have seen castles and medieval buildings, been to Dublin and Prague, been to mountains great and small, tropical and temperate. I have read Shakespeare, learnt about the Tudors (yawn) and the Industrial Revolution.

I have seen Newcastle vs Manchester United (howay the toon), slept on the platform in York and had beer in the Scotland lowlands.

I have visited 25+ countries and been away from home for 4 years in total. I am not unusual for an Australian of my background. Almost every friend I have has been to London, Asia and the Continent (even the one's with no money managed it). When I got married in the UK 9 of them turned up from all over the world. We just continued the long tradition of major travel that has been going on for generations of Australians.

They are still doing it. My best friend (40yo), married with 2 children rang me today to say he is going with his family in June to Asia, Eastern Europe, then putting the children into school in Dublin until xmas, then taking them to Milan, then South America and then home next Jan ready for his son to start year 5 at a top Brisbane school. The best man at my wedding rang recently to say he and his wife are selling one of their investment homes to live in South America for a year.

So I'm sure taking your daughter home will help her to be more British, just don't assume her experiences will be the richer for it.

I wouldn't mind if my son picks up some of his mothers Geordie lilt to soften the harsher vowels of the Australian accent....but if he ever comes home with an upper middle class english accent I'll shoot him on the spot

Hutch

It's the Australian way!

fish.01

Bloody oath!!!

Gibbo

Very well said! It never ceases to amaze me when Australian friends, of my age, say how they travelled to Europe etc. in their early twenties, especially when we caused a stir when we went to Majorca for our honeymoon in 1959. How some people can say Australians are insular and have never travelled amazes me.

Jaidee

This is what I just loved.....my wee boy only put shoes on to go to school.......and at that it was under protest....

Also I found that in Oz schools, kids are allowed to be just that "kids"....

BadgeIsBack

Probably because they choose to live or work amongst Australians who are insular and have never travelled. It's the 'D' word again. It would be like OzzieEagle's young Australian-born daughter moving from her London base to a UK provincial estate and then discovering that the people she knows have never organised a trip on their own past the south Terminal at Gatwick.

A laugh for us was visiting friends in London. Some Australian friends arrived who have been there around 10 years. We marvelled at her beautiful Received Pronounciation* and the way she now gushed. She remarked on how [relatively] Australian - I'll chastise myself suitably - we sounded.

All very healthy - makes me realise how futile all this agonising about staying incomprehensible to everyone is. 'I'm a scouser and I'm proud of being English and that noone can understand me out of Scouseland'. As long as your accent doesn't put employers off taking you on, or make people avoid you because they can't understand you then who cares.


*She's a South Australian so allowances can be made.

kez81

I don't think it is better its all to do with how you bring your kids up not necessarily where you do it.

I do feel though that my kids miss out on there extended family like seeing there grandparents regular some of my fondest memories are with my grandparents & cousins.

BadgeIsBack

Well I think it's a bit of both - although intially, as you say, I only focused the how - not the where. Overall, a myriad of factors.

ACE

We have been in WA for two and a half years now and we are very happy and well settled. In terms of the children's experiences they had very good lives in the UK, the eldest attended a very good private school, we lived in a nice, semi-rural area, they had plenty of friends, a couple of holidays a year etc. Our biggest issue was always time or rather the lack thereof and over crowding. I would say they definitely have better lives here and are enjoying a much improved upbringing. They have all the positive elements which they enjoyed in there lives in the UK but on top of that they have much more active lives. They both participate in lots of sports and other out of school activities, we go camping, 4x4 off roading, boating and fishing (things we never did in the UK), we spend a lot of time at the beach and the local parks, we go to concerts, restaurants and exhibitions and we do a lot of socialising with friends as a family. As well as getting a top notch education they both have very well developed social skills and are confident, polite, happy kids. Mr ACE and I are doing the same jobs as in the UK but the biggest difference and positive influence on the quality of our lives is that we are so relaxed and less stressed, we have a lot of free time and are able to do so much as a family.

In answer to your questions
'What does Australia do better?' In my experience-work-life balance, family friendly activities, opportunities for a healthier lifestyle, pastoral care and enrichment in schools, outdoor/water based activities, sports for kids, free-to-air TV (I am in the minority with this one but I love SBS-lots of documentaries, award winning foreign language movies and good world news. I get my daily fix of The Simpsons on 10 and weekly fix of Desperate Housewives on 7)

'What does Australia do worse?' In my experience-price competition(i.e flights, supermarket prices), good value, well made children's clothes and shoes, subsidised health service, private medical insurance, Internet services (infrastructure, speeds, rates), pay TV

I am sure there are many other things which could be added in answer to both questions but as I said I am only commenting on my experiences.

Good luck
ACE

s1mon321

I wouldn't worry too much about the Aussie accent as I'm pretty sure that peer pressure insists that all Aussie teenagers speak with a mock American accent nowadays.

Failure to start a sentence with 'oh my god' or 'oh.............my god', or to complete the sentence with less than ten 'likes' ('he was like, soooo bad', 'so I was like no way') would see them shunned by society!