Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

You are absolutely right, but that doesn't stop a mother from hurting when her little boy says his heart is broken. I think Nicanjoe was simply looking for a little moral support and not saying she was planning on changing her mind about going just because her little one is sad.
It's wonderful that you lived in different countries as a child, however most of us (especially here in Canada) don't have that opportunity. If moving to another country every few years is the only life you have ever known, then it seems normal. If the only life you have ever known is in the same house with the same friends and grandparents living just down the street, then moving to a new place is very frightening. I'm into my 40's and still scared to death at times at the thought of moving across the world where I don't know anybody.
Your point is well taken and nobody is out to shoot you :)

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

He will be fine, we promised ours a puppy and a pool :rolleyes:
Got the puppy, pool goes in next week, just give him soething to look forward to. Denise

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

That was exactly what I did, I thought he would just kind of go along happily like he always does, so I was stunned at such strong emotion from him. It's like all of a sudden he understood what all this Australia talk really meant and it all came at him at once. I'll definately try the suggestions given on this thread, I really appreciate everyone's ideas, as this is the only place I can comfortably discuss this. I'm sure that it will all be okay but it's tough watching them go through it. I may also get his older sister and brother to chat with each other about how excited they are while he is in earshot every once in a while. Hope all goes well with your little one.

Nicanjoe

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

Hi

We've went through this when our son was just 7. The most important thing is that you must trust your decision and stay confident in front of him, and the second thing is to get him a dog, so that he always has a freind to talk to.

What we did not have back then is internet with webcam. If you can set it up for him and the rellies before you go and teach him (and them) how to use it when they are just around the corner, he might understand that it will be just the same when he gets to oz, except you'll have to wait for them to wait up before you can tell them about your day.

Good luck

Beverly

Life is 4 Living - Coaching 4 Life
Sydney, Australia
Mob 0403 028 373

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

Does your son have any specific interests, like trains for example? Most little boys like trains, Thomas the Tank Engine etc, and if you could show him just how many steam engines and heritage railways there are in Australia I'm sure he would love the chance to visit some of them. We came by a video called Railway Adventures Across Australia which is pretty old now (1998) but it shows the presenter (the Australian actor Scott McGregor) travelling all over Australia, meeting interesting people and riding on interesting trains though some wonderful scenery. Our six year old has been watching it since he was about 3 or 4, and it really fuelled his enthusiasm for going. On our two reccie trips we tried to take him to some of these places on the video and has even met one or two of the people featured on it, which made his holiday! I'm not saying you should get this particular video (he may not even be into trains!), but if you could find a way of relating his specific interests to Australia, by way of the internet, DVDs etc, I'm sure he would feel a lot happier about going, and be able to enthuse about it all to his grandparents back in the UK. It worked for us anyway, as our little boy is quite OK about going now. Good luck anyway. :)

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

Exactly. Thanks.
Nicanjoe

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

Thanks Lace, nice to hear that, I'm doing my best but you never know if it's the right thing.

Nicanjoe

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

My son is 2 and we thought he was coping ok as he was so young but we have had a few times where i have wanted to cry for him. the 1st one was when he saw a picture of him and his nana on the carousel at the german market in brum and he said "nana round and round and round thomas " then he asked to go and kept saying go nana go nana so i tried to explain nana was a long way away on a big airplane but that she owuld be visiting at christmas and now whenever he sees this picture he says "nana presents plane go" the other one he has having difficulty getting his head round is when we go to toddlers that my friend jane isn't there and he always asks for her and we go through all the explanations again. after 6 weeks he is getting a bit better especially as we are encouraging him to chat to nana and grandma on the phone which has seemed to help.

poshrice

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

It really breaks your heart doesn't it? It's tough when they too young to really understand distance and time. We aren't there yet, but I can imagine how difficult it must be. My parents and one sister will be coming to visit in January, and we will just have arrived the previous July, but time in a childs mind is very different than it is to us. Hope the visit at Christmas helps.

Nicnajoe

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

Hi everyone,

Thanks once again to everyone who replied, it is very much appreciated. On a positive note, I was speaking to a mum who moved about 5 hours away by plane, and I said she was really lucky because she had been back 3 times in 7 months, and it must be great to be not so far that you can't come back if need be. She said you know you'll be much better off being farther away, the kids just begin to settle in and make some friends and we need to come back (for her mum etc.)they cry the whole way back on the plane everytime and must reconnect with their new friends because they've just spent a week or two with all the friends they've know there whole lives. Once your there, they'll adjust and you won't keep pulling them back "home" only to leave again. So that was a positive way of looking at being so very far from family and friends.

Nicanjoe

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

Get the child involved as much as possible, make them feel an important little helper. Give rewards for helping and keep pushing the positives.

best of luck

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

I have been having trouble with my 6 year old daughter who is most upset about leaving her friends and school and was adamant that she would not go over to Oz.
However, I asked my relation in Oz to ask one of her friends daughters, who is also six, if we could email her to find out what life is like over there for kids.
My daughter loved this idea and has now started emailing her (with a bit of help from us). It is really sweet too as she is asking what kind of food they have over there, is it hot, do they go to the beach, etc? My Daughter has now said that she will go over for a year only - so I suppose that is a start!

Cheers and good luck

Jo

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

We are having a leaving party for the children. We've got this guy to come for a couple of hours to show his exotic animals. He's based in the Middlands but will travel anywhere in the country to do your party.
It's £150 but I thought what the hell - It's their leaving do and I wanted it to be memorable.
The thing is, they show big spiders (tarantulas) and hissing cockroaches etc.. some of which kids will see in Australia so I thought it might help excite them a bit (or scare the pants off them) :D

if you want the name of the guy, let me know.

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

That's a great idea, unfortunatly we are in Ontario Canada, but I'm going to look around, in fact my sons grade 2 class had someone bring in a snake or lizards or something, I'll ask his teacher about it, and maybe he can do it or knows of someone who can. Good idea also, to let them help plan the party, ohhh this is all coming to me as I write, he's been asking to write invitations to his birthday party (which isn't until July and we won't be here!!) so I can let him write invitations to the going away party and invite some of his closest friends, most of them are girls so they might not love the creepy crawlies but too bad, they'll be cake and icecream to make up for it.

Nicanjoe

Re: Broken hearted 5 year old
 

You'd be surprised how the girls will hold the spiders and the boys will chicken out....